Lychee Jam -aka- Crack

I was enjoying sharing my love of lychee anything with a good friend who also loves them the other day.  Rare, as so many people I know turn up their noses at anything different.  They aren't beautiful but, man, are they scrumptious!  So yesterday when I was at the new Asian grocery store in town and ran across fresh lychees I did not hesitate to grab them up.  As a matter of fact, I had to stop myself from buying all that they had left!

 

Now, I will admit that this is my first time buying FRESH lychees (I usually guzzle them in juice form in seconds flat, so I keep it for a treat and rarely buy it) and I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them, but after peeling and shoving a few in my mouth an idea struck.  LYCHEE JAM!  I mean look at those little buggers, don't their juicy sweetness just beg to scarfed down?  No?  Well, don't let looks deceive you, them little fleshy eyeball thingies are delicious, I encourage you to try, whole heartedly.

I am extremely disappointed to have found only a (literally) couple of lychee jam recipes online.  I did have a hard time figuring out what I should do to make them into jam, and since it was really late at night I didn't feel like going through the whole process of sterilizing jars, plus I only have pint pickling jars in the house right now.  I have made freezer jam a few times and opted to go that direction, but with so few recipes I decided to go with a mixed berry version that I have made before.  The one frustrating thing about freezer jam is that it is always runnier than I would like, but still so very tasty!

 

Of course, there are tips (surprise, surprise).  Pre-open the liquid pectin and prop it up in a cup so when you need it you don't have to find that the darned package is impossible to open and where the heck did I last see my scissors?  I used my immersion blender to break down the fruit a bit.  Not a full-on puree because there should be some chunks, but to help break down the fruit which is a bit though to do with the usual masher.  A knife might work, but since lychees are very juicy, you may lose a lot of the juice stuffs you need for the jam.  Also, unlike some freezer jams, this should be cooked to help soften the lychees.  I will warn you that this is SWEET, but not so over the top.  A little goes a long way!

 

 

 Lychee Jam

1 3/4 to 2 lbs fresh lychees (measure out 2 c of fruit and juice of this, I used 1 3/4 lbs and it was 2 c exactly)
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 c sugar
1/2 tbsp. butter
1 packet liquid pectin, I use Certo (along with their recipes)

Peel and pit the fruit.  Using either a blender (immersion or stand) or a food processor, break down the lychees into small chunks. 

In a large (6 to 8 quart) stockpot dump in the lychees, lemon, sugar, and butter.  Bring to a full boil on high heat, stirring constantly.   Seriously, you do not want this to burn to the bottom of the pot.

Add in the pectin, and keep at a full boil for 1 minute.  DONT STOP STIRRING!  Remove from heat.

Ladle into your freezer containers and allow to sit for 30 to 60 minutes before putting on the lids.  After you seal them, leave them on the counter for 24 hours before putting them in the freezer.  These will last up to 1 year in the freezer and 3 weeks in the fridge.