People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.
05/27/2002
Strawberry-Rose Jam
Ingredients:
2 quart baskets very ripe, fragrant strawberries
4 c. sugar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
Petals from 2-3 organically grown, very perfumed roses
Makes enough to fill 4-6 half-pint jars, depending on the pectin content of your fruit and how long you need to cook it to reach the jelling point.
Hull the strawberries and cut them in half, dropping them into a conserve-making pot (which is very wide and relatively shallow) or other large casserole. Use a pot with the largest surface area possible. Toss with the sugar and put over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil and stirring frequently to prevent scorching. At the boil, reduce heat to medium.
Meanwhile, put a saucer in the freezer for testing the doneness of your jam, and put your clean jam jars upside down in a large pot of water. Put this on to boil to sterilize the jars. If your water is hard, add a dash of vinegar to the water to prevent unsightly mineral deposit on the jars. Bunch the petals of each rose together in your left hand, and cut off the base of the petals as you cut them from the calyx. The bases of the petals have a bitter taste, and you don't want to include them in your jam.
Skim the foam from your jam as it cooks. When it seems slightly thickened, start testing it for doneness by placing a drop on the cold saucer and returning it to the freezer for a minute. Remove it and touch the jam drop. If it wrinkles slightly when you touch it, and clings in a sort of thread as you draw your fingertip away from it, it has reached the jell point. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the lemon juice and rose petals. As soon as it returns to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to a barest simmer. Fill your hot sterile jars with the hot jam, leaving 1/4" headroom if you are sealing them immediately (my method) or 1/2" headroom if you are sealing them in a hot water bath. Wipe the rims and cover with clean new lids that have been dipped in boiling water. Screw down the lids tightly and invert the jars once. At this point, I consider my jam ready for cooling, inspection for seal, and storage. If you wish, process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Strawberries and roses peak in the garden at the same time, and you can't imagine how their flavors complement each other until you try this exquisite preserve. The flavor of the jam will be no better than the perfumes of the fruit and flowers you use. Select the best. You'll want to keep this preserve for company or birthday breakfasts--it's that delicious.
Share
Clay pot 
Porte-lettres
Kitchen twine dispenser
Tuscan tegame