Homemade apricot jam is traditional and in the past every household used to make it.
Lebanese society has become Westernized and families now have two-wage earners busy with outside work; as a result, many people rely on an industrious grandmother, mother or aunt to perpetuate the tradition.
The best (and only) apricots to use for this purpose are from the North near Baalbeck, close to Syria; this variety is so fragrant and sweet you almost want to bottle their perfume.
My aunt Claire brought us a couple of jars that she preserved the traditional way by finishing the preparation in the sun; this serves to get rid of the excess moisture without cooking the fruit.
My aunt Claire is turning the big eight 0 in a few days; we are going to celebrate! She still looks good in her two-piece bikini and climbs mountains like a goat; she spent five years during the war scouting Lebanon, photographer in tow; while everybody was staying put at home, trying to avoid land mines and shells, she discovered that old homes, most of which had been abandoned, boasted 19th century painted ceilings; found an editor and published a beautiful coffee-table book on the topic; this was her very first professional endeavor, she was pushing seventy-years young.
To take a look at her book, click here.
Here is Aunt Claire‘s recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
-
2 Pound of apricots
-
1 1/2 pounds of granulated sugar
METHOD:
1. Wash and dry the apricots (important to dry them and not leave any moisture on them); seed them and place them in a bowl; for each layer of apricots add a layer of sugar, then a layer of fruit until all apricots are used up. Leave in bowl overnight.
2. Dump the apricots on a large sieve, let them drain; collect all the juice and bring it to a boil either in a copper pan or a pan with a wide bottom; simmer the juice and after 30 minutes or less, test it by placing a plate near the pot and with a spoon placing a drop on the plate; if it looks like it has the right consistency, stop the cooking. It should be thick and syrupy.
3. Place the apricots in the syrup and cook for about 20 minutes at a slow simmer; let the mixture rest overnight in a pyrex dish, as large as possible in size.
4. The next day, place the pyrex dish in full sun for a few hours, stirring it briefly a few times with a wooden spoon. Place the empty jars in full sun as well to sterilize them.
5. Spoon the apricot jam in the jars and serve when cool; keep in the fridge or store.
55 Comments
Simply gorgeous! Ma confiture préférée!
Cheers,
Rosa
j’aime beaucoup la confiture d’abricot, et encore fait maison, elle est délicieuse, nous aussi en algérie , nous avons gardé ce genre de tradition et j’espère pour longtemps, bisou chef joumana
This is so easy to make – and with my Thermomix, even easier. I love the control I have when I make my own food. I find buying jams scary and feel so good when I make my own. We don’t eat that much of it, anyway, so it isn’t such a big chore. I love going to the Okanagan (BC) and picking my own apricots. The little ones have the most flavour, but the larger ones are so gorgeous and fleshy.
Valerie
Happy Birthday to your Aunt — what a lovely tribute to her. She is a very talented woman.
Such a delicious looking jam. I can almost smell the sweet fragrance of the apricots.
mouth watering pics..apricot jam looks yummie…must say aunt Clarie still looks young..advanced birthday wishes to her…
Your aunt Claire sounds like a truly amazing lady :]
I couldn’t open the link to take a look a the book. I will try later.
I love apricots and miss my apricot trees. The ones bought at
the stores are picked too green.
Happy birthday to your aunt Claire! She looks beautiful.
How many jars of jam does this make? What size jar?
My favorite Jam is this, I love to have it all he year.,yours look lovely!!
and your Aunt is absolutely wonderful.! gloria
Good for your Aunt Claire! She looks like fun, too!
This is sure the time of year to be making apricot jam. It looks wonderful, Joumana. I can think of so many ways to use this, too. Not just as jam either. Be wonderful with chicken!
Your aunt sounds like a wonderful lady. Happy birthday to her in a couple of days. This apricot jam looks awesome. I’m very fussy about my jam (usually don’t eat it much) but apricot is my favorite. Wish I could get some of those perfect apricots from the North near Baalbeck!
I looooooooooove apricot jam, and I make it every summer! Then in winter time (Christmas) I need home made jam (without gelatin) for making vanilice, damen kapric and other little sweets!
Samantha
I don’t know how many jars, I am guessing 4 jars of 8 ounces each. The idea is to use the same proportion of jam/sugar for any weight you end up using; note that the weight of the apricots is for the seedless fruit.
Happy Birthday aunt Claire!
Joumana, you can’t leave an architect (and restoration specialist) with a promise of painted ceilings and a broken link
Anyway, aunt Claire’s jam seems to be delicious… I have already heard about Baalbeck apricot: someone told me they are the best!
Ciao
Nothing better than homemade jam and I love your aunt’s feisty spirit, Happy Birthday!! We “June” girls are pretty cool (hahaha
oh wow this looks yummy, my Grandma makes jams and my Dad lol just gave you a shout out on my blog Rebecca
I have never made jam this way, with so much care! I usually just throw it all in a pot with some sugar and call it a day. I’m going to have to try your aunt’s beautiful recipe. Minimally cooking the apricots themselves must make for a fantastic texture and bright flavor. I love apricots!
your Aunt is gorgeous- pl give her my regards on her birthday- i hope she continues to climb mountains and wear bikinis and inspire us all. by the way, are you resting in beirut, J? Seems you are cooking a heck of a lot, any time for pampering? x shayma
Happy Birthday to Aunt Claire and thank you for this great recipe!
Love apricot jam and very interesting method of making it.
Joumana, I want to be like Aunt Claire! That’s why I’m going to make her apricot jam. I’m sure it won’t be as good, as I can’t get apricots from Baalbeck. I’ll get some decent organic ones though…
I admire those dynamic women who have the guts to do things they are not supposed to do. At the same time they are not afraid to occupy themselves with more “female” endeavors such as cooking and baking with great success. Jam’s are my husband’s favorites. This one is a keeper
Its definitely a great pleasure to enjoy homemade jams, apricot jam looks super yummy..
Your aunt sounds amazing- good for her to live her life to the fullest, so adventureous! I hope she has a great 80th birthday!
The jam looks wonderful, such a lovely colour, too!
You must be very proud of your aunt Claire! she is just amazing and unique
Please pass along my best wishes to your Aunt Claire. She sounds like quite the lady! I’ll be trying her method for jam when we get back from vacation. What a great way to make use of our hot sun!
Hi Joumana,
I love your Aunt’s way of making jam. Can you recommend another fruit as a substitute that would work well here?
So lovely. I love apricot jam, but apricot season is quite short in Australia. When it comes again, I will remember this
Apricots deep golden color in a jar indicates the presence of beta-carotene.This is the best jam with a beautiful aroma, perfect texture and tartness, Joumana, your aunt looks very poised, captivating and put together.
Happy birthday to you aunt Claire, I wish you health and longevity. Thank you for sharing your marvelous recipe with us. we will always cherish it at our tables.
I adore home made jam! this looks good!
I love apricot jam!! I’d definitely try Claire’s recipe!
Bonjour,
jolie marmelade ma chére amie et facile à faire c ‘est l’idéal!.
bon vendredi et gros bisouss de ma part.
byba
I lOVE apricot jam, but have never thought to make any myself, sticking rather to blueberry and strawberry, which I can find grown locally. To heck with local sourcing for now….I have to make this jam! – S
so she’s nearly three times my age and wearing a two-piece? wowza, what a woman! great recipe, joumana.
Cette confiture a l’air extraordinaire, à l’abricot c’est ma préférée. J’y plongerais bien ma cuillère dedans!
Bon anniversaire à ta tante, ça a l’air d’être une personne incroyable!
Plein de bisous!
I just post the same recipe (more or less)! Funny! have a nice time for the birthday! See you!
Wow, I just made apricot jam because the apricots were so beautiful… your aunt is gorgeous. WHat a woman and what a recipe! Just perfect simple fruit as it should be.!
Une confiture très répandue sur la rive sud de la Méditerranée.
Très bonne.
Joumana, tu es encore aux USA ou déjà installée au Liban?
A bientôt.
My grandmother made homemade apricot jam with the apricots that she and my grandfather bought from apricot farms that used to exist in San Jose California, your apricot jam post has really brought back some vivid memories for me, having the delicious tasting homemade jam on toast for breakfast in their home, I remember it vividly like it was yesterday! Thanks for sharing and I would love to try your Lebanese apricot jam.
Looks so appetizing!!!
Happy bday to your aunt, she is simply beautiful, love the pics and her book looks great…great jam, I hoep she has a great day
sweetlife
Wow, you have some great genes! What an inspiration! Best wishes to your Aunt!
i have some apricots, i can use them to make these ,yummy & perfect apricot jams..
As a person who doesn’t like overly sweet things, this really appeals to me. I would just love it for breakfast!
Ah – well, this jam looks great too, but I meant my last comment for the upside cherry cake! Oops. And happy birthday to your awesome aunt!
I have a jar of these very preserves at home; they’re from Lebanon and they’re the BEST. You are right. Soooooo fragrant. Thanks for the recipe. Your aunt sounds like an amazing lady, by the way.
Je suis impressionnée! Quelle femme incroyable ta tante Claire! non seulement par la fabrication unique de sa confiture en seichant les fruits au soleil mais alors le livre qu’elle a publie à 70 ans! incroyable! un exemple pour toutes les femmes. Pour ce qui est de la confiture, je me doute que la texture et parfum doivent etre particulièrement riches et goûtus! Bravo Claire et félicitations pour ce très bel ouvrage.
I love making my own jams. I only eat the homemade ones. They are so much fruitier, have more texture and you sweeten it to your liking. Everyone should try this recipe, it is so easy to make, why waste money store bought ones when this is so much better for you.
Your aunt sounds like an amazing woman — I’m wishing her a very happy birthday! This looks like a fantastic recipe for apricot jam, which is one of my all-time favorites. It’s funny, apricot isn’t not one of the more popular jams here but when I was in Syria it was so prevalent I started to prefer it over other flavors!
I love apricot jam and find it amazing that only 2 ingredients are required to make something that is close to perfection on bread.
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