Malay apple preserve

Last weekend my Malay apple or pommerac tree had several fruits that were ready to be picked. Since the shelf life is very short, I decided to make some preserves. Many years ago I visited Guadeloupe, one of the French islands to the north west of Barbados. There I stayed with a family in Pointe a Pitre the capital. Annie a nurse by profession, was the head of the household and mother to two daughters one of whom was named Canelle meaning cinnamon in English. I thought that was really a beautiful name for a daughter. One day Annie brought back some malay apple and made some preserve. Now I only knew malay apple to eat fresh out of hand and I never dreamt that it can be made into a preserve. Annie showed me how it was done and to this day I am thankful that she had opened my eyes. I washed and cut to remove the seeds of a large amount of malay apple. When I was finished I measured the amount in a large mixing bowl. I had 34 cups of fruit. I piled it into a large maslin pan used in the UK and the rest of Europe for jam making. I placed it on a medium heat to allow it to simmer and reduce in its own juices. Now the Malay apple has over 60 percent water as you can see in the photos. After it had reduced to several inches down I added 8 cups of sugar and some canelle (cinnamon)and a few cloves (about 6). I let it boil on a medium heat for several hours stirring frequently to prevent burning and am very good at burning pots. After several hours it was reduced to half pot level and I reduced the heat further. This simmered for a few more hours until there was very little liquid left. I then added a cup of rum to the mixture and bottled in sterilized jars and heat sealed them. I got 12 bottles out of that huge amount of apples. This can be served on ice cream, on cheese cake, on toast or eaten out of the bottle in small quantities. It can also be rolled in pastry to make delicious mini pastries. The rum can be omitted.
Bon apetit mes amis.