Let’s face it, strawberry jam is the real classic. This fragile fruit isn’t a great keeper, so for the best jam, capture the fruit at its freshest, preserving it in recognizable chunks. This really is summer in a jar. Here we have teamed strawberries with vanilla, the perfect partner. This recipe uses slightly less sugar than a traditional strawberry jam might and consequently has a softer set, which means if you are feeling really gluttonous, you can eat it straight from the jar. Or swirl a few spoonfuls through a mixture of mascarpone and plain yogurt for a fast dessert. Or dollop it onto a freshly baked biscuit—eating it quickly before the jam oozes away over the sides.
Makes about 4 cups
INSTRUCTIONS
- 1 vanilla bean
- 4 pints strawberries, hulled; larger fruits halved
- 3 scant cups sugar
- juice of 3 small lemons
INSTRUCTIONS
- Split the vanilla bean lengthwise into four pieces and place in a bowl with the strawberries, tucking the bean pieces in among the fruit. Cover with the sugar and leave for 12 hours or overnight.
- Pour the fruit, vanilla bean, and juice into a preserving pan and add the lemon juice. Cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring only now and then so that the fruit stays intact. Turn up the heat and boil rapidly to reach setting point. Skim if necessary.
- Remove the vanilla bean pieces, scrape the seeds out of them, and add these to the jam, disposing of the beans. Stir the seeds through the jam.
- Pour the jam into hot, sterilized jars and seal.
