The inspiration was a bottle of stunningly smooth, appetizingly rust-orange hued jam from La Maison du Chocolat. I was really impressed by the quality of that particular guava jam, presumably made from African guavas (possibly from a former French colony). My sister sent a bottle of the same jam in a subsequent balikbayan box shipment to Manila, and we have enjoyed it immensely, and have always wondered about the color, since the ingredients only list “guava, sugar and pectin”. No food coloring. I had filed this “challenge” somewhere back in my brain and last weekend at the market, I noticed an abundance of ripening native guavas, many of them of the pink variety. I bought 1.7 kilos of guavas for PHP100 and decided to make some jam…
The pink guavas were stunning and pungent. It’s hard to get a whole batch of native guavas that are almost all this salmon pink shade. Often, many of the fruit have yellowish or creamish colored pulp, that reduces the intensity of the final jam. I suspected that if you separate and use only the pink guavas, it should result in a more intensely colored jam…
I have described the whole recipe for guava jam in a previous post, here. And if you are curious, I also have a recipe for guava jelly, here. Essentially, I took off the tops and ends of each fruit, removing any obviously bruised areas and cut the fruit in half. Then I placed the guavas in a heavy pot, added water to cover and brought this to a boil and let it boil for five minutes until the guavas were soft. I drained this, reserving say a cup of the guava water and set that aside. Next, I put the softened guavas through a simple food mill to extract the seeds and grind the pulp to a smoother yet still grainy texture. I suppose one could blitz this further in a food processor if you want it even smoother, though I prefer the textural quality of just using a food mill.
Then I added sugar and the juice of 1.5 lemons and simmered until it achieved a nice dark amber color and in jam making terms, reached the point of “setting” properly. Next, the jam was bottled and put in a boiling hot water bath to sterilize it.
Stacked up against the jar of La Maison du Chocolate guava jam, our version was still a little lighter, but it possessed many of the flavor and aroma qualities of the former. And after a few days, the newly bottled jam has started to darken just a bit, and I suspect in month or two, it will be a fairly close match… If you happen by a market this weekend, keep your eyes out for the native guavas, it’s an excellent time to cook up a batch of guava jam or jelly. Pair the jam with a slice of salty manchego on a cracker and you will be hooked. Yes, the guava jam is an excellent substitute for the membrillo or quince paste that is typically served with manchego.
P.S. The La Maison Jam was probably $9-12 retail at their shop. The homemade jam, including the bottle and excluding my labor and that of the crew, was roughly $1.25 per bottle. :)
62 Responses
MM,
Which market did you go to last weeken? I’ve been looking for this type of guava but all I see are the big ones which are not meant for cooking. That was a lucky find.
MF
Marketfan, I got these at the Saturday FTI Taguig market. I try to go to that market 1-2x a month. Last Saturday there were at least 5-6 vendors with guavas like these. If I had more new empty jam bottles in the pantry, I would have made 15-20 bottles and put them away for Christmas gifts! At PHP50-60 a kilo, these were reasonably priced.
MM, where do you get your jam jars? i think you mentioned divisoria in an earlier post but i do not know which specific part of divi.
last week, my kids tasted tree-ripened native guavas for the first time, and loved them. i brought them back from a friend’s farm. before then, all they’d had was the huge “guapple” variety.
millet, I get them from San Miguel Packaging products, they have assigned “retail” or “wholesale” outlets in Metro Manila. In Quezon City, I purchased them from a gas station! that has a bottle outlet nearby! Unfortunately, I didn’t go myself so I don’t have the exact address but if you call the San Miguel Packaging division number in the telephone directory, you can eventually extract the address from them. In Cebu, we get them directly at the San Miguel plant. You have to buy at least 1 box, which has 24 bottles. I find there are only 2 sizes that make sense for our home use, an 8oz and a 12oz. They cost roughly PHP10-13 each the last time we purchased them.
I think its the sugar that makes the color intense because it burns if cooked for a long time. By using pectin, you only need to boil it once and its done.
Hi, MM! May I ask where did you get your food mill? And you have a typo… “Next, the jam was bottled and put in a “boling” hot water bath to sterilize it.”
I like guava jam, specially on salty Sunflower crackers… yum!!!
Ooohhhhhhhlala!!!! I remember growing up with them guava jam/jelly in thin round tin cans. Merienda was pan de sal with guava or mango jam with cheddar cheese.
Cris, thanks, and edited. As for the food mill, I honestly can’t remember, I think we have had it for 14-15 years already. But my best guess for finding one might be SM housewares department or Gourdo’s or Cook’s Exchange at the larger malls. Homebuddy, actually, if you get to the stage that your sugar is caramelizing, the jam will probably be overcooked a bit. With pectin, you will have a nicer consistency (though lemon does a similar if less effective job of that) and a lighter jam. Also, the seeds of guava probably have natural pectin, so I find it unneccessary to add pectin to either jelly or jam that we make at home.
Hey MM, ever tried making pate-de-fruit? I think guava would be awesome!
I suddenly remembered my Auntie Maria (actually Lola because she was the sister of my maternal grandmother). She was a Home Economics teacher in Nueva Ecija and used to make guava jam. They have lots of guava trees in their backyard and during guava season we usually eat our fill and the rest will be for the jam. memories…
I love homemade guava jam. Used to remove the section containing seeds, but your food mill makes so much more sense. In Indonesia you can get large guavas with the same pink flesh. I once ordered a guava shake and when it came was confused and complained that I didn’t ask for strawberry — the colour was that bold.
Yummm…I love guavas…especially those pink ones. I have been buying from the market for the past two months. True,they sell them in mixed colors but I choose the pink ones. They sell for P50K at the Marikina market (big,big market) and they are common nowadays.
If I get some,I will do this. I was just telling my son how I’d like to make some….
As a kid,I would sit in the fork of our guava tree and eat guavas….those were the days…I would wash them by slinging the garden hose over a branch,then when you twist the end,you can open and close the water flow….guava heaven!!
Artisan Chocolatier…I remember those round tin cans with guava jam…memories….yuummmmmmm—-crackers please.
Hi MM! I remember my Lola making guava jam when the fruits were in season. We had guava trees at our San Juan home and they usually bore many fruits – that Lola also sold some of them to the elementary school students across the street as she didn’t want to see the fruits falling & rotting on the ground.
totally love guava jam and jelly. my cousins who have a place in tarlac called may farm used to make this very very nice.
don’t forget, whatever leftover guava you have you can make into soup :) the ones in your photo look just the right kind
Hi MM we were at the same stall in FTI last Saturday, you were buying those good looking guavas and I was buying the Melon. Yikes, the Melons were not as good as the guavas, they landed on the carbage can. Sayang!
Lenlen S., yes of course, we said hellos. Now the other readers have confirmation that I actually do go to the market fairly early in the morning… :) P.S. I wouldn’t really buy melons now that the rains have really hit, they tend to be at their best during the hottest summer months, I think.
i remember making some jam/jelly for our home economics class…for pectin we used calamansi…i just dont remember what fruit it was :D
Hi,
The Maison jam is made from two kinds of guavas, 75% one and 25 % the other. Sorry, I can’t recall the varieties, all from Africa. I suggest you try pink ripe ones for flavour and add green/white slightly unripe ones for pectin. Do not drain the water, just add enough to cover half way up the guavas which will cook down. For guava jelly strain liquid in a jelly bag and discard solids so as not to cloud the jelly.
Bottles are a steal, we pay a dollar for a 16 oz Ball jar. Get a candy thermometer, 221 F guarantees a jell point.
I just made red and black currant preserves and currant jelly for you. Wonderful color and flavour. Am haunting the farmstand for the damson plums which are due very soon.
Those are fairly large native guavas. The ones I see being sold in the mountain road are small but tastes far better than the guapples.
I got guava trees in a nursery in San Fernando Pampanga. They originated from Florida and the nice thing is that they may be trained to creep like vines. I didn’t, and left it to grow. It still looked like the regular guava tree, except that it had somewhat slimmer branches that swayed with the wind.
I was told that is was one of the sweetest varieties. When I first tasted it…it was THE winner for me. Sweet, crunchy flesh but very soft seeded area. Most of all, it looked so much more appetizing because of its deep deep pink color.
I was at FTI also last Saturday, but about 8am already.
Artisan chocolatier, Yes guava makes a terrific pate de fruit, often included in the selection of French patisseries.
MM, can I use a food processor instead of a food mill?
i love guava jam but i haven’t attemptetd to make it. mm, you have inspired me to make it although now i have to wait until i find some guavas in the filipino store! i do remember my mom many years ago when she would cook postre made of very ripe guavas cut into small pieces, sugar, coconut milk and a pinch of sugar.that was also really good. i always try to make that whenever i am able to buy some ripe guavas….
Sister: You probably are thinking RUBY or RED INDIAN variety of guava mixed with South Afircan variety. There is also a STRAWBERRY GUAVA…deep red skin, white flesh with a hint of strawberry.
MM…amybe Mr. Carandang can cultivate those varieties. Seeds are available on-line!
Marketman, do you have access to quinces? A small proportion of quince added to the guave will probably give you that lovely red color.
kurzhaar, do you happen to have a good recipe for quinces?
our patient always gives me this fruit but i never now
what to do with them…
I will have to look them up…but it was easy, wash quinces, cut up (include skin and cores), cook with sugar and a little water until fruit is totally soft and almost a puree. It will start out pale yellow (usually) and turns red as it cooks and will solidify on its own as quinces are FULL of pectin. This is how membrillo (quince paste) is made, and if you make your own you will never go back to the imports from Spain. Quinces are great for adding to other jams/jellies (instead of say, apples) when you need pectin. Always use the whole fruit as a lot of the color comes from the skin/cores.
I absolutely adore quinces, my graduate advisor was English and always put up quince jam which he would give out on Boxing Day. :)
I have seen membrillo in mexican grocery stores but have not tried them. Has anyone tried them? If so, is it as good as the ones from Spain? I’ve tried the one from Spain and I love it and if the Mexican ones are just as good, I’d rather buy them because it’s cheaper.
Lilibeth, I have not tried the membrillo from the Mexican stores. I get mine at Dona Juana La Espanola Meat, Inc. out in Harbor City which is imported from Spain comes in regular and diet. They also have an online store.
Maria Clara, Yes, I buy from them too but I was just wondering whether the Mexican ones would taste the same because I have tried the morcilla from the Mexican grocery and they taste fine with fabada but the ones from La Espanola definitely tastes better.
Maria Clara, Lilibeth: Do you guys have the book…The Basque Table? The membrillo there is as authentic as you can get it and really really good! I have a very good friend Nadine who likes her cheeses…She brings the cheese over and I make the membrillo. She even supplies me with the quince. If you don’t have the book…here is the recipe: DO NOt double it unkless you are a glutton in stirring just like making BIKO. I would rather make 2 batches at a time than double it!
You will need 4 large quince. Wash but do not peel and just de-seed them. Then pour water over the qunce just enough to cover them in a pot. Cook until softened and they will crack! Then take the pulp and process using food mill or processor. Now, equal weight of the quince and sugar in skillet and then here comes the KILI_KILI breaking task of stirring it until really thick and no moisture left. Then pour into a shallow pan and let it sit.
Have slices of really sharp cheese to eat with the membrillo. Sit outside tonight with glass of white wine and watch the METEOR SHOWER while savoring the membrillo and cheese!
BettyQ: thanks for the membrillo recipe. The Basque Table is this the Spanish Cookbook written by a female cook/author (the name escape me at this very moment) and has a second edition now and the book cover is red? I believe I have the book at home.
Millet,
The gas station that MM was referring to is the Unioil gas station along Quezon Blvd, near the Welcome rotonda. There is a small office inside the gas station where they sell SMC bottles for home businesses.
Marketfan
wow! Guava Jam! my mom used to make some when we still had a guava tree in front of our house. love it with skyflakes! :D yummy!!!!
kurzhaar no quinces in this part of the world… Marketfan, thanks for that, it’s one of those places that are known by going…in orther words, I never took down an address! bettyq, thanks as usual for all the great tips and recipes! corrie, a food processor would cut up the seeds, so I am not too sure that would work well, unless you remove the bulk of the seeds before pureeing… denise, yes kalamansi works just like lemon. I make a variant on guava jelly by using kalamansi or dayap for flavoring.
when we were kids, my mom had a friend from del monte bukidnon who’d come visit and bring crates and crates of guava and tomatoes. my mom would turn them into guava jam. i remember stirring the heavy pot to keep it from burning. it deprived me of playing with my pals so i subconsciously hated guava jam. in all fairness, her jam was truly home-made with just sugar and guava. we didnt have the sophisticated strainer, so we would just squeeze out the juice from the pulp in a home-made katsa. mom would make several jars, and sawang-sawa na ako sa guava jam na sandwich as baon. but now, i suddenly missed her guava jam and mommy… thanks for the post mr. mm, it brought back memories, and regrets that i haven’t learned making them her way. :(
@marketfan, thank you for info. I pass by that Unioil every Sunday.
@bettyq, your inputs are always worth reading through :)
I haven’t had guava with dayap….it does sound like a balance.
thanks for the tip, MM and marketfan. there is a branch of the SMC packaging plant here so i will check that out tomorrow.
also, MM, you could try making preserved guava shells with those gorgeous guavas. they’re a favorite in hawaii, and are sometimes served paired with some soft cheese.
artisan chocolatier, yes, i loved the guava jelly in those yellow round tin cans. wonder what happened to the company that made them?
Lilibeth, I have tried a Mexican membrillo once but it was profoundly inferior to the two or three Spanish commercial membrillos I have had. Plus, if I recall correctly, it had artificial additives, which I avoid. I have had a fairly good membrillo from Argentina.
But home-made membrillo beats any commercial import hands down…the fragrance is just incredible, and it will have a far more complex flavour. It is so easy to make that there’s no reason not to make your own if you can find the quinces. Again, there is NO need to peel or core–you will find that leaving in the cores increases the complexity of flavour (just as leaving in apricot pits does for apricot recipes) and the few seeds can be picked out after the fruit has cooked down. If the quinces are fuzzy, just scrub the fuzz off. Quinces have a wonderful fragrance and were used in the past to scent lingerie!
Home-made membrillo with a well aged raw-milk Manchego is a glorious thing. :) Membrillo with a croissant and good coffee is another.
I’ve recently made uhm…guava flavored hard candies. The guava tree in our backyard produced a bumper crop of nice fruit and it was attracting a lot of attention from fruit bats. Rather than have the flying vermin enjoy it I decided to make something more useful with it (we also had a lovely sinigang na baka sa bayabas). It was supposed to be guava jelly but I went overboard on the sugar and didn’t pay attention to the cooking/boiling time and temperature.
In retrospect though, I think it would have been a great idea to make lolipops with it. I could place blobs of the guava syrup on a cold, oiled marble slab and stick a…well…stick in it.
Betty Q: Wow, thank you so much for the recipe. I will not have time to do it today though but probably this weekend. I don’t have The Basque Table. I checked it out in Amazon and it looks like a good cookbook with lots of recipes for dishes that my husband grew up with since his ancestors are from the basque region of Spain. Also, good thing about it is it’s in English. My daughter has lots of basque cookbooks but all are written in Spanish and I am not as fluent as my husband and children are.
kurzhaar: Thank you so much for informing me. I will definitely make my own membrillo with the recipe that Betty Q gave. We have never tried membrillo with manchego and we always ate it alone but I love manchego so I will try that. I’m getting hungry right now.
Betty Q: I forgot to tell you I was so amused by the “KILI KILI breaking task” you said. That was so funny!
Lilibeth, you are in for a treat. If you want to really indulge yourself, have with the membrillo and manchego a small glass of a Pedro Ximenez sherry: good examples are those made by Emilio Lustau (their “San Emilio” label) or Alvear (there are a couple of different offerings from this sherry house)…absolutely luscious dessert wines. This is a memorable way to end a nice dinner.
kurzhaar: That is definitely delicious but I have stopped taking alcoholic drinks and I only use wine in cooking because alcohol evaporates with the heat. Thank you anyway and I appreciate your wonderful suggestion and I’m sure others would love to try that. I used to be an alcoholic, btw, that is why I avoid alcoholic drinks completely even those with minimal alcohol content like wines (I used to drink brandy heavily) because even just a little of it will have me started on it again.
I just found out that quinces are in season October-January but I will try to find in Vons which used to carry it or even Armenian groceries like Jons.
Lilibeth: though membrillo is Spanish for quince paste, maybe you can sub other fruits…Mango would be awesome for those who have access to Guimaras mangoes!…like Artisan said…guava !YUM!!!
For those of us on the other side of the globe, peaches is in season, so is strawberry rhubarb (stll coming out of my ears in the garden- the rhubarb!, blueberry with a hint of lavender would be good, Bagito! Add a touch of lemon juice and lemon peel with fruit. I would just avail of the summer fruits, Lilibeth. Then come fall, use the quince and pears with cardamom would be awesome!
Maybe you can supply the confiserie over there…hey, nothing beats homemade!OR…make them for giveaways come Christmas!
Buy the fruits, prep them, and FREEZE! Then you have the fruits handy when you have the time to make the membrillo for Christmas…
Lilibeth, I understand, I have a friend who takes the same approach you do. But I hope you will at least enjoy the home-made membrillo! :)
Betty Q: The Filipino store just ran out of mangoes last week and they are not sure whether they will have more because I think mango season is just about over. I just bought super sweet and succulent peaches and strawberries though and blueberries too so maybe I’ll substitute with one of those. About supplying the confiserie, I don’t think that’s happening since I’m just too busy with work, in fact, I only give homemade baked goodies to very special friends and for the not so special ones, I just buy :) Thanks for all your suggestions.
Ang tapang ng amoy ng pinkish guava….amoy kili-kili…
Pero masarap at healthy…
Where can I buy pectin and jars, Marketman? Thanks!
pat, try metro market!market! for pectin, I get my jars from san miguel packaging… but they are sold in smaller quantities by their distributors, call san miguel packaging…
Thank you so much! More power!
Ball mason jars (the big ones) now on sale at Gourdo’s. Buy one take one for P150.
I have this dinner coming up and I wanted to give away blueberry lavender jam as parting gifts. I think im all set (oh! pun), except for the teeny problem that I do not know how to process the jam after its cooked. :( MM, how do you process your jam? Can I just seal the jar up and plunge it in boiling water?
I don’t have the fancy screw bands the other websites are telling me to use.
jojo, first you sterilize your jars and lids, by placing them submerged in boiling water for some 6-8 minutes, and remove carefully and let them dry on their own on a towel on the kitchen counter. Once the moisture dries up (a few minutes), they will be ready to receive the fruit or jam mixture. You place the hot jam mixture into the bottles and seal with lids and tighten, but NOT too tight. You submerge the sealed jam bottles in boiling water for say 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your bottles. Carefully remove and let this cool down. Hopefully that should sterilize your jam.
Thanks so much! and woah, a reply at 5 am @.@ will the jars crack if they’re sealed too tight? drat. the jars i found are those kinds with the tops attached to the jar via a steel wire clip thingy. The kind with a rubber seal.
jojo, those heavy jars with metal thingees are fine, you can do the same treatment as above, with the seals, and plunge into boiling water…
I saw that one of you is looking for lavender jam, I have tried over the past months and commercialize a mango lavender jam, and according to foodie expert it is very good! If you want to now more about my 13 other flavours, let me know
Pierre of The Fruit Garden
i want to try blueberry jam. can you suggest where can i purchase them in bulk @ the cheaper price in the phil? Another question, how can i avoid darkening of my bananas in doing bananajam.
hi! I was looking for a recipe,for guava jam, then I was very happy to find you,My guestion
is, I live in california and my neighbor has given me permission to cut her guallavas. so I decided to make jam.Now these are yellow inside and out. and you use pink or red like,can I still use the same recipe?….
Please you do not give the quantity of sugar for your guava jam- please can I have it
I just love guava jam. THANKS – Louise
Louise, please go to the previous link on guava jam and it will have details there. Thanks.