Strawberry and Pineapple Jam Recipe

Strawberry and Pineapple Jam

There’s a very short window of time (which we’re nearing the end of here in Toulouse) where the market is full of both deliciously ripe strawberries and pineapples, which can mean only one of two things – strawberry and pineapple cakes, or strawberry and pineapple jam!  Since I love this combination of flavours, I went with jam, so it would last all summer…or so I thought, but since I made this jam, we’ve been eating it nearly every day, on every kind of bread we can think of, so I seriously doubt it will make it into July!

This is a simple, ‘raw’ jam recipe – the idea is that the fruit should be cooked as little as possible, to keep the flavours fresh.  If you want to stew it for a bit longer, that’s fine too, just add some extra water, and keep an eye on the pot.  Since both of these are low-pectin fruits, you’ll need to add some pectin in the form of high-pectin fruit, powdered pectin, or pre-made jam/jelly-making sugar.  I used 2 tsp of pectin, but the amount you need will vary depending on the acidity of your fruit.  Its easy to check if you have enough pectin to set your jam; just put a plate or bowl into the freezer while you’re preparing the jam.  When you have added all the ingredients, boiled it down, and are wondering if it will set, take the cold bowl out of the freezer and put a spoonful of the jam onto it.  If it forms a ball/sticks together, you’re all set.  If it runs all over the place, you need more pectin!

This would probably be pretty delicious with some added coconut flakes or with raspberries instead of strawberries, if they’re already in season where you are.  You could also use canned pineapple here, but be careful with the sugar balance, if you do, as there’s probably already as much sugar in the canned fruit as the recipe calls for!

Just an indication of how little sugar this really is, comparatively speaking...

 Strawberry and Pineapple Jam

Total time: approx 40 minutes

Makes: approx. 16 oz jam

1 small pineapple, cleaned and chopped into cubes

2 punnets of strawberries, washed, topped, and quartered

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp of pectin (depending on fruit acidity)

Place all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  When the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Once the liquid (released from the fruit) begins to boil away, blend with an immersion blender, or mash, until the pineapple and strawberries are puréed. Then, test for pectin.  If the mixture sticks together, remove from heat and pour into a prepared jar. Allow the jam to cool, and then enjoy on toast, croissant, and anything else you can get your hands on! 

Because the sugar content of this jam is quite low, I’d advise eating it quickly, rather than storing it for next year, but kept in a refrigerator in a properly sterilized jar, it should keep for at least a month.

Here’s a link to an explanation of how to prepare jars for jam: http://britishfood.about.com/od/glossary/ht/sterilizingjars.htm