Caramelized Onion-Maple Jam

Caramelized Onion-Maple Jam is a low-sweetener cooked jam made with Pomona’s Pectin. Pomona's Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.

This recipe was created by Allison Carroll Duffy for Pomona’s Pectin. She says: "This jam doesn't contain many ingredients, so quality is key. Be sure to use 100 percent real maple syrup, and use fresh apple cider if you can get it. Apple juice will do in a pinch, but cider is better, as it's sweeter, richer, and has a more complex flavor.

"The other key to success with this recipe is technique – which is not something I say about very many recipes. The deliciousness of this jam is due largely to the successful caramelization of the onions, as well as the concentration of flavors by cooking down the jam to reduce the liquid content. Neither of these things are difficult to do (so in case you are worried, please don't be!), but a little attention to detail will go a long way, especially in step 3.

"Most of us are used to caramelizing onions in fat such as butter or oil, but this recipe, as it is designed to be a can-able recipe, calls for caramelizing the onions without any fat, so the process is a little bit different."

Servings cups

Ingredients

2 pounds onions 6 cups sliced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups apple cider
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 5% acidity
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
1 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoons Pomona's Pectin mixed with sweetener

Instructions

Before you begin, prepare calcium water.
To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.
Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
Peel the onions and discard the skins. Slice the onions very thinly, and then cut the thin slices into approximately one-inch lengths. Place sliced onions in a sauce pan – ideally, a heavy-bottomed one that conducts heat evenly. Add the salt, then mix.
Put the pan on the stove, cover the pan with a lid, and cook the onions over medium to medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. While the onions are cooking, occasionally lift the lid and give the onions a quick stir to be sure that they are not starting to burn. If they are, reduce the heat slightly, replace the lid as quickly as possible, and keep cooking. If the onions are really sticking, you may add a very tiny bit of the apple cider to ease the sticking, but only do this if it's really necessary.
After 5 minutes or so, the onions should have caramelized a good bit, and should begin to have a nice golden-brown color. If not, cook the onions for a little bit longer, with the lid still on, to achieve this. At this point, when the onions have really started to brown, they'll probably want to start sticking. So, remove the lid, reduce the heat if necessary, and stir constantly, scraping off and incorporating the brown bits on the bottom of the pot as necessary for a couple more minutes. This will allow the onions to continue to brown and caramelize while preventing burning.
After the onions are caramelized and well-browned, add the apple cider, the vinegar, and the pepper to the onions. Increase the heat and bring the mixture up to a boil. Cook the mixture at a low boil for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently, to allow the liquid to reduce in volume.
Remove the pan from the heat, then measure the mixture. (A large-capacity, heat-tolerant measuring container works well for this, as it allows you to transfer the mixture from the pan directly into the measuring container). If the quantity of the mixture is more than 4 cups, place the mixture back in the pan and allow it to continue cooking until you have reduced the quantity to 4 cups, measuring as necessary to confirm quantity. If you find that you have less than 4 cups, add a small, additional amount of apple cider to bring the total quantity of the mixture back up to 4 cups. Transfer the onion mixture back into the sauce pan, add calcium water, and then stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup and pectin powder. Mix well and set aside.
Bring the onion mixture to full boil over high heat. Add the maple syrup-pectin mixture, and then stir vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes, still over the highest heat, to dissolve pectin. Return the jam to a boil, and then remove from heat.
Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.