After eating a lot of traditional pumpkin dishes during Thanksgiving, I was determined to use my left over pumpkins to make something more “out of the box”. Since we are cheese connoisseurs at our house, I decided, why not make a sweet jam, that packs a little heat that we can pair up with a variety of cheeses. This came out as the perfect little addition to my cheese plate. Believe it or not, this jam also tastes great on meats (chicken, pork, roast, and lamb.)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Lbs of pumpkin (not canned. use an actual pumpkin)
- 1 cup honey (or agave)
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cups carrot juice
- 2 cups apple juice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 lemon – juiced
- 10 Thai Bird Eye Chilies
- 3 cups water
DIRECTIONS:
- Peel, halve, seed and shred the pumpkin.
- Combine all ingredients, except for the water and Bird Eye Chilies in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Place Thai Bird Eye Chilies into a cheese cloth and secure them (or a reusable tea filter). *this is very important. You have to account for all of the chilies, once your jam is finished. This is the only way to keep track of the chilies and dispose of them without losing one or two in the jam, just to find if it later by accidentally biting into it*
- Place the water and pumpkin mixture into a large pot and add the chilies.
- Bring mixture to a boil, on high heat, then turn down to the lowest setting. Cover the pot and let it simmer for approximately 2 hours. Check the mixture periodically to stir it and make sure it is not burning. You may have to add another cup of water if your jam is soaking up the water too quickly.
- Remove from heat and discard the chili satchel. The pumpkin should be fairly dissolved and easy to mash up, if need be.
- You can can the jam into sterilized jars. It keeps for several months, unopened. Once opened, store in fridge.
