Jam Session

Strawberries

Strawberries are the most popular berry worldwide, and strawberry jam is probably the most popular jam. I agree with food writer Jane Grigson, who said that strawberries and raspberries are rarely improved by complication. The less done to them the better. No chutneys, mostardas, or offbeat condiments. I worry whenever the strawberry industry has competitions to invent complicated and novel dishes using cooked strawberries, because the contestants’ creations rarely show the fruit in its best light.

Ripe strawberries should be eaten or preserved within a day or two. Shop for flavor (the farmers will always let you taste one) and aroma. Serve them at room temperature if you are eating them out of hand.

The average supermarket strawberry is designed for show—the larger the better for display and to dip in chocolate. Most often the large berries are hollow in the center, watery, and lack perfume. Many are grown in pesticide-saturated soil, so my advice is to buy only organic berries. The most popular varieties are Chandler, Albion, and Seascape. As the season progresses from April through the summer, the berries get smaller, so if you are interested in putting up whole-berry preserves, keep this in mind. Your patience will be rewarded.

The main variable with strawberry jam is texture. If the berries are large, you will want to hull them and cut them up into slices or smallish pieces. Some recipes suggest chopping them. Others call for mashing the berries with a potato masher. I do not see any reason for such abuse. They are so tender that when you cook them, they soften enough to meld into a cohesive jam. Texture is a very personal matter; you may want them to be universally mashed and smooth. I do not mind seeing a soft slice. Strawberry jams will not set up firm but will be a soft set.

If you have access to small berries, show them off and preserve them whole. They are most elegant in this way. And because they are tender, they do not roll off the toast.

Strawberries are a member of the rose family. You may want to try using rose sugar (see this page) in a batch to see if you like it, substituting it for about a third of the sugar. Keep lemon juice on hand so the preserve is not too cloying and the perfume of the berries comes through.

Simpatico flavorings for strawberries are vanilla, lemon, star anise, real balsamic vinegar, black pepper, pomegranate, mint, basil, and rose.

Strawberries can be paired with rhubarb or currants for a spectacular tart-sweet jam. But few markets carry currants, so you may have to special order them.

Strawberry jam is perfect spread on toast, biscuits, and pancakes; stirred into yogurt; and spooned over ice cream. And, of course, slathered on good old PB&J.

Because strawberries are not high in pectin, some should be ripe and some underripe. Lemon juice will do the rest of the work.

8 cups (4 pint baskets) strawberries, three-quarters ripe and one-quarter not so ripe

In a large preserving pot, gently combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice and toss to mix. Set aside to macerate overnight.

The next day, add the vanilla bean, place the pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, watching closely because the berries can quickly boil over and you do not want to spend the morning cleaning your stove top. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours.

Place a baking sheet on the counter near your stove. Heat a kettle of water. Set two stockpots on the stove and fill them with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars (see this page) in the water bath.

Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil again over medium-high heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the berries are tender. At this point, decide how much texture you want in your jam.

If you want to see a few berry slices in your jam, set a colander over a bowl and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the strawberries to the colander and set aside to rest for 1 hour. Add any strawberry juices that have collected in the bowl under the colander to the preserving pot. Taste the liquid and add lemon juice if the strawberry juice is not tart enough. Reduce the strawberry syrup over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Carefully return the berry slices to the jam pot. While stirring, bring to a boil and cook the jam briefly, until it passes the plate test (see this page), forming a soft set and not running much when you tilt the plate.

If you want to make a smooth jam without any visible slices, after you cook the mixture for the first 3 to 5 minutes, mash the berries with a potato masher. Continue to cook the jam until the berries break down and become a soft puree and the jam passes the plate test, mounding on the plate for a soft set. Remove the pot from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet. Ladle the jam into the jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.

Using a jar lifter, gently lower the jars into the pots. When the water returns to a boil, decrease the heat to an active simmer, and process the jars for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for 1 to 2 minutes.

Using the jar lifter, transfer the jars from the pots to the baking sheet and let sit for at least 6 hours, until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure the jars have sealed (see this page). Label and store the sealed jam for 6 months to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

When strawberries are small and sweet, they make beautiful preserves. I think it is more elegant to keep the berries whole than to mash them for jam. Cooking the berries in stages causes them to plump up, become translucent, and absorb the syrup.

This can be a two- or three-day process. You can try to speed it up, but if you can be patient (no labor involved, just waiting) and give the strawberries time, you will have a voluptuous preserve. After you have made this recipe a few times, you may want to play with it. For a change of pace, I love to add black pepper and pomegranate molasses for a subtle sweet-tart accent (see this page). Following Italian tradition, some cooks add a splash of aged artisanal balsamic vinegar (not the cheap supermarket stuff, which is regular vinegar sweetened with caramel), either during maceration or at the end. Occasionally, I add a few tablespoons of chopped fresh mint or basil at the end of cooking. The choice is yours.

In a large preserving pot, gently combine the strawberries, 6 cups of the sugar, and the lemon juice and toss to mix. Let sit for at least a few hours or, preferably, overnight to macerate.

Next, place the pot over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Taste the strawberry preserves and see if you want to add any of the remaining 1 cup sugar. Bring the strawberry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, watching closely because the berries can quickly boil over and you do not want to spend the morning cleaning your stove top. Remove the pot from the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours. You may now stop the cooking and wait another day or proceed to complete the preserve.

Set a colander over a bowl and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the berries to the colander.

Place two baking sheets on the counter near your stove. Heat a kettle of water. Set two stockpots on the stove and fill them with enough water to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Sterilize the jars (see this page) in the water bath.

Reduce the strawberry syrup over medium-high heat until thickened, skimming and stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Cook the syrup until it thickens, passes a preliminary plate test (see this page), and is not runny.

Carefully return the berries to the jam pot, along with any juices that have collected in the bowl under the colander. Increase the heat to high, stir gently, and bring the strawberry mixture to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Taste the preserves and add more lemon juice if you think it needs a hit of acid. If you are going to add the mint or basil, do it now. At this point, you can also taste the syrup and add the balsamic vinegar to taste. Continue to cook on high briefly until the preserves pass the final plate test, reaching a soft set that is neither runny nor firm. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

Ladle the preserves into the jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.

Using the jar lifter, transfer the jars from the pots to the baking sheets and let sit for at least 6 hours, until cool enough to handle. Check to be sure the jars have sealed (see this page). Label and store the sealed preserves for 6 months to 2 years. Once open, store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

These preserves are sweet, tart, and surprising. I love the buzz from the black pepper. The pomegranate molasses amplifies the tartness of the lemon and adds depth to the preserves. Start at least a day ahead to allow the berries to macerate.

In a large preserving pot, gently combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice and toss to mix. Let sit for a few hours to macerate. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let sit overnight.

The next day, bring the berry mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let sit, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Set a colander over a bowl and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the berries to the colander. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Add any juices that are in the bowl to the preserving pot and bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook the syrup until it passes the plate test (see this page), and does not run very much when you tilt the plate.

Carefully return the berries to the preserving pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pepper and pomegranate molasses. Run a final plate test, looking for a soft set that is not too runny. Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes.

Bring the water bath back to a boil. If the jars have cooled, warm them in the water bath or in a 200°F oven. Simmer the lids in a saucepan of hot water. Place the jars on the baking sheet.

Ladle the preserves into the jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe the rims clean and set the lids on the mouths of the jars. Twist on the rings.