Fig jam

These last two weeks we've been talking about homemade jams, offering tips and tricks for their preparation and proper preservation (you can see the posts here: part 1 and part 2). What better suggestion for today than a recipe to make your own jam? It's brought to us by Patri, from the blog Sabores&Momentos, it's fig jam and is ideal to pair with savory foods or to enjoy spread on bread. Enjoy!

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

Oh my, I'm almost too late with this recipe, the fig season is about to end, but I'm sure you can still find them in many markets; at least I still see them in supermarkets and in the "pagés" markets I like to visit to find seasonal fruit and vegetables with the best flavor. The good thing is that actually, with half a kilo of figs you already get enough for a couple of jars of approximately 200ml of jam. And it's a wonderful pantry staple to surprise guests served with a good cheese board, with toasts of fresh cheese or ricotta, or even to accompany a salad and give it that sweetness that gives such a special touch.

I love to make my jams in my Le Creuset casserole, because that slow cooking and the heat distributed by cast iron make the flavors intensify and our jam reach a denser consistency which is how we like it at home. I've tried other methods and they always turn out more liquid and less concentrated, so I remain faithful to my wonderful pot which I won't part with and which I find more and more uses for.

Regarding the amounts of sugar, I never use the usual fruit-to-sugar percentages in my jams; I always add much less sugar because we don't like them overly sweet at home, although you should bear in mind that this reduces the jam's shelf life once the jar is opened…..I must admit that's not a problem for us, because once opened it disappears!!!

Today I bring you a simple, quick and easy recipe. It's a pantry basic but I admit, as I always say: imagination is power!! You can add spices - cinnamon, clove, fresh herbs… You can even play with a touch of liqueur. I'll leave that up to you.

Let's get to the recipe, and I hope you like it!

Ingredients

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

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

Preparation

We begin by thoroughly cleaning the figs, removing the stems and peeling only those that have very damaged or too-thick skin. Chop them and add to our casserole along with the sugar, the lemon zest and juice. I always like to let them macerate for at least an hour or two, because the flavors intensify and the lemon pectin acts as a thickener to achieve that slightly thick texture I love in jams.

Once the maceration time has passed, put the casserole over low heat and let cook for about 20-25 minutes. Keep in mind that for this quantity that time is sufficient even if it still seems not as thick as it should be, because it will thicken considerably as it cools.

Remove from the heat and take out the piece of lemon zest. If you are bothered by chunks, this is when you should blend. At home we like pieces, so my jam is not blended.

We will already have our glass jars ready (the ones from the kitchen Craft store -here- they seal hermetically and it comes in a complete Set) previously sterilized and we will fill them with the jam up to one finger below the rim. If we want to store them in the pantry, we will simply vacuum-seal by closing our jars well and letting them cool upside down.

Don't forget to write the packing date and store them in the pantry protected from moisture and light.