Fig jam

These last two weeks we have been talking about homemade jams, providing tips and tricks for their preparation and correct conservation (you can see the posts here ). What better proposal for today than a recipe to make your own jam? It is proposed to us by Patri, from the Sabores&Momentos blog, it is made of figs and is ideal to combine with salty dishes or to enjoy its delicious flavor spread on bread. To enjoy!

In the photo, Pallarès carbon steel knife , Bérard olive wood board and Le Creuset round cocotte

Oh, I almost didn't come up with this recipe, the fig season is about to end, but I'm sure that you still find them in many markets, at least I still see them here in supermarkets and in the "pagés" markets through those that I like to go to find the seasonal fruit and vegetables with the best flavor. The good thing is that in reality, with half a kilo of figs, you already have enough for a couple of jars of approximately 200ml of jam. And it is a wonderful pantry stock to surprise our loved ones served with a good cheese board, with fresh cheese or cottage cheese toasties or even to accompany a salad and add that sweetness that gives us that special touch.

I love preparing my jams in my Le Creuset cocotte , because slow cooking and the heat distributed thanks to the cast iron, make the flavors intensify and our jam takes on a thicker consistency, which is how we like it at home. I have tried other ways and they are always more liquid and less concentrated, with which I remain faithful to my wonderful pot from which I do not part and to which I give more and more uses.

Regarding the amounts of sugar, I never put the usual percentages between fruit and sugar in my jams, I always add much less sugar because at home we don't like them excessively sweet, although for this you must take into account that in this way it reduces the conservation time of the jam once the bottle is opened…..I have to admit that at home that is not a problem, because once opened it flies!!!

Today I bring you a simple, quick and easy recipe. It is a pantry basic but I admit that as I always say: imagination to power! You can add spices -cinnamon, cloves, fresh herbs... And you can even play with a touch of liquor. I leave that to your choice.

Let's go with the recipe, and I hope you like it!

Ingredients

800g figs (preferably black for their sweetness)
250g brown sugar (you can use white sugar or even half and half)
Juice of 1 small lemon
Peel of half a lemon without the white part

In the photo, a Pallarès carbon steel knife and a Bérard olive wood board

Preparation

We start by cleaning the figs well, removing the stems and peeling only those that have very damaged or too thick skin. Chop and add to our cocotte together with the sugar, the skin and the lemon juice. I always like to let them marinate for at least an hour or two, as the flavors intensify and the lemon pectin acts as a thickener to get that thick texture that I like so much in jams.

Once the maceration time has elapsed, we put the cocotte over low heat and let it cook for 20-25 minutes. Think that for this amount that time is enough even if it still seems to you that it has not thickened as much as it should, because when it cools it will thicken a lot more.

Remove from the heat and remove the piece of lemon peel. If you are one of those who bother tripping, now is when you should grind. At home we like pieces, so my jam is not crushed.

We will have our glass jars already prepared ( the ones from the Kitchen Craft store -here- close hermetically and come in a complete set) previously sterilized and we will fill with the jam up to a finger below the rim. If we are going to want to store them in the pantry, we will simply make the vacuum by covering our jars well and letting them cool upside down.

Do not forget to write the packaging date and store them in the pantry protected from moisture and light.