This week, I found myself in possession of a pound and a half of fresh figs. Not sure really how that happened, as figs are expensive and while you can find them a lot of places, certainly less common than say, an apple. Anyway, I absolutely love figs, but there is no chance that I could have eaten all of them (and enjoyed them) in one go, so I decided to make this lovely jam with about 2/3 of the lot. It’s a sweet jam, of course, with notes of honey, thyme and orange, but it pairs really nicely with savory — would go great with pork, and as shown with this cheese (it’s manchego) or even charcuterie. Or mix it into oatmeal or yogurt, or yes, even toast. It’s surprisingly versatile and yummy to boot. Also, it is very easy to make.
(Note: I doubled this recipe and it made 3 and a half pint sized jars)
Ingredients
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon thyme, very finely chopped
Pinch of sea salt
1 pound fresh figs, stemmed, quartered
a few teaspoons vodka, optional (to help with the preservation)
Directions
Place honey in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add orange zest, thyme, and pinch of salt. Simmer honey mixture for 1 minute. Add figs. Continue to simmer, gently stirring ever minute or so, until figs are soft but some still hold their shape, 12-15 minutes, depending on firmness of figs. Be diligent about stiring as the honey in the mixture can burn easily. Let jam cool.
Jam can be made 2 weeks ahead. Transfer to a jar and drizzle with a little bit of vodka, swirling to cover the entire top surface. Keep chilled.
