A simple breakfast of toast and jam can really start your day off on the right foot. But if that jam is homemade, then your day just got that much better. Ina Garten has a homemade strawberry jam recipe that’s so delicious you may never want to go back to store-bought again, and it comes together thanks to two special (and fruity) ingredients.
“There’s something so special about homemade strawberry jam for breakfast,” Garten said in a clip from Barefoot Contessa posted to Food Network’s Instagram feed. “Just makes it feel like a party. And it’s so easy, you can make [it] the night before. Well actually, you can make it the month before.”
Garten starts her jam by hulling and chopping about two to three pints of fresh strawberries in half or into quarters if they’re larger. She prefers when you can see larger bits of fruit in her jam, but you can cut your strawberries into smaller bits if you like a less hearty jam. She puts the strawberries into a large pot along with super-fine sugar (if you don’t have super-fine sugar, you can make your own by putting granulated sugar through a food processor) and orange-flavored liqueur. Bring everything to a boil and then let it simmer while you prepare your first secret ingredient that will help thicken the jam: a green apple!
“Green apple has lots of pectin in it,” Garten said. “It’s actually available in underripe fruit, and since the strawberries are so ripe, [the jam] doesn’t have a lot of pectin. What’s amazing is [the apple] just sort of melts into the jam and you don’t know it’s there.”
And there’s another secret ingredient that Garten likes to add — about a half cup of blueberries. “They give the strawberry jam depth of flavor and color,” she said.
Leave everything to simmer in the pot until it reaches about 220 degrees on a candy thermometer. And if the mixture produces any foam, Garten scrapes it off and gives everything a stir. You can then test to see if your jam is ready by placing a small amount of it on a plate and then putting the plate in the freezer. If the jam “jells,” then it’s ready to come off the heat. If it’s still a bit liquidy, let it simmer a bit longer.
Allow the jam to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge where it will keep for about two weeks (you can also can this jam to make it last longer, too). And finally, you’re ready to spread on your favorite toast and enjoy!
“That was pretty easy, wasn’t it?” Garten asked in the clip. Grab the full recipe here and make your very own strawberry jam to taste just how good the homemade version can be.
Before you go, check out Garten’s best dinner recipes below:
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