preserves

We're eagerly anticipating the announcement of the winners at tonight's Good Food Awards (and to try all the exceptional winning products). In the meantime, here's an inside look at the judging process, as well as a few jam tasting tips.

I hold onto the belief that sugar makes me sweet, and have long held a soft spot in my heart for jams, jellies, and fruit preserves. So, when I was invited to help judge the preserves category for this year's Good Food Awards, I signed up with no reservations.

As one of 28 judges for the preserves category, I was assigned to the western US states, and along with three other judges blind tasted more than 30 varieties of preserves from this bountiful region, including the usual suspects (jams, jellies, marmalade, and preserves) as well as vinegars, verjus, and even a dried fruit bar or two. And while I can't share the winners with you 'til after tonight — I don't even know who won our category as it was a blind tasting — I gleaned a few tips and tricks for analyzing what makes a truly ribbon-worthy preserve.

Keep reading for the (unofficial) guidelines that I've learned to use to distinguish between a preserve that's good and one that's great.

Sweet-tart and lush in texture, lemon curd (or any curd for that matter) is one of my all time favorite foods. Thankfully, it's extremely easy and surprisingly quick to make at home, particularly if you have a slight taste for danger.

Many recipes dictate that lemon curd should be slowly simmered in the bowl of a double boiler, and while this certainly works and is a good alternative for the cautious, it can be a time-consuming process. Instead, I cut the prep time in half by cooking it all in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over direct heat. Now I know what you're thinking — eggs cooked over direct heat are bound to scramble — but if you set fear aside and implicitly trust that science is on your side*, you'll be left with lemon curd to spare in record time.

Keep reading for the fast and easy recipe.

Photo: Anna Monette Roberts

I'll admit to using several of these words interchangeably on a regular basis. For the longest time, I thought that if mashed-up fruit came in a jar, it was essentially all the same thing. But as it turns out, there is a difference between jam and jelly, and preserves and fruit butters. Upon learning what those differences are, I realized why I am typically drawn to one type of spreadable fruit preserve over another.

• Chutney: A relish of Indian origin that incorporates cooked fruit, spices, and herbs.
• Fruit butters: Whole or halved fruit (often unpeeled) is cooked down with sugar and/or spices and then pressed through a sieve or a food mill. Contrary to popular belief, there is no butter involved. The name refers to the spreadability of the resulting fruit. Also, it is differentiated by the fact that no gelling agent is used.

For more, keep reading.