Mango, mint and chilli sauce.

Do you ever go into a supermarket to buy a pint of milk, only to find yourself drawn irresistibly towards the pile of reduced products you didn't know you needed? Exactly this happened on Friday evening, and I came home with the following:

In particularly bad shape were the grapes - already turning brown - and the mango, which had contrived to be both old and entirely unripe.

I decided to turn the lettuces and mushrooms into dinner, accompanied by a glass of 25% off Villa Maria (not pictured). This left the grapes, mango, chilli and mint. If in doubt, add sugar, and make jam.

I like making jam with grapes: growing up I was always curious about the American concept of "grape jelly" and there is something in the texture which suggests they should jam easily. I have never actually made - or even eaten - plain grape jelly, but stirring a few into a mixed fruit jam pot never seems to do any harm.

I flicked through The Flavour Thesaurus and was pleased to find the combination of mango, mint and chilli was approved from all angles. I poured a second glass of Villa Maria, and got to work.

I peeled the mango with a vegetable peeler and hacked the flesh away from the stone: in texture they were almost indistinguishable. I chopped the fruit into reasonable chunks, figuring it would probably collapse in the jamming process.

IMG-0071

IMG-0070

IMG-0072

I then cut out the browner pieces of grape and roughly quartered them. I removed the mint leaves from their stalks and sliced both the mint and the red chillis as finely as I could be bothered after a third of a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

I weighed this mixture and found I had a little over 700g. I only had just over 600g of caster sugar left in the bag, so I poured all this over the fruit along with a handful of salt. I would usually add whole citrus fruit to help jam to set, but had none in the house. I added a big squeeze of lime juice instead, vaguely thinking it might help. I set the pot over a medium heat, and watched as the juice burst from the fruit, stirring occasionally.

IMG-0073

IMG-0075

IMG-0074

The mixture bubbled away happily but seemed to be showing no inclination to set. Having refused to soften and disintegrate with the normal passage of time; the mango was also very determinedly retaining its size and shape. I regretted not chopping it into smaller pieces.

I had been thinking of making this a proper jam, using only the fruit and sugar, but it was really too sweet and the individual flavours were struggling to come through. Perhaps this is not surprising given the quantity of natural sugar found in mango and grape in contrast with classic jam fruits such as raspberries, strawberries or blackcurrants. I added a decent glug of cider vinegar and some more salt. Once that was stirred through the flavours were sharpened, although the balance of sweet and sour remained on the side of jam, rather than chutney.

However it was still not setting, and as the juice and vinegar reduced down and the mixture turned dark golden, it became increasingly clear I had sailed past jam territory into syrups and caramels. Ah well. I poured the thick, sticky liquid into containers and let it cool.

The next day, I tested it. It is extremely thick and stiff: not remotely jam-like in consistency. The mango is still in large pieces and also very chewy. However it actually does taste really rather good: a pleasant aroma of mint and some warmth from the chilli - in fact it could have taken more heat - while the mango supplies a tropical fruity flavour to the caramel. It could be pushed towards sweet or savoury depending on how it is used. I stirred a spoonful into a leafy stir fry for lunch which worked very well. I think it would be a great accompaniment to lamb with cumin and coriander, although it is probably too stiff to be served as it is. It could also be delicious melted over coconut icecream or pineapple sorbet.