Yay! Fresh figs have hit the grocery stores and I, for one, am thrilled. The season is short so I grab them when I see them. I’ll figure out what I’m going to do with them later. My father’s father, Grandpa, used to put up different jams, though as a child I remember looking at a bubbling pot of figs and being completely grossed out. All those little seeds, millions of them…not going in my mouth! However, now that same memory of the same simmering pot is beautiful. And when sunlight hits those pretty, little jars of jars of jam they sparkle like Burmese rubies. I don’t have Grandpa’s recipe and that’s okay because I’m pretty certain he didn’t use one. Just kind of eyeballed it. This fig jam is gorgeous and easy plus it’s one of those recipes that works well simmering it less time or longer depending on the consistency you want. I enjoy my jam thick and chunky so I simmer it longer.
The white wine brings another fruity note to the pot. I use a Sauvignon Blanc but that’s what I drink. Feel free to use any good white wine you have on hand. The alcohol will burn off after its long simmer so there’s no need to concern yourself there. With the jam I had prepared I served fontina, fig jam and honey panini for dinner…with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves. OMG. Alongside a big salad of baby greens, my boys were more than happy. Enjoy!
Fig and White Wine Jam
- 4 pounds fresh figs, stemmed and cut into 1/4″ pieces. I used equal amounts of Brown Turkey and Kadota figs
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white wine, I like a Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice
- In a large non-reactive pot place the cut figs and both sugars. Toss lightly and let sit for 20-30 minutes so that the fruit will let out its juices.
- When the sugar has dissolved in the juices of the figs add the white wine and lemon juice.
- Simmer the jam, uncovered, over moderately low heat. You’ll see slow, fat bubbles, you don’t want a furious boil. Cook until the fruit syrup is thick and the figs are soft and have fallen apart, about 60-90 minutes. I go for 2 hours as I like my jam thick.
- Spoon the jam into clean jars, leaving 1/4″ space at the top. Close the lids tightly and allow to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
- Keeps well in the refrigerator 2 months.
The Irreverent Kitchen 