We’re Jammin’
Red, round and delicious. OK, a bit pimply, too. And sometimes less than perfect. Juicy, with the juice running down your chin. A sweet rush of flavour filling your mouth. Yes, I’m waxing lyrical about strawberries, our favourite late Spring fruit.
I have been hooked on strawberries ever since my first May Day Strawberries and Cream Breakfast at Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia. It was a century-old tradition then, and it is one that continues to delight and divert students as they prepare for their final exams. Strawberries, cream, champagne, shortbread, yum. Strawberries are also traditional at the French Open Tennis Tournament, called Rolland Garros by the French after the stadium in which it is held. Strawberries seem to be a tennis favourite, as they are also served at Wimbledon. And what a lovely finish to a Diamond Jubilee picnic – if you’ve avoided the rain!
But strawberries and cream is far from the only way to serve our pimply red friends. My next favourite is good old strawberry jam, so fast and easy to make in the Thermomix.
Thermomix Strawberry Jam
Recipe from “Fast and Easy Cooking,” the 300-recipe cookbook included with every Thermomix purchased from UK Thermomix. Janie Turner’s incredibly simple recipe is full of flavour and works with any soft fruit such as peaches, apricots, etc. Trust Janie, your jam will set best in these quantities. It’s so fast and easy to make, you can batch it if you have larger quantities. Makes 500 g or 2 jars.
Ingredients
250 g strawberries
250 g sugar
juice of half a lemon
Method
- Put all ingredients in your Thermomix bowl. You now have two options: Leave the berries whole OR if you wish have a smooth jam, Turbo pulse for three 1-second bursts. (I blended mine for longer to get a smooth sauce, perfect for pouring over Thermomix ice cream!)
- Scrape down the sides and lid of the Thermomix bowl with the spatula. Cook 100° C/12 minutes/Speed 1.
-
An alternative setting test consists of dropping a spoonful on a cold plate to see if it congeals Test to see if setting point has been reached by tilting the Thermomix bowl and checking that the jam at the top is starting to gel. If not yet at setting point, continue cooking for 2 minutes/Varoma setting/Speed 1, stopping every 2 minutes to remove the TM bowl from the Thermomix while you check. Pour into sterilised jars and seal with sterilised lids.
Bon appétit !
Strawberries are my favourite and if you are lucky to grow yours at home, making your own jam is just bliss! My granny used to make jam with the strawberries still whole and believe you me, they were not the watery Elsanta variety that you can only find in supermarkets these days but small, full of flavour ones that still kept their shape after cooking. Some sweet memories!