Sweet, tart, silky Rhubarb Elderflower Jam made sous vide.
We're jammin'... to the sweet, tart silkiness that is this Sous Vide Rhubarb Elderflower Jam! Hope you like jammin' too. See, now I've got that song stuck in your head...
Although we have paired it with pork and poultry a handful of times, I rarely ever see rhubarb used in savoury dishes. Perhaps that is why it's often treated as a fruit. The fact that it is one of the sourest vegetables I know may have something to do with it too. Oddly, and even more confusing, I recently read that the USDA classifies it as a fruit.
This is a simple jam I adapted from the Joule app and added a touch of elderflower cordial and a whack of vanilla beans to mimic this drink from last summer. The cordial is quite concentrated, so less is more. You will find the texture of this sous vide jam a little silkier than your standard jam.
I made this Sous Vide Rhubarb Elderflower Jam mostly out of curiosity, after reading a bunch of Reddit posts knocking the idea of jams made sous vide. Biggest concern expressed was the fruit not reaching the right temperature to release pectin. Another was the acidity of the jam not being high enough to prevent botulism. Botulism is also a concern whenever I make this.
I've made sous vide fruit preserves and they have turned out great, but they don't require pectin to set like traditional jams. I am not a big fan of jam, so it is not something I rarely make, and never buy. Figures my first try at a jam proper, sous vide style, would be a vegetable, instead of fruit.
Die-hard canners and jammers, will likely disagree, but I think this is damn fine jam. The naturally occurring acids in rhubarb, the added pectin, the omission of water, combined with the 90º cooking temperature yielded a jam that I actually enjoyed. Silky, light, not-too-sweet and pretty in the looks department.
We like it swirled into sous vide yogurt, on homemade scones and English muffins, slathered on pork and more recently, churned into a batch of ice cream.
The elderflower is optional, but vanilla beans are always mandatory, IMO. It can easily be made without a sous vide. Give it a try!
Special Equipment
- 8oz canning jars
- Sous Vide Immersion Cooker
- heavy-duty pot
- jar lifter or tongs
Ingredients
- 350 grams red rhubarb stalks
- 125 grams granulated sugar
- 15 grams pectin
- 3 grams salt
- 0.5 vanilla bean scraped
- 1 teaspoon elderflower cordial optional
Instructions
Prepare the water bath:
- Add warm water to a heavy-duty pot or heat-safe container, attach your immersion cooker and set to 90ºC/194ºF. Add the empty, capped jars to the water to warm up - this will prevent the glass from cracking or breakage during cooking. Cover the pot/container to speed up heating.
Make the jam:
- Wash rhubarb, remove and discard any rough edges. Slice the rhubarb into thin, even pieces and set aside.
- Add sugar, pectin and salt to a medium-size bowl and whisk to combine well. Add the chopped rhubarb, vanilla beans and cordial. Toss well to coat and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Remove jars from heated water bath, unscrew caps with a towel or oven mitt and place on a towel to avoid thermal shock. Spoon rhubarb mixture into the two jars and close the jars enough to easily open with only your finger tips. This will allow trapped air to release, but prevent water from entering and the glass from cracking.
- Use a jar-lifter or tongs to add filled jars to the heated water bath. Cook for 30 minutes. When ready, remove jars from the water bath and place on a towel to cool at room temperature. Once cooled, refrigerate to set overnight.
- When ready to use, remove from refrigerator, stir and enjoy! I especially like it swirled into yogurt or ice cream.
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