Cranberry Vanilla Jam

Here is another blog post from Sarah at In Praise of Leftovers. Sarah's offerings are generous, delicious, and always nestled in beautiful, fun, heartfelt stories. Check out her blog and you won't be disappointed. Her recipes, advice, and company are always such a great part of my day.
_____________________________________________________________________________



How delighted I am to be a guest on Eralda's blog! I started In Praise of Leftovers spring of this year, about the same time that Eralda finished graduate school and started The Split Pea. In those first couple months, one could safely say I was OBSESSED with checking for comments. There were the usual suspects--my mom, my sister, a few good friends. Eralda's comments were some of the first I got from strangers. Completely thrilling. And they weren't things like, "Looks great!" (though I'll take whatever I can get), but sweet, personal, well-written tidbits that made me feel like my life and writing mattered. I've never been to Texas, but I have a friend there now, and am grateful to be connected to Eralda, her family, and her cooking and academic ventures.

One of the rules I have for my blog is that I don't plan my menu or my week around blog posting. I'm a mother, organization development consultant, wife, volunteer, member of many groups and pursuits. If I put my blog at the top of the list, all those other things would suffer (and I would be super cranky). So, in true Leftoverist fashion, I didn't know what my contribution to The Split Pea would be until this morning when I was spreading cranberry vanilla jam on my toast.

This beautiful jar of jam was meant for a cranberry cognac trifle that I'm bringing to a Christmas party tonight. And I did use it for my trifle, which I'll write about soon. What I was unprepared for, though, was how addictive it is on its own. Sweet, yes, but with that lovely tartness only cranberries can bring, and a strong hit of vanilla to give it depth. I generally don't go nuts over sweet jam--raspberry, strawberry. I always have it around and occasionally spread it on toast, but I don't wake up in the morning thinking about it. Not so with this stuff. With a frothy latte this morning, I definitely felt ready for December, ready for the eminent festivities that can wear us out if we're not careful. Loretta, my almost-three-year old, kept asking for more, spreading it from one end of the table to the other.

Wherever you are today and whatever your traditions around this time of year, I hope you are visited by goodness, light, and maybe a jar of jam.


Cranberry Vanilla Jam

Adapted from Gourmet. I've never REALLY canned, with hot water and sealing lids, etc. But that shouldn't stop you from making jam. Tightly covered, you can keep this in the fridge for at least a month. And it goes without saying that this would make a lovely gift. This makes about 2 cups--double or triple it if you want lots more friends.

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (or 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract)
3 1/2 c. fresh or frozen, unthawed cranberries
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
1/2 c. water

With tip of a sharp knife, scrape vanilla seeds from pod into a 2-qt. heavy saucepan. Add pod and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickening, about 20 minutes.

Puree jam through a food mill set over a bowl OR (I don't have a food mill) force it through a fine-meshed sieve, pressing on the solids, occasionally scraping the bottom of the sieve with a spatula to get every last drop. Discard the cranberry skins and vanilla pod. Cool, stirring occasionally.