Strawberry-Rosemary Jam
I love jam. I put it on toast, crackers and pair it with cheese – usually a good brie or blue. The contrast of salty and sweet, fat and fresh is a wonderful change of pace from just cheese and crackers.
I always end up with berries that are just over-ripe which are perfect for jam. I don’t boil the jars of jam, so they only last about 2 weeks in the fridge, but that is plenty of time! I even place jam in little jars (i.e. baby food jars) and give them away as gifts.
The first jam I made was this strawberry jam with rosemary. The rosemary complements the strawberry sweetness unexpectedly!
At the height of summer, I use fresh basil instead of rosemary which works really well too!
Strawberry-Rosemary Jam (click here to print recipe without pictures)
1 lb. fresh, hulled and quartered strawberries
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 sprigs rosemary (4 sprigs of basil if using instead of rosemary)
1. Place a small pyrex bowl in the freezer (it’s used to test the consistency of the jam). Place the canning jar in very hot water.
2. Combine strawberries and sugar in a heavy pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring and breaking up the fruit (I use a potato masher). When the fruit is broken down a bit (about 5 min), add the rosemary (or basil). Simmer until jam is thickened, 20-25 min, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
3. Spoon a 1/4 tsp of jam into the frozen bowl. Tip bowl to one side, jam should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs down side of bowl, it’s too soft and needs to simmer longer.
4. Once jam is set, stir in lemon juice. Transfer to a jar and let cool for 10 min. Place lid and chill until set, about 4 hours. Keep chilled and serve within 2 weeks
(adapted from Bon Appetit)
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