For all of you, we sell jams, yet regulations do not allow us to call our preparations that.
You may not have known it, but jams are subject to standards regarding sugar and fruit content. And that's not the way it should be, especially in this age of "better eating"!
In fact, a jam can only bear this name if, after cooking, it contains a minimum of 55% sugar! (This 55% includes both the fruit sugar and the added sugar).
Because the Chef preferred a fruitier texture where the sugar naturally present in the fruit subtly plays its role as a binder, rather than a jam where added sugar dominates, we now offer artisanal creations that give pride of place to naturalness, with over 60% fruit.
What is jam?
Jam is a percentage of fruit into which a percentage of sugar is incorporated.
From this point onwards, we try to concentrate the fruit (cooking) in order to evaporate its moisture and preserve it.
The problem is that above 65% fruit content, the residual moisture content that needs to be evaporated is too high, resulting in overcooking (editor's note: pectin burns after 20 minutes).
At Maison Perrotte, we work with 62% fruit and stop cooking at 50g of sugar per 100g of product. So we don't qualify as a jam.
What makes Stéphan Perrotte so special?
With a sugar content of 50 g per 100 g, Stéphan Perrotte's preparations do not qualify as "jam". It's a conscious choice, in the service of taste and color, without compromising on shelf life, up to 10 days in the fridge after opening. Anyone who hasn't finished one of these jars in 10 days isn't born yet.
For Stéphan Perrotte, "the key is in the fruit, not in the blend".
Could sugar levels get any lower?
If too much fruit is used, the moisture it contains will take over. As Stéphan Perrotte's jams are unpasteurized, the risk of mold formation would be too great. The fruit would have to be overcooked, which would affect taste and color.
The sugar, neither too much nor too little, ensures the balance of the preparation.