Confiture de Figue (Fig Jam)

Assortment of Provençal jams

Confiture de Figue is my favorite. Maybe it’s because I was in Provence the first time I enjoyed it. While sipping on a steaming bowl of café au lait, I slathered this confiture on a toasted baguette for breakfast. It didn’t hurt that I was sitting at the dining table of La Pitchoune.

Now more often than not, whether I’m staying friends, at a B & B or even a hotel, a delightful confiture de figues is the jam pot I seek out pour le petit déjeuner (for breakfast).

4 pounds fresh figs
3 – 4 strips of  organic lemon peel, yellow part only
3 – 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups (21 oz) granulated sugar
4 – 6 tablepoons (2 – 3 oz)  cup honey, depending on your sweet tooth
½ cup water
3 – 4 fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

If canning have ready 8 half pint jars, sterilized and ready to go.

Boil a large kettle of water. Place the figs in a heat-proof bowl and completely cover them with boiling water, allow to stand for 10 minutes. Drain, stem, and chop the figs into eighths. It should yield about 6 cups.

Using a vegetable peeler, zest 3 or 4 strips of lemon into 1-inch wide by the length of the fruit capturing the yellow part only. Cut the strips into 1/8-inch pieces. Set aside. Juice the lemon, using 2 ½ tablespoons and reserving the remaining for another use.

Combine figs, sugar, honey, water, strips of lemon, lemon juice, and thyme sprigs (if using) in a large, heavy bottom Dutch oven. Let mixture sit for about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to medium to medium-low and cook for 40 – 50 minutes, stirring ocassionally at the beginning but then stirring constantly for the last 20 minutes to as not to scortch the confiture. The thermometer should be 205 degrees F. Process jars according to manufacturer’s directions.