Strawberry Jam with Caramelized Onions
Literally, this idea came to me in a dream last night. I’m not kidding! I woke up around 4am to go to the bathroom and it was on my mind.
I did a lot of digging on the interwebs and the only site that had the recipe I had in mind got a “server not found” but the Google cache worked like a charm 😉 This was adapted from Strawberry, Rhubarb and Caramelized Onion Preserves in Homegrown Pure and Simple by Michel Nischan.
- 4 or 5 small onions (about 1 cup), thinly sliced
- 2 tsp grapeseed or canola oil, divided
- 2 tsp local honey
- 1 heaping cup apple-pectin pulp
- ½ cup lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon (or 1 lemon, quartered in a brine bag for the acid and flavour infusion)
- 3 cups sugar
- 3 cups hulled, halved strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (optional)
NOTES:
Sterilize your jars and lids. This recipe is predicted to make about 4-6 cups. Do not increase the amount onions or oil, nor decrease the acidic ingredients or you will affect the safety of the canned recipe. If you want to alter these ratios, store the preserve refrigerated instead.
- Heat a medium Dutch oven until hot. Add 1 tsp oil and onions; toss well to coat onions in oil. Sauté over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes (if onions begin to stick, add a tiny amount of dry wine and scrape the bottom to deglaze the pan). Note to future self: I roasted mine as quarters in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes, let them cool and then diced them.
- Add honey, then raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions are brown, about 6 – 10 minutes.
- Add the lemon and sugar and bring to a boil. Add strawberries (with juice, if frozen and thawed) and apple; return to a boil. Reduce heat to a lively simmer, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until liquid has thickened and darkened. This may take about 15 – 20 minutes (or until it reaches a gel set).  Remove the lemon brine bag, add the pepper and stir to mix in.
- Fill hot, sterilized jars to ½” headspace. Wipe the rims, assemble the lids and process for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath (yes, you need the extra time because of the onions), or store refrigerated in a clean glass jar.
My first batch made 4.5 cups, set quite a bit harder than expected but was delicious.
