Guava Paste

Delicious on its own or livening up a charcuterie platter. Serve with a wedge of cheese for a delicious appetizer.

3 lbs fresh guavas (pink-fleshed)
11⁄2 c water
1⁄2 lemon, juiced and zested
21⁄2 c granulated sugar

Line an 8x8” pan with parchment.

Rinse the guavas and trim off the ends and any bruised spots. No need to peel them. Cut into chunks and place in a large pot. Add the water and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 35 minutes, until the fruit is very tender.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and puree. Strain through a sieve to remove the seeds. You will need a sieve that is not too fine or the process will take forever. If the holes in the sieve are too large, the seeds will fall through. You should have about 4 cups of guava puree.

Transfer the puree back to the pot, or use a copper jam pot if you have one (see note below before proceeding). Add in the lemon juice and zest and stir in the sugar. Bring to a boil, lower the heat so puree simmers, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 35 minutes, until a line drawn with a spoon through the puree in the bottom of the pan holds.

Transfer the thickened puree to the prepared pan. Transfer to the refrigerator and let cool overnight. Lift out of the pan and cut into portions. Can be kept up to 4 months wrapped in wax paper or plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Note on using a copper jam pot:

A copper jam pot is the ideal way to quickly transform your fruit into jam, thereby capturing all that fresh fruit flavor without over-extraction. Copper is an excellent heat conductor so you get a rapid, even boil. The slanted sides allow water to condense, steam, and evaporate quickly, and the wide pan base with shallow sides allows for more fruit to be exposed to the cooking surface. However, you must mix the sugar into the fruit before adding it to the pan. Placing fruit or juice directly in an unlined copper pan without sugar will cause the acids in the fruit to react with the copper, leaching copper into your food. Mixing the sugar into the fruit prior to putting it in the pan will neutralize the acidity and prevent an acidic reaction. Copper jam pots are not suitable for low or no-sugar jams. Never prepare or macerate your fruit in a copper pan.