A happy accident, this spectacular combination, and one that has reconciled me with strawberry jam.
The last time I attempted to make strawberry jam, I chose a Christine Ferber recipe that requires to marinate the strawberries overnight, cook them once, let them macerate some more, strain the syrup, let it reduce, finally add the strawberries and boil until set. I followed the instructions, the infusion smelled divine, all was going very well. Until the final step. A few late evenings of jam prep, and the rest of life in between, and I actually fell asleep (!) as the strawberries were in their last phase of cooking. Having nurtured the sugary jewels, painstakingly, over the course of two days, I might have paid more attention.
That jam now sits somewhat abashedly on the shelf in the pantry with the incriminating label: ‘Burnt Strawberry Jam.’ It could have been intentional.
Here we are a couple of years later and, having made my favorite life-saving yogurt birthday cake with strawberries and gooseberries instead of raspberries, I had some berries left over. Forgotten overnight to marinate with some sugar for preservation until they might be consumed, I ended up cooking them. A tiny batch, two small jars and one additional tablespoon — we were all fighting for the scraps.
And so I can’t stop making this jam. I’m hoping to build some stock so the jars may last beyond the season.
Strawberry and gooseberry jam recipe
1 kg strawberries and gooseberries (I used about half and half, but I leave the ratio up to your inspiration)
850g caster sugar
2 small lemons
Trim (top and tail) and wash the gooseberries. Wash, trim and cut the strawberries into quarters (or more if they are huge).
In a large bowl, mix the fruit with the sugar. Add the zest and juice from both lemons. Leave to marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day, cook the berries for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the jam gives signs of beginning the set (place a spoonful of juice in the fridge and, once cold, check for the ‘gelling’ effect).
Sterilize jars for 5 minutes in a pan of boiling water. Fill the jars immediately and seal tightly.
Nettle and Quince 
17 July 2017 at 23:02 |
My husband is smitten with a peach jam recipe much like the Ferber method (albeit one that he got from a WWII era newspaper recipe). It’s far too fiddly for me. This sounds like a fabulous combination. But, except in my memories of my great-grandmother’s house, I never, never see gooseberries…
18 July 2017 at 07:31 |
Gooseberries were also becoming a childhood memory for me, until we moved to England. Here they are everywhere (including my little garden!). They thrive in cooler climes… I agree, the ‘Ferber’ method can be fiddly, but I have now fully adopted the technique of macerating fruit and sugar overnight (sometimes two nights), as it is easier for me, logistically, to break up the jam making process.