Fig, Honey & Armagnac Jam

I gave my mother a 3-litre French jam pan for her birthday and couldn’t wait to christen it with figs from her very abundant tree. It looked rather small beside the 9-litre pan I usually use, but turned out to be the perfect size for the one-kilo fruit recipes in Slow Jam.

Ingredients

(makes about 5–6 jars)

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz / 6 cups) ripe figs, chopped

600 g (1 lb 5 oz / 3 cups) golden caster sugar

150 g (5 oz / ½ cup) runny honey

Juice of 1 lemon

50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) Armagnac

Method

• Combine the chopped figs, sugar, honey and lemon juice in a large bowl. Stir gently, cover and leave to macerate overnight (or for at least 8 hours). The fruit will release a syrupy juice and intensify in flavour.
• Next day, pour the mixture into a preserving pan. Warm slowly over a low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, or until the figs are soft and translucent.
• Remove the pan from the heat and blend briefly with a handheld blender, just enough to break down the flesh while keeping some texture. Return the pan to the heat.
• Increase the heat and bring to a rapid boil. Cook until the confiture reaches 104°C / 220°F, or until a soft gel forms when tested on a chilled plate. Skim away any foam.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the Armagnac. Leave the confiture to settle for several minutes so the fruit distributes evenly.
• Ladle into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately.
  
  

Serving suggestion
Delicious with goat’s cheese, spooned over pancakes, or served with roasted figs and mascarpone. 

Enjoyed this recipe? Discover more seasonal recipes and the Slow Jam Method in Slow Jam — The Art of French Jam Making.

Looking for a French jam pan? You’ll find the 3-litre pan I used for this recipe, along with my other jam-making essentials, in the Slow Jam Toolkit.