Strawberry Jam with Black Pepper
⏳ Time
1 hour
🥕 Ingredients
4
🍽️ Servings
10
Description
Strawberry jam with black pepper
Ingredients
- Strawberry - 2 lbs
- Sugar - 2 lbs
- Lemon - 1 piece
- Green peppercorns - 0.7 oz
Step by Step guide
Step 1
Wash the strawberries under running water. It's better to use slightly under-ripe berries, as they are firmer, hold their shape better in jam, and have a slight crunch, retaining more juice. Ripe seasonal strawberries are best eaten fresh; they are very fragrant, sweet, and soft. In jam, this softness translates into a mushy texture. Remove the green leaves from each berry.
Step 2
Next, crush the black pepper in a mortar. You need a little—about 20 grams. It's best not to use pre-ground pepper, as it isn't as aromatic as freshly crushed whole peppercorns. You don't want to grind it into a powder; it's better when you can still feel the texture of the pepper.
Step 3
Pour sugar into a pot, add lemon juice, place it over heat, and start stirring. It's okay if the sugar burns a bit; that can happen sometimes. The sugar will start to clump together. Once it clumps, you can add the berries directly on top of the sugar.
Step 4
Then, using a flat spatula, you should gently stir the future jam, moving from the edges to the center. In fact, it's more accurate to say that you should carefully scoop the sugar and strawberries together and gently push the berries towards the center. Strawberries do not like to be handled roughly; you must not mash them, as it will ruin their structure. Continue to stir the jam gently until it is cooked. You can step away for a couple of minutes, but no longer.
Step 5
When the strawberries begin to release their juice, the sugar will partially dissolve and a characteristic strawberry aroma will emerge, indicating that the jam is 'coming together.' This process usually takes about 5 minutes from the moment the strawberries are added.
Step 6
When all the sugar turns into a lovely red syrup, you can start adding the pepper. This should be done gradually, as strawberries absorb the bitterness and aroma of the pepper quite quickly.
Step 7
You need to watch the jam carefully: when the first foam appears, reduce the heat to low. This is the moment to start timing 40 minutes, during which the jam will cook.
Step 8
After 10 minutes, the strawberries will transform into something different, more cooked. Now you can add the second batch of peppers. Add the peppers every 10 minutes.
Step 9
The key is to not miss the moment when the jam is not yet thick but is no longer runny. For strawberries, this moment typically occurs around the 40-minute mark of cooking. Check the readiness of the jam using the traditional method: drop a bit onto a plate and observe how the drop spreads. If the jam is sticky and viscous, it's ready! Turn off the heat and let the jam cool. Pour the jam into sterilized jars or enjoy it right away.
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