Roasted Strawberry Jam
Why I Love This Recipe
I adapted this from a post on the blog, Eat the Love, and served it with fresh buttermilk scones in honor of the royal wedding of William and Kate, and in memory of my mom, who loved things like royal weddings. It's perfect for sharing once you make it, and I couldn't resist sharing the recipe here.
Submitted by: "Sharon Graves"
Ingredients You'll Need
2 lbs. fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced into 1 inch (or smaller) pieces
1 vanilla bean
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (can use lemon juice or another acid of your choice)
2 Tbs. red wine (use a big bold one...I use a glorious red dessert wine)
1/2 tsp. fresh, finely ground mixed peppercorns
1 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
Directions
Preheat oven to 275.
Place strawberries into a medium mixing bowl. Split the vanilla bean with a sharp knife, and carefully scrape the seeds into the bowl with the strawberries and stir. Toss the bean into the bowl, too, along with the remaining ingredients.
Stir one more time, then turn out onto a rimmed baking sheet, scraping well to get all of those luscious juices, and making sure to spread the strawberries out into one even layer.
Roast in the oven for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so to keep the strawberries and juices from sticking. The strawberries are done when they are softened, darkly colored, and a little dry on top, and juices have thickened.
You can cool, store and use as is with the strawberries in chunks, or, transfer the entire pan contents to a blender or food processor. Process/blend for a minute or two, until smooth.