Italian Christmas Fruit and Nut Jam with Spices

Some recipes are special because of their flavours, while others are also tied to the pleasure of sharing something homemade.

This Christmas fruit and nut jam was one of my experiments for a homemade good-luck gift. Made with dried fruit, fresh apples and pears, sweet wine and warming spices, it is rich, fragrant and wonderfully festive.

I found the original recipe in the Facebook group Ricette bolognesi and would like to thank Valerio D’Agnese for sharing it.

This is no ordinary breakfast jam! It is delicious spread on bread with a thin layer of butter, served with a slightly melted Camembert or paired with rich, savoury cheeses. You can also use it as a filling for Italian raviole or tarts, although its intense flavour means that a little goes a long way.

For a thoughtful homemade Christmas hamper, pair a jar with pumpkin and cardamom jam, homemade eggnog liqueur or coffee liqueur, and a selection of biscuits.

Italian Christmas Fruit and Nut Jam

Recipe

Yield: Approximately 10 jars of 150 ml each
Preparation time: 30 minutes (estimate)
Resting time: A few hours or overnight
Cooking time: Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes to 2 hours and 45 minutes (estimate)

Ingredients

• 1 orange, juice and zest

• 1 lemon, juice and zest

• 2 ripe apples

• 3 ripe pears

• 200 g pitted prunes

• 200 g dried apricots

• 200 g dried figs

• 100 g raisins

• 100 g walnuts, coarsely chopped with a knife

• 1.5 kg granulated sugar

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 4 star anise

• 10–15 whole cloves, to taste

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 glasses of sweet wine (I used Marsala)

• 1 glass of rum

Note: The original recipe specifies glasses rather than a precise volume for the wine and rum. Use the same glass to measure both, and bear in mind that the final quantities will depend on its size.

Method

1. Wash the apples and pears. Leave the skins on, remove the cores and cut the fruit into quarters, then into thin slices approximately 2 mm thick.

2. Place the sliced fruit in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add a little of the sugar, followed by the lemon and orange juice.

3. Cut the prunes, dried apricots and figs into small pieces. Add them to the pan along with the raisins and the orange and lemon zest. Reserve the walnuts for later.

4. Put the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and nutmeg in a small piece of clean muslin or a spice bag. This makes it easier to remove the whole spices after cooking. Add the spice bag to the pan.

5. Add the remaining sugar and pour in the sweet wine, reserving the rum for later. Cover the pan and leave the mixture to rest for several hours, preferably overnight.

6. Place the covered pan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Once the mixture begins to simmer, continue cooking, stirring occasionally.

7. After about 30 minutes, add the rum and stir well.

8. After approximately 1 hour of cooking, remove the lid. Continue simmering for another 1–1¼ hours, or until the fruit is soft and the mixture has thickened. Stir more frequently towards the end to prevent sticking.

9. Near the end of cooking, add the chopped walnuts and stir thoroughly. Remove the spice bag. Remember that this jam thickens considerably as it cools, so avoid cooking it for too long.

10. Transfer the hot jam into clean jars, following a tested and appropriate procedure for preserving fruit jam safely. Allow it to cool and store it according to the preservation method used.

Serving ideas

• With cheese: Serve with Camembert, mature cheeses or other rich, savoury varieties.

• For breakfast: Spread a small amount on bread with butter.

• For baking: Use sparingly as a filling for tarts or Italian raviole.

• As a Christmas gift: Add a handwritten label and pair it with other homemade preserves or biscuits.

A note on storage

The original recipe suggests filling sterilised jars while hot and turning them upside down to create a vacuum. However, a vacuum seal alone does not establish that a preserve is safe for shelf storage. For a homemade preserve containing this combination of fruit, sugar and alcohol, use a tested preservation recipe and processing method. Otherwise, refrigerate it and use it promptly, or freeze it in suitable containers.