Tuesday, August 21

Strawberry Balsamic Jam



We ate well on our recent visit to south Florida (Key Lime Pie tasting notes and recipe coming soon!), but the trip still left us craving California food. It's not that the food there is bad, but the food here really is fantastic. Even the burrito we shared in the airport terminal when we landed in Oakland tasted amazingly good.

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a while now but kept putting it off. I didn't take pictures when I initially made it, and thereafter was more interested in eating the jam than in photographing it. Also, I wasn't sure how it would go over, but it has turned out to be quite popular, even with my mom who claims to hate balsamic vinegar. The balsamic isn't easy to identify, but it gives the jam a complex, earthy flavor that's addictive.

One of my favorite early summer salads is simply fresh strawberries tossed with balsamic vinegar. Sometimes I use salad greens, but when I want to be really decadent, I go without. I was inspired to try a similar jam weeks ago when I spotted a crate of luscious looking organic strawberries at the farmers market and knew that 1) I had to have them, and 2) I would not be able to use them all right away.

Don't cut down on the sugar, as that's what preserves the fruit and thickens the jam. That said, the one change I might make next time would be to use pectin, as it was a bit sad seeing all those fresh strawberries get cooked away while I waited for the mixture to thicken. You can reduce thickening time by using a wide, shallow pan and cooking the jam in small batches to hasten evaporation.


-- Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Ingredients
*2.2 lbs strawberries, washed, tops removed
*4 3/4 cups sugar
*3 tbsp lemon juice
*4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method
1. Place the strawberries and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan. Stir to combine, then cover and stand for a few hours.

2. Add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and bring to the boil. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes until setting point is reached.

3. Allow to stand for 10 minutes and pour into sterilised jars. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. For more detailed instructions on canning, download these step by step canning instructions from the National Center for Home Food Preparation.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

yum.
how many jam jars will this make?

Almost Vegetarian said...

Oh, that looks gorgeous. I adore balsamic vinegar with strawberries (and with raspberries) and this looks wonderfully delicious and complex and rich.

Cheers!

Casey said...

Some rainy January morning that jam is going to bring summer memories into your kitchen. It sounds delicious.

Rose said...

The yield depends a bit on how much you cook it down, but it made about 5 jam jars for me. It's best to make a second batch rather than doubling the recipe.

almost vegetarian - raspberries are a great idea - I just may add some to the next batch.

casey - that is if it lasts that long!

Casey said...

ahahaha. I know what you mean, rose. my husband makes the jam in this household and I have to apply a strict rationing system (mostly on myself) to make his apricot jam last from one apricot season to the next.

Kimi said...

Great recipe! I made this jam with scones and posted to my blog. Hope you can stop and check it out! I got four 8oz jars from the recipe.
Thanks!
http://myplatemyworld.blogspot.com/2008/06/strawberry-balsamic-jam-with-lemon.html

j fox said...

this made 3 8oz jars for me, but i really cooked it down....can't wait to try with some homemade ricotta!

Amy said...

Thanks for the recipe. I made it last night with my husband, and it turned out beautiful! We tried the jam this morning with crepes, and it was absolutely heavenly. We did add pectin, so we still have some nice strawberry chunks in there. Compared to the plain strawberry jam we made at the same time, this one definitely wins out. You really don't taste balsamic, but rather instensified strawberries. Yum.

Anonymous said...

I made some of this! It's delightful. Thanks for the recipe. :)

Carrie

Kirsten R said...

Just made this-truly delicious! Used local Mt. Hood strawberries, and the balsamic note is subtle, but definitely allows the strawberries to shine. The color is lovely also-a brilliant red.

Viagra said...

That sounds so delicious!

aDVENTURE sCIENCE cENTER said...

These articles are fantastic. In fact your creative abilities has inspired me a lot. I'm sending it to some friends!

Elliott Broidy said...

I need some of this in my life right about now!

Pjcv63rn said...

Today is the third time I have made this. My husband would eat it out of the jar. Lol I'm trying sugar in the raw today, I am a little leery on how it will taste.