Kitchen Jam

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I love the impressiveness of Bananas Foster, flambe’d table-side to bring to a close a terrific meal. This jam is my attempt to put the gooey, caramel-rum-banana essence of Bananas Foster into a jar. As it turns out, Bananas Foster Jam is also one of the easiest gifts to make, and its taste is as impressive as the original. Simple, too – make it from readily available bananas, with no added pectin. The sugar and rum combine to carmelize and thicken the jam.

If you’re an Elvis fan, this is a great complement to peanut butter for a rock’n'roll style PBJ. If you want to extend the Bananas Foster taste, it’s also wonderful as a topping for a rich vanilla ice cream – maybe with a bit of real whipped cream on top.

Or you can eat it like I do, right out of the jar. Enjoy!

BANANAS FOSTER JAM
8-9 ripe but still firm bananas (about 3 cups, mashed)
½ cup lemon juice
2 cups white sugar
2 ½ cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ c. dark rum
¼ cup water (if needed)

• Mash the bananas, using a fork or pastry blender. Add in the lemon juice, and measure to be sure you have at least three cups of jam.
• Put the bananas into a 6qt. saucepot. With the banana mixture on the heat, stir in the sugars and cinnamon.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring every few minutes until the bananas are a thick puree – about 45 minutes.
• After 45 minutes, stir in the dark rum, and continue cooking for at least 15 more minutes to cook the alcohol out of the mixture.
• Remove from the heat and fill sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Adjust the caps.
• Process in a hot-water bath according to USDA directions: 15 minutes for one-cup (8 oz.) jars.

Makes 5-6 cups of jam.