Jam Session

If there were such a thing as having too many freshly picked, end-of-summer peaches, we now know what we’d do: make chef Cyrille Robert’s peach and verbena jam.

Robert is the head chef at the Saint James in Paris. This château-hotel is a little piece of the countryside nestled into the 16th arrondissement. Within its sprawling walled-in garden is Robert’s potager, where herbs like rosemary, chives, dill and parsley grow alongside fruits and vegetables that will be used by the hotel’s kitchen. What produce isn’t grown on site, Robert shops for at local farmers markets like the marché Poncelet near the Avenue des Termes.

This summer, the chef has been been on a jam tear, dreaming up sumptuous creations like like mixed berry with Tonka bean, and apricot with rosemary. Here, he has shared a recipe for a peach and verbena jam, just in time for the summer’s last call. Enjoy with fresh buttered baguette or simply scooped up with a coffee spoon.

Peach and Verbena Jam
4.5 lb of vine peaches (about 8 medium sized whole peaches)
2 nice sprigs of fresh verbena
3 cups of jam sugar (sugar containing extra pectin)*

Blanch the peaches by immersing them in a pot of boiling water for 15 to 20 seconds and then cool them in a cold water bath. Peel and cut them into quarters. Discard the pits. In a saucepan, combine peaches, jam sugar, finely chopped verbena, and add a bit of water. Cook over low heat for 2 to 2 ½ hours, and mix regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking. Pour the preparation in a bowl, let it cool, and keep in the refrigerator. To be enjoyed without moderation!

*If you are unable to find jam sugar, you will need to add extra pectin to your mixture. The amount of pectin needed varies depending on the fruit. For peaches, the ratio should be 20 grams of pectin for 1 kilogram of white sugar. One package (1 3/4 oz.) of dry pectin will suffice for this recipe.

Confiture de pêches de vigne à la verveine 
2 kg de pêches de vigne
2 belles branches de verveine fraîche
0.6kg de sucre à confiture (sucre spécial avec pectine)
Plonger les pêches dans de l’eau bouillante (environ 15 à 20 secondes), puis les refroidir dans de l’eau bien froide. Retirer la peau, puis les couper en quartiers. Mettre dans une casserole les pêches, le sucre, la verveine finement hachée, et un peu d’eau. Cuire à feu doux entre 2 heures et 2 heures 30, en remuant très régulièrement pour éviter que cela n’accroche au fond de la casserole. Verser le tout dans une jatte, laisser refroidir puis conserver au réfrigérateur. A consommer sans modération!