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Last year we went all crazy for rhubarb, but this year, sadly, we’re been rather silent on the subject. (Truth be told, we’ve been rather silent in general--but no more!) To mark our return to rhubarb (and posting), we’re talking about something too ambrosial to possibly ignore: Rhubarb-Vanilla Bean Jam.
If from experience or hearsay, your brain is wired to connect the words "making jam" with terrifying thoughts of pressure cookers, piles of jars, packages of pectin with teeny tiny directions, and finicky candy thermometers, banish them. Relax. All we're talking about here is making a couple of cups of very simple jam. No candy thermometers, no pectin, no jars. In fact, it’s probably a misnomer to even call this jam. Think of it as a thick compote that looks and acts and tastes like jam, but without the stress.
If you are a rhubarb skeptic, or for that matter, a jam skeptic, this could be the combination you’ve been waiting for. The tartness of the rhubarb is calmed by copious amounts of sugar and the cloying sweetness of some jams is a non-issue, due to rhubarb’s lovely acidity. Then, of course, there are the flecks of vanilla bean, which put the whole thing over the top.
This jam is terrific on scones, with popovers, or even spread on buttermilk pancakes. We even find ourselves spooning it on top of plain yogurt, or in a pinch, heating it up and pouring it over vanilla ice cream.
(Recipe for Rhubarb-Vanilla Bean Jam is after the break.)
Rhubarb-Vanilla Bean Jam
Makes about 4 cups of jam.
Note: Make sure to buy the bright red stalks of local (not hothouse) rhubarb. For vanilla beans, we recommend the bulk aisle at PCC where they are under a dollar apiece.
2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed of all leaf bits and cut into 1/2” pieces
2 - 2 1/2 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split open and scraped
In a (non-aluminum) saucepan, cook the rhubarb over medium-high heat until it starts to release some juices. Add 2 cups of sugar along with the vanilla bean, both the skin and scraped seeds, and continue to cook. When the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook jam for about half an hour, stirring occasionally, until the all of the chunks of rhubarb have broken up and the mixture starts to thicken. At this point, taste the jam for sugar and add more if you like. To check the thickness, take a teaspoon of jam and put it on a plate in the freezer. Once it's cool, check and see if it’s the thickness you like. If not, continue to cook for several minutes and check again.
Jam will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Freeze any you’d like to keep longer. If you are canning-inclined, feel free to jar this jam as usual; it does start to turn a little bit brown over time, but the flavor remains.
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Hoorah! Rachael's back!
Rhubarb skeptic! Now I know what to put in that About Me box on online profiles.