This fig jam with thyme and balsamic vinegar is the perfect alternative to a typical sweet jam. Great to pair with toasted sourdough, scones or a cheese platter.
The perfect summer jam
This past weekend I visited the outdoor market in Rotterdam to stock up on vegetables for the week and happened to pick up a kilo of what looked to be delicious figs. Upon tasting them at home I found that they were quite tasteless but also somehow going mouldy!? I should have known not to buy them but there I was with a kilo of figs, not wanting to eat them but also not wanting to waste them.
Enter fig jam. Last summer I made a glorious tomato chilli jam that I have not stopped thinking about and thought I could recreate something similar with the glut of figs I found myself with. This recipe can be adjusted for sugar depending on the ripeness of the figs. It’s a great alternative to the usual sweet jams and is perfect on a slice of toast or served with cheese. This recipe was inspired by another savoury jam I made from the Daylesford: A Love for Food recipe book.
Fig Jam with Thyme and Balsamic Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 kg ripe figs stalk removed and cut into 8 wedges
- 100g coconut sugar
- 400g white sugar
- 8-9 sprigs fresh thyme leaves removed from the stalk
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1,5 lemons juiced
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the sliced figs with the sugar and thyme in a large bowl. Mix well and leave overnight.
- The following day, when you are ready to cook the jam, place a small plate into the fridge to cool. This will be used to test the consistency of the jam at the end of the cooking process.
- Add all the ingredients into a heavy-based pot and bring to a boil over the stove. Keep stirring to ensure all the sugar is melted and the bottom does not burn.
- Once the jam has boiled for 2-3 minutes, lower the heat to a simmer and cook, constantly stirring for 30-40 minutes until the fruit has sufficiently broken down and is soft and jammy. This timing will vary depending on how soft the fruit was to begin with.
- Once you think the fruit has sufficiently softened and the mixture has thickened, get the chilled plate from the fridge and place a teaspoon of the jam mixture onto the plate and allow it to cool. Make a streak through the jam with your finger and if the jam stays in place and the streak stays in place. The jam has sufficiently thickened and the jam is ready.
- Allow the jam to cool and place it into sterilized glass jars and store it in the fridge. Enjoy your fig jam on toast or scones or with a cheese platter.
Notes
We be jammin’