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Strawberry Preserves in Balsamic-Black Pepper Syrup

Source of Recipe

From "The Hands-On Home" by Erica Strauss


Recipe Introduction

"Several years ago, everyone in the food world went absolutely crazy for the traditional Italian pairing of strawberries and balsamic vinegar. I was no exception, so I began playing around with easy ways to capture those flavors in a jar. This isn't your childhood strawberry jam. Whole berries are cooked in a sweet-tart syrup with balsamic vinegar and a kick of black pepper, for a distinctly grown-up take on spring's most canonical preserve. Warm a few of these strawberries in their syrup to spoon over vanilla ice cream, use the preserve as an accompaniment to a dark chocolate tart, or serve them with goat cheese on a water cracker for an easy appetizer."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 6 cups washed and stemmed small strawberries
â—¦ 3 cups sugar
â—¦ ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon lemon zest


Recipe

In a large stainless steel bowl, gently fold together the strawberries and sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to macerate for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.

In a large, wide saucepan set over medium-high heat, scrape the berries and any juice from the bowl. Add the vinegar, pepper, and lemon zest. Stirring frequently, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until it thickens, about 35 minutes, reducing the heat if needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

Ladle the preserves into the prepared hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles, wipe the jar rims, and set the jar lids and bands according to manufacturer's directions.

Carefully lower the filled jars into the simmering water bath canner. When the water has returned to a boil, cover the kettle and set a timer for 15 minutes. When the jars have processed for 15 minutes, remove the canner from the heat and allow the jars to cool in the water for 5 minutes, then use a jar lifter to transfer the jars onto a clean kitchen towel to cool and set their seals.

Leave the jars alone until they have fully cooled — at least 8 but no more than 24 hours — then check the seals. Any jar that hasn't sealed should be refrigerated and used within 2 weeks. Jars with solid seals may be washed, labeled, and stored in a cool, dark place where they will keep for about 1 year.

Makes 4 half-pint jars