French Date Jam Recipe

TL;DR

Dates are most commonly sold dried, and therefore they are dehydrated fruits.

Therefore, unlike the conventional method to turning fruits into a jam, we leave the fruits to macerate with sugar, water, and lemon overnight.

Normally, we don't add water to jams because water reduces the shelf-life of a preserve. The exception are dried fruits such as dates, raisins, and apricots.

The idea is to soften the dates and to help bring out all the flavors when they are cooked down to a jam.

By the way, quality dates are a must if you want a tasty date jam!

Ingredient Notes

• Dates — Medjool dates are sweeter than other and have more flesh, but technically, you can use any date variety. Just make sure the dates are not too old or of poor quality. I use Safawi dates mixed with Medjool in the pictures.
• Sugar — Plain sugar.
• Water
• Lime or Lemon Juice — Fresh, always. I used a lesser-known calamansi lime variety in the pictures (it's orange on the inside) which has some fruity floral notes.

Tip: To get great dates, purchase your dates at the duty-free, if you fly a lot and end up transiting in one of the Arab countries. The ones that I used in the pictures are from the Doha International airport.

Process Overview

Step 1

Cut open your dates and discard the seed.

Slice your dates and weigh them. Juice your lemon/lime.

Step 2

Add to your sliced dates the sugar, water and freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, as well as the squeezed out lemon/lime halves.

Mix everything well and leave to macerate overnight.

Step 3

The next day, heat your jam cooking pan and bring your dates to a rolling boil.

Keep on a lower heat setting and stir frequently. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Step 4

Take out the lemon halves and discard. Blend the jam to your desired consistency.

Step 5

Test if the jam is set with a thermometer (The setting temperature is 220 Fahrenheit/105 Celsius) and/or by dropping hot jam on an ice-cold plate.

The jam is set if it doesn't run on the plate, and if it's not set, continue cooking down (but date jam always turns out thick).

Step 6

Pour jam into clean jars. Close jars tight, turn upside down to create a vacuum, and turn them back up when the jar is lukewarm.

Tips

• In France, our jams are cooked in a large copper jam pan. Copper is a better heat transmitter, and the jams will cook better in it. Alternatively, we also use large stainless-steel pots.
• Drop hot jam on a cold plate to test the setting. Keep a small quarter plate in your freezer before you start cooking your jam. If the jam is not running on the plate, it is ready, and you can put it in your jars.
• Alternatively, the safest way to test your jam setting is with a candy thermometer. The setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
• Use only clean jars. The best is to sterilize your jars and lids. This is important so that your French jam will last longer. Jam jars and lids can be sterilized by washing them in a high heat setting in your dishwasher, by boiling them in hot water or by heating them in the oven on a rack.
• If you follow this recipe precisely and work in a clean environment, and store your jam in a dry, cool place away from direct sunlight, your date jam will last at least 10–12 months.
• The shelf life will be greatly reduced if you change the ingredient quantities. Sugar is a main ingredient in preserving your jam and helps in preserving it.
• If you skip adding sugar to your jam, eat your jam within days and in that case, reduce the quantity considerably.

Serving

In Europe, we enjoy our homemade jams slathered over a slice of bread for breakfast, or we drop some jam in yogurt.

This date jam is special because it can be used with all savory appetizers. For example, serve it up with a spice log of goat cheese or with your cheese board.

We like to offer jams and chutneys at cookouts with grilled meats or with pan-fried meats and seafood. This date jam is a great addition.

Jams are also used in cakes and pastries. This is a thicker jam, so think chewy bars and protein balls.

I haven't tried it myself yet, but you can add a dollop of this date jam to your cooked oatmeal or porridge. I think it would taste wonderfully with Tibetan Tsampa porridge or Norwegian rice porridge.

Storing

Store your unopened date jam jars on a pantry shelf away from direct sunlight and humidity.

They are good for 10–12 months (as per the French jam making method, without a water bath).

You can do the FDA approved canning recommendations, by water bath canning your jam after you are done filling them with the date jam. This can add another layer of protection to your jam and it will extend the shelf-life.

If you live in a humid, hot environment, keep the jars in an Air conditioned environment all the time or keep them in your refrigerator.

Once you open the jar, always store in the fridge. Never double dip as this can cause mold growth and this habit is unhygienic.

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