Spiced fig jam

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This fig jam recipe is made differently to traditional jams, which sit simmering on the hob for hours. Instead, chef Andrew Gravett makes a spiced syrup, to which chopped figs are added and quickly cooked to seal in their flavour. Be sure to steam or boil the jars if you want to extend their shelf life, but if eating straight away they can simply be decanted into sterilised jars and left to cool.

First published in 2019

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Equipment

  • Sterilised jars

Method

1
Add the glucose, sugar, water, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla and pepper to a very large saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until the temperature reaches 135°C
2
Add the figs and continue to cook rapidly. At The Langham, Andrew uses a refractometer to work out when the mixture is cooked – if you have one it should read 62 Brix, but otherwise cook the mixture until a temperature probe reaches 103°C (this shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes)
  • 2kg figs, ideally Solliès figs, sliced
3
Stir in the pectin, remove from the heat and add the citric acid. Allow to cool slightly, then transfer the mixture to sterilised jars (you can remove the cinnamon, star anise and vanilla pod at this point if desired)
  • 13g of pectin
  • 40g of citric acid
4
To give the jam an indefinite shelf life, steam or boil the jars for 30 minutes at 90°C. Once the jars are opened, store in the fridge

As executive pastry chef at The Langham Hotel in London, Andrew Gravett knows everything there is to know about baking. With a background in Michelin-starred restaurants and travelling the world working with chocolate producer Valrhona, he now showcases his creations at one of the finest hotels in the capital.

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