Fig jam

Is there anything more beautiful and mouth-watering than a juicy, perfectly ripe fig? It seems to me the fig would be a far more appropriate symbol of temptation than the apple, but I wasn't consulted on the matter.

Fig preserves are not only delicious but versatile. My favorite application is a classic Bolognese dessert, paired with squaquerone, or a good fresh (read: homemade) ricotta.

This recipe calls for no commercial pectin, instead relying on the natural pectin in lemon rind for thickening. We adapted from a recipe on Cooks.com, replacing some sugar with honey to accentuate figs' natural honey notes.

You soften the figs first by steeping them in boiling water, then mashing them and cooking them down. The water turns a gorgeous, brilliant magenta color. I so wanted to figure out something to do with it, but in the end it was just fig water, and down the drain it went.

The resulting jam is glossy and purple-black, with constellations of tiny seeds throughout. I can hardly wait to crack into one of the jars.

Fig Jam (adapted from Cooks.com)

6 qt. boiling water
11 c. figs, measured after softening and mashing (see below)
4.5 c. sugar
1 c. honey
1 qt. water
1 sliced lemon

Pour boiling water over figs; let stand 15 minutes. Drain andthoroughly rinse in cold water. Pat dry; remove stems Crush and measurefigs, place in a large Dutch oven. Add 1/2 cup sugar for each cup ofcrushed figs. Add 1 quart water. Bring to a rapid boil, reduce heat andsimmer, uncovered, 3 hours or until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Ladlejam into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Add a sliceof lemon to each jar. Cover at once with metal lids and screw on bands.Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Yields 8 1/2 pints.

Related: Cookicrumb marries my fig jam post with Sam's tomato chutney post and voilá: Fig chutney!