Spiced Peach Jam

Spiced peach jam and Brie cheese layered on crackers.

Assistant city editor Alison Borden adds a little spice to a traditional peach jam recipe to create a savory, sweet concoction — perfect for English muffins or on a slice of Brie and crackers. Use the plate-in-the-freezer test to ensure the jam will set: Put a small plate in the freezer while the jam is boiling. When you think the jam has gelled, grab the plate and put a spoonful of the hot jam on it. Let it sit for a minute or two, then test the jam with your finger. If the puddle has formed a surface skin and developed some solidity, it is done. If it is runny and saucy, give it a few more minutes. It always takes more time than you think it should for the jam to reduce and properly gel. Patience might as well be on the ingredient list. But, not to worry if you run out of it — the syrupy jam you’ll end up with will still be delicious and can be used on pancakes or waffles. Or mixed into ice cream. Or just eaten out of the jar by the spoonful. But that goes for the jam that sets, too. Makes 8 half pints

Fragrant Orange and Lemon Cake

Ingredients 4 cups sugar 8 cups finely chopped, peeled ripe peaches (about 6 pounds) ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (this helps reduce foam while cooking; it can be omitted, but foam should be skimmed off with a metal spoon before the spices are added) 6 ounces of liquid fruit pectin 1½ teaspoons of cinnamon k teaspoon of freshly ground allspice pinch of freshly ground cloves pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Directions

Prepare peaches. You can run batches of peeled, halved peaches through a food processor before adding them to the pot, or use an immersion blender once the peaches are in the pot.