Original grandma’s fig jam recipe, for what is actually a preserve. As you know, marmalades are made with citrus fruits, like Orange Marmalade with Peel or Lemon Marmalade, whereas other fruits are turned into preserves such as quince jam or strawberry preserves. Today we are here to discover together how to make one of late-summer’s most classic preserves: Grandma’s fig preserve! Preserves and marmalades are for us the best way to keep the taste of seasonal fruit all year round, so if you, like me, love figs and your little tree has produced many, you can turn them into a homemade preserve to enjoy at breakfast on a good toasted rusk or sliced sandwich bread, or use it for many different desserts like cakes or cookies. Let’s go to the kitchen — I’ll tell you how my grandmother made fig jam. The simplicity of the recipe will surprise you, I am sure, but I also invite you to take a look at my recipe for slightly spicy fig preserve for cheese! Before running to the stove, as always I remind you that if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my page Facebook and my profile Instagram.
Take a look:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Autumn
Ingredients to make the fig preserve
- 21 oz figs (about 1 lb 5 oz (≈12 medium figs))
- 1.25 cups granulated sugar (about 8.8 oz (≈250 g))
- 1 lemon (organic, juice and zest)
Tools
- Pot
Preparation of the fig preserve
Rinse the figs under running water, pat them dry with paper towels and peel them roughly.
Cut them into small pieces or mash them with your hands and collect them in the pot — preferably a low, wide pan with a thick bottom — or in the bowl of a food processor if you want to use a Thermomix or similar.
Add the sugar, the lemon juice and zest, stir and begin cooking.
If you use a food processor that also allows cooking, remove the blades, insert the butterfly accessory and cook at 248°F (120°C) for 40–45 minutes, keeping the small lid open so steam can escape. I recommend cooking in a pot or, better, in a pan for about 30 minutes over low heat, stirring often.
During cooking in a pan the preserve will splatter a lot, so if you have one use a splatter screen, but you’ll see it cooks quickly.
Using a food processor the cooking time may be considerably longer because the water in the figs will evaporate less easily; therefore if after the cooking time the preserve seems too runny, move it to a pan and let it reduce a little more.
When finished, pour into a bowl and wait for it to cool completely; you’ll see a skin form on the surface — that’s normal and means the preserve is cooked just right. Once ready and cold, you can store the preserve in the refrigerator and consume it within 15 days.
Storage notes and tips
If you want to make preserves for longer storage or in larger quantities, while the preserve is cooking sterilize the jars by immersing them in cold water and bringing it to a boil for 10 minutes; then take them out of the pot with tongs and place them on a clean towel. When the preserve is ready, pour it into the sterilized jars and close them tightly. Turn them upside down and let them cool — if a vacuum seal forms, the preserve has been successfully canned and will keep perfectly for over a year (see how the strawberry preserve keeps: photo).
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