Confiture de Coco (Tahitian Coconut Jam)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 3-quart saucepan or wide 10-inch saute pan
• •Box grater or food processor for fresh coconut
• •Heatproof spatula
• •Two clean half-pint jars with lids

Instructions

1. 1

   Grate the coconut

   Crack the mature coconuts, save 1 cup of the coconut water if it tastes clean and sweet, and pry out the meat. Grate the meat fine on a box grater, or pulse it in a food processor until the shreds are small but not paste. For this jam you want the mature haʻari, firm and oily, not the young drinking coconut.

   Frozen grated coconut from a Pacific or Asian market is a good shortcut. Thaw it fully and break it up with your fingers before it goes into the pot.
2. 2

   Make the syrup

   Set a heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the sugar, coconut water or plain water, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt. Stir until the sugar melts, then let it bubble 3 to 4 minutes, just until it looks clear and a little thicker. Don't chase dark caramel here. The color comes slow with the coconut.

3. 3

   Simmer it slow

   Stir in the grated coconut and coconut milk. Lower the heat to a steady, gentle simmer and cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes at first and more often near the end. The mixture will move from white and loose to honey-gold, sticky, and glossy, with the coconut shreds soft around the edges.

4. 4

   Test the set

   Drag a spatula through the pot. When the line stays open for a breath before closing, and the jam drops from a spoon in a soft mound instead of running like syrup, it's ready. If it tightens too much, stir in a spoonful of water. If it looks wet, give it five more minutes. No blame the coconut. The pot just needed time.

5. 5

   Finish and jar

   Take the pot off the heat, remove the vanilla bean, and stir in the lime juice. If you're using vanilla extract instead of a bean, add it now. Spoon the jam into clean jars while it is still loose and glossy, then let it cool 15 minutes before closing the lids.

6. 6

   Serve and keep

   Serve warm or at room temperature with firi firi, pain coco, pancakes, toast, or spooned over plain yogurt. Once cool, refrigerate and use within 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months. This is a chilled kitchen preserve, not a pantry-canning recipe.

   Coconut is low-acid. Do not water-bath can this version or leave it at room temperature for storage. Keep it chilled and use a clean spoon each time.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh mature coconut gives the best chew and oil. If all you have is unsweetened dried coconut, soak 2 1/2 cups of it in hot coconut milk for 15 minutes, then start with 1/2 cup less water in the pot.
• •Tahitian vanilla belongs beautifully here, floral and round, but good vanilla extract will still feed the table. Add extract off the heat so the scent stays alive.
• •Use a wide, heavy pot if you can. The wider surface helps the water leave before the sugar scorches, and the heavy bottom keeps the coconut from catching.
• •The jam thickens as it cools. Stop a little looser than you think, because a stiff jar turns into candy by morning.
• •This is Tahiti's sweet, but don't make it precious. Put it on firi firi for Sunday, on toast before work, or over leftover rice with coconut milk when the house wants something small and kind.

Advance Preparation

• •Grate fresh coconut up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerate it covered, or freeze grated coconut up to 2 months.
• •Cook the jam up to 1 week ahead for the best texture. Bring it to room temperature before serving, or warm the jar gently in a bowl of hot water.
• •For longer keeping, freeze in small jars up to 3 months, leaving a little headspace so the jam has room to expand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 20g)