Recipes–Mission Fig Jam

I ran out of my delicious Bonne Maman cherry preserves this morning so I thought I would concoct something from my cupboard.  I found some slightly old but serviceable Mission figs, and gussied them up to make a delicious jam.  The trick was the addition of some lemon and orange peel, a few slivers of stick cinnamon, and a few cloves. I had never made jam before, so had to wing it; but it was simple, and required only a bit of watching to be sure that the mixture didn’t burn; and some mashing to get the consistency right.  Well worth the effort.

Mission Fig Jam

* 10-15 Mission figs or about half a 12 oz. container from Trader Joe’s

* peel from 1/2 med. lemon

* peel from 1/2 tangerine, nectarine, or medium orange

* 1 sliver of stick cinnamon

* 4-5 cloves

* 1 – 1 1/2 cup sugar

* 1 cup water

- Place the figs in water with the lemon and orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, and 1 cup sugar

- Simmer for about 30 minutes until the figs are soft

- Using a potato masher, mash the figs well in the cooking pot until they are broken up. Taste for sweetness, and add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar if necessary.  Remember, this is jam, so it should be sweet.

-  Stir well and simmer for another 30 min. (approx.) or until the mixture is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated

- Mash again, return to the flame and simmer for another 20 min. or until the mixture is the desired consistency of jam.

- Remove from heat, let cool, and put in sealed container in the refrigerator for later use.