Homemade Kissel from Jam and Starch

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make kissel from jam and starch? It's easy! First, gather the ingredients from the list. Any jam will do, homemade or store-bought — I'm using homemade cherry jam. Adjust the sugar to taste, depending on how sweet your jam is.

2. Step 2:

   

   Put the jam in a saucepan and pour in clean, cold (previously boiled) water. It's best to use filtered or bottled water with a neutral taste; tap water can give the drink an off flavor.

3. Step 3:

   

   Set the saucepan over medium heat and bring the water to a boil. As soon as it boils, take it off the heat and let it cool.

4. Step 4:

   

   Push the mixture, liquid and all, through a sieve. Stir the sugar and lemon juice into the strained liquid. My jam was sweet, so I added just two tablespoons of sugar, plus lemon juice to balance the flavor. If your jam is tart — lemon jam, say — add more sugar and skip the lemon juice. Adjust to your taste and your jam.

5. Step 5:

   

   Pour some of the mixture into a glass and stir the potato starch into it. Use 2 or 3 tablespoons of starch, depending on how thick you want the kissel. If using cornstarch, use about 1.5 times as much, since it's weaker than potato starch.

6. Step 6:

   

   Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring the mixture back to a boil. Stirring constantly, pour in the dissolved starch in a thin stream. Keep stirring and cook until it reaches the thickness you want.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cool the finished jam kissel, covered. Then pour it into glasses and serve. Enjoy!