Montreal in winter: everything fades to gray and white, the earth sits frozen under a blanket of slush and ice, and leafless tree branches shiver in an unforgiving wind that adds the dreaded “wind chill factor,” making minus five feel like minus 18. So, as you can well imagine, fresh local produce is non-existent and canning exploits can slow down to a trickle. But the other day I got a little of the old canning mojo back after a long slump and so I went searching for the best darn dried figs I could find. My goal: to brew up a tasty batch of dried fig and vanilla jam.
What I learned on my search for plump, soft dried figs and not sad little fossilized figs, was to look for stickers that say “New Crop.” Meaning, these figs were picked this past season and so are the freshest possible dried figs. Hurrah! I found mine at my favourite Little Italy grocer-deli, Milano. The resulting jam is dense, dark brown and reminiscent of Fig Newtons. Maybe it’s the vanilla that lends that cookie-ish vibe, also its dense, crunchy-seedy dried fig texture. So, if you have fond childhood memories of snacking on Fig Newtons, you’re in for a treat.
Dried fig and vanilla jam
2 lbs dried figs, preferably “new crop”
5.5 cups water
2.5 cups sugar
juice of half a lemon
1 vanilla pod
Bring figs and water to a boil, turn off the heat and allow to soak for anywhere from a few hours to overnight. Remove the figs with a slotted spoon, reserving water. Cut off the tough stems and chop the rehydrated figs roughly. Return figs to the pot, adding sugar, lemon juice and vanilla pod which has been split it open, seeds scraped into fruit mixture pod thrown in too. Bring to a low boil and cook until desired thickness is reached (I cooked mine about 35 minutes), stirring often. Pour into hot clean jars then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
PS: On a more somber note, words can’t express the tragic insanity of the current situation in Haiti. It’s the worst human tragedy since the tsunami of 2004. If you haven’t already donated, here’s a link to the CBC page that lists all kinds of charities that are hustling to help the most desperate people on the planet right now: http://www.cbc.ca/haitirelief/
8 Comments
Wow, I’m so glad I came across your blog! I’ve been looking for a good fig jam recipe for the last few days… thanks for posting!
Hi there, oh well great then, thanks for stoppin by. It was my first time working with dried fruit. A very different animal, but if you can dig the dried figs then you will get into this one. Let me know how you go.
Nom nom nom nom…That looks amazing. Will definitely be trying it.
The start of this post reminds me of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”; I was relieved when the figs turned up.
Iaaaaaaaaaaaan!!! How lovely of you to drop by. And leave a tres a propos literary reference no less. It’s true: winter here is bleak. Help! Should we move back to Australia? It’s funny when I started reading your comment I thought it was going to read “the start of this post reminds me of a Will Smith song…” Anyway, enjoyed any fresh and juicy figs over there this summer??
Hey Doris/Jilly, Why thank you. Please let me know how you go with it. PS: I love that slightly erotic carrot picture you have up in your latest post. You’ve been doing some amazing winter canning I see. I just gotta toughen up and plow through. Maybe make some sunny citrus marmalade…
I love your puns. Other than Gettin’ Figgy With It, I’m going to suggest “War Figs” by Blackberry Sabbath.
I recently became obsessed with fresh figs and gorgonzola. Here’s a recipe: http://bit.ly/bVEn2f. It makes great hair conditioner, too.
HAH hahaha haha! Yep, puns are one of life’s little pleasures. War Figs I will store away for a very special occasion, thanks dawg. And yum to figs n gorg.
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