A couple of weeks ago, I invited a bunch of friends over for a ‘Pineapple Party’ – a celebration of all things pineapple shaped and flavoured. It was so much fun to plan and put together and everyone had a great time eating and drinking all manner of pineapple dishes and drinks.
I served pulled pork with pineapple and coriander salsa, pineapple, honey and soy chicken wings, a piña colada trifle and old skool pineapple lollies. My lovely friends brought doughnuts, cookies, upside down cake and more. There was a lot of amazing food.
But one of the most popular was Steph’s pineapple jam and homemade scones. Back in the day, we used to brainstorm recipes together almost every day. She may not have time to blog any more, but she is still a badass cook and scones are her specialty. Everyone loved them, and me so much that I used my leftover pineapple to make my own version of a spiced pineapple jam.
Combining pineapple with spices like star anise, cinnamon and cardamom may not be your first instinct, but I’ve done it a few times in a panna cotta and a delicious cordial. I thought this flavour combination would be lovely in a jam, with some spiced rum, and maybe some coconut. The smells coming from my kitchen while this was cooking were absolutely incredible and it tastes even better.
The shredded coconut gives the jam a really unique texture, quite different to any jam I’ve made before, but I really liked it. You could serve it with scones or on toast, or even turn it into the filling of a pie or tart. Or if you prefer a more traditional textured jam, just leave it out, and it will still taste amazing. And if you’re making this jam for the whole family, either add the rum all at once and cook out the alcohol or just omit it completely.
Making unique jam flavours that you’d never see in the shops is a passion of mine, but I don’t want to be stuck with 14 jars in my fridge. Luckily it’s very easy to make small batches of jam! You get the satisfaction of having made something yourself but without having to spend all day in the kitchen sterilising jars and all year eating the same jam! I love that I can turn one pineapple or a kilo of stone fruit, or a few punnets of in-season berries into a jar or two of delicious jam.
Related Post: Homemade Tomato and Chilli Jam
Spiced Pineapple and Coconut Jam with Rum
Spiced Pineapple and Coconut Jam with Rum. A really unique and delicious homemade jam, perfect for summer!
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup water
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 star anise
- 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste)
- 1/4 cup spiced rum, optional
Instructions
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Peel, core and roughly chop the pineapple. From 1 whole pineapple I got around 850g of pineapple flesh. Place into a food processor (in 2 batches if necessary) until more finely chopped.
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Place the pineapple, coconut, juice of half a lime, sugar, water and spices into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Keep track of how many spices you used as you will need to remove them later after the jam has cooked. Reduce the heat and cook, simmering uncovered for about 30-40 minutes until the pineapple has softened.
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Add half the rum and lime zest and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened and most of the liquid has evaporated (around 50 minutes). Remove the cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Stir in the remaining rum and lime juice. Pour hot jam into hot sterilised jars, seal immediately and turn upside down to cool. Store in a cool, dark place or refrigerate after opening.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Women’s Weekly Made from Scratch