Strawberry and Peach Vanilla Jam
It’s early autumn in Sydney and stone fruit are still going strong. Strawberries as well are super cheap at the end of the season.
So here’s a variation on my strawberry jam recipe, using peaches and a nice hit of vanilla extract. Neither strawberries or peaches have a high pectin content so be prepared for a jam with a soft set. I always keep my jam in the fridge to firm it up a little, and of course this soft set jam is delicious as a filling in sponge cakes or over ice cream.
500g strawberries
400g sugar
Juice of a lemon
2 yellow peaches, chopped into chunks
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Hull the strawberries and put them into a china or plastic basin (not metal). Cover with the sugar and leave for several hours or overnight.
Add lemon juice and gently stir the mixture to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.
Transfer to a large saucepan and add the chopped peaches. Boil briskly for about 15-20 minutes until the setting point is reached.
To test for the setting point, place a small saucer in the freezer to thoroughly chill (about 5 minutes).
Remove the saucer from the freezer, place a teaspoonful of jam on it, and put it back in the freezer for a minute. If the jam has a jelly-like consistency or a crinkly skin has formed on the sample, it is ready.
When the setting point is reached, remove the pan from the stove. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Carefully ladle the mixture into sterilised jars and leave to cool.
