Cranberry Jalapeño Jam

Nov 16, 2014 in jams, jellies, ball home canning, canning, preserving, spicy, cranberries, jalapeños, epicurious. Read the original on: Food Fanatic

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Are you ready for Thanksgiving? It seems like just yesterday I was looking for Halloween decorations at the stores (and was unable to find any, because all of the Christmas decorations were already out). It's about that time to start planning your menu though, so that you can spend less time hovering over the stove and more time with your friends and family on Thanksgiving day.

I always love the years that I get to host Thanksgiving, because I enjoy cooking everything from scratch - from the roast turkey with gravy right down to the apple pie with homemade pie crust and homemade apple pie filling. Still, I like to prepare as much as possible ahead of time so that there's less to do on turkey day.

I always make as many sides and desserts as I can two to three days prior, and the bread or rolls the day before. (This year it might even be these copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls!) And, my homemade spiced cranberry sauce can be made well ahead of time, since it can be canned and stored until the holidays.

This year, I decided to kick things up a notch with this cranberry jalapeÃ±o jam. I'll still have plain homemade cranberry sauce as a side for dinner, but I thought that this jam, like my hot pepper jam, would make for a great appetizer.

I'm thinking it'll add a nice little extra kick in leftover turkey wraps the day after Thanksgiving as well - and of course, you can set aside a couple jars for later to whip up some appetizers for Christmas. I also like to pair a spicy jam like this one with a sweet summer jam to make a fun, simple host or hostess gift for the times we're visiting family.

I hope you'll love it as much as we do, and that you have a very happy holiday season!

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Cranberry JalapeÃƒÂ±o Jam Recipe

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Ingredients

8 cups whole cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup water
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2-3 jalapeÃƒÂ±o peppers, de-seeded and chopped (or leave some of the seeds in if you prefer a spicier jam)
1 teaspoon ginger
2 cups granulated sugar

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil and continue boiling until the cranberry skins burst. Crush the fruits with a potato masher until uniform in texture. Boil hard for one minute longer or until the mixture thickens.
Prepare your canning supplies. Bring the temperature of the glass jars up by processing them in hot water for several minutes, and heat a few cups of water in a small saucepan for the lids.
Skim off any foam and ladle the hot jam into the hot jars, leaving 1/4â€³ headspace.
Place the lids and bands on top, screwing on the bands just until fingertip-tight. Place the full jars back into the boiling water and process 10 minutes.
Remove from the water and place the jars on a towel. Let the jars cool. The seals should suck down (you should hear a popping noise as they do). Makes 6 eight-ounce jars.