vrijdag 30 oktober 2009

Fig Jam

A few weeks ago I was in the Netherlands. It was september and the weather was beautiful! The kind of weather that gives you energy: lots of sunshine and nice crispy sky. Cool air in the morning, windows open all day, maybe a light sweater later in the afternoon.
Well, I woke up one of those days in my own bed, because the birds were in a meeting in the tree right in front of my bedroom window. They were planning their trek south. As I had just flown IN and wasn't going anywhere that day, I enjoyed the light peeping in the room, the twittering of the birds and then it hit me: I had to make JAM. Actually, I had to make jam RIGHT NOW!

So I got up and went to the greengrocer who had beautiful figs (and at a fair price).
Went to the supermarket to buy ' geleisuiker', a special kind of sugar for jammaking - I bought the half-sweet version - which allows for quick jam-making, only 4 mins of boiling needed. Happy with my catches I went home and made my fig jam. Flavoured/perfumed with my secret ingredient:black-tea-and-roses.(from the Peninsula Hotel in Hongkong. So it was a real Mickey-jam: Dutch*figs with HongKong tea...) (and I was out of earl grey tea, which I used last year).
It was SO good I made two more batches in the next days...












No recipe due this special kind of sugar (500 grams of it for 1 t0 1,25 kg of fruit - 1 cup of very strong rose tea and the juice of half a lemon added) and that might vary if you use regular sugar.

* Dutch figs...ofcourse not :-)(as she notices the next morning). They were Turkish, actually. So let's say this jam is international? Or at least part Dutch, because of the sugar?!?

6 opmerkingen:

  1. What a perfect beginning!

    To make this same jam in HK? Possible?

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  2. Thank you kindly Rosemary! I'm sure one can make this jam anywhere in the world, using this special sugar is not necessary - though the coulour of the jam stays gourgeous and fresh due to the short cooking time. But don't let using another sugar/another jammaking-technique stop you from trying the flavour-pairing!

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  3. Nice blog! Figs...You know, at home in the Netherlands I have a big fig-tree in my garden!

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  4. Lovely to see you here Swan. Your English is excellent. As a child I hated fig jam, now I love it. I'll have to wait for our season next year to try this.

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  5. ... and the jam is absolutely delicious!!!!!!

    I didn't make fig jam this year, so was thrilled to receive a jar of yours. We have had some on toast, and some with foie gras. Fabulous both times.

    Thank you from teh bottom of my heart....and stomach ; )

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen
  6. Yummie!! Klinkt goed :-)

    BeantwoordenVerwijderen

You're welcome to share your thoughts!