Although delicious spread on toast, Bourbon Peach Jam is also good served with ham & cheese for a salty-sweet kick. The combination of peaches & bourbon I have to say came rather late to this Aussie girl; here in the US of A, the peach & bourbon combo is a favorite. I will forever more love the combination. Brie cheese & this jam on a piece of torn baguette is sensational. As is blue cheese melted over the top of a piece of toasted ciabatta bread that’s been generously spread with the jam. Dialing it back a notch, simply enjoy the jam with a warm croissant or buttered toast.
Bourbon Peach Jam, for those who have a sweet tooth, is also good on vanilla or salted caramel ice cream, especially if you warm the jam a little first. It’s also good in pies & pudding but also stuffing & sauce/gravy for pork, turkey, chicken, pheasant & game meat. Excellent on pork sliders too. Brush the warmed jam over a chicken as it roasts. Its uses almost endless.
BOURBON PEACH JAM
Equipment
- 3 x 500ml wide-mouth jars or 6 x 250ml wide-mouth jars for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped peeled peaches*
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups bourbon I used Jim Beam
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place a small plate, such as a saucer in the freezer (this is to help tell if the jam is set) or use a candy thermometer. Have the jars and lids sterilized and ready.
- In a large saucepan or a pot, combine the peaches, sugar, 1 cup of bourbon, juice and vanilla bean paste. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and using a potato masher, crush the peaches until the chunks are squashed but still have some chunky texture.
- Return the pan to the heat and bring the mixture to the boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reads 220°F (105°C) on a candy thermometer. Or, place a teaspoonful of the jam onto the plate you put in the freezer. Run your finger through the jam and if your finger clears a path in the jam and it stays parted, the jam is ready. If not, continue to boil and stir the jam occasionally and try again, placing the plate back into the freezer between tries.
- Once the jam is the right consistency, add the remaining 1/4 cup of bourbon. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 7 minutes to cook off the alcohol taste from the bourbon. Remove a spoonful, allow to cool and test to see that you can still taste the bourbon but the jam has a mellow bourbon flavor. If not, cook a few more minutes before trying the jam again.
- Spoon the jam into the jars, clean away any drips or spills off the jars, seal the lids and leave to cool. I store the jam in the fridge. If you want to take the process a step further and boil the jars with the jam, then refer to the jars manufacturing instructions. Makes about 5 to 6 cups. A serving is about 2 tablespoons.