Strawberry-Apricot Preserves

• • • Makes 2 pints • • •

This is hands-down my favorite jam combination, even though it has little to do with Italy and much to do with a trio of New York folk-singing sisters called The Roches. In one of their earlier tunes, called “The Troubles,” they sing fondly about strawberry-apricot pie. For decades (literally) I wondered about this combination. Finally, I had to make one. It was an outrageously good pie, with a sunrise-pink filling. I decided it needed to be a jam, too.

1 full quart ripe, in-season strawberries (about 1½ pounds/680 g)

1 pound (454 g) ripe apricots

3 cups (600 g) vanilla sugar (see page 57)

¼ cup (59 g) lemon juice, plus 3 strips lemon zest

Equipment

4 sterilized ½-pint jars and their lids

Basic water-bath canning equipment (see page 15)

1 • Hull and quarter the strawberries, placing them in a wide, heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan or preserving pot as you go. Pit and quarter the apricots; then cut each quarter in half crosswise to yield big pieces. Add them to the saucepan. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice and zest and let macerate at room temperature for 1 hour.

2 • Cook the fruit over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook at a lively simmer, stirring often, until the mixture has darkened and begun to thicken, 20 to 30 minutes. Watch out for spattering.

3 • Continue to boil until the mixture reaches 220°F. Or use the freezer plate method to test for doneness as described on page 83.

4 • Ladle the hot jam into the sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean if necessary with a clean, damp cloth, and screw the lids on the jars.

5 • Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes (see Water-Bath Canning, page 15). Remove the jars and set them upright on a clean kitchen towel. Let cool to room temperature before storing in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening. If any jars have failed to seal properly, store them in the refrigerator and enjoy those first.

Variation  • Substitute Pluots (that lovely cross between a plum and an apricot) for the apricots. The resulting jam will be ruby red in color with a touch of rich, sweet-tart plum flavor.