My fascination with pomegranates started with the bowls of pomegranate arils I enjoyed as a snack when I was little and grows with each recipe I develop. Over the years, I must have cut, seeded, and juiced almost a quarter ton of pomegranates, half of which were for the recipes I developed for my book, The Artful Baker. The first one is the Pomegranate Sorbet, which my friends deem the only dessert that may be enjoyed without the slightest guilt after an indulgent New Years Eve meal (amateurs!) and the second one is the Pomegranate Jam. Earlier versions of both of these recipes are on my blog (here and here), but I highly recommend the versions in my book, especially the updated version of the pomegranate jam (with homemade green apple pectin) as it completely changed my jam making forever.
Both recipes call for fresh, hand-squeezed pomegranate juice. Using a juicer might seem like a shortcut, but I strongly advise against it as the tannins in the membranes will make the juice bitter. Juicing pomegranates by hand is easier than you might think, and it’s well worth the effort. Theoretically, you could substitute store-bought fresh pomegranate juice, but at least as far as the jam is concerned, I just can’t see the point of preserving something that comes in a bottle. If we’re thinking alike and pomegranates are bountiful where you live, let’s start.
