Can you believe that I still haven’t edited my Hawaii pictures? You would think that by now I would have SOMETHING to share with you, but no. I’m lame. And I’m sorry.
Instead I’m taking you into the depths of Good to the Grain with a strawberry jam and strawberry scone recipe. I love this jam recipe because it is so unbelievably simple. I made a similar recipe last year in this post using raspberries and it was fantastic. It’ll take you an hour, max, to make this jam. Hull the berries, simmer the sugar, stir it all up on the stove for 20 minutes and bam! You have jam. Strawberry-licious jam. Oh yes, I went there. And since I was making jam, well it makes perfect sense that I would make Kim’s strawberry barley scones, right? I mean, how could I resist.
I should mention, that I just had an Eater Chef in the Kitchen shoot with Kim Boyce and she got me all kinds of inspired (again!) to bake from her book. Spend an hour with her (or Good to the Grain) and you’ll see what I mean. She is an inspiration…and as sweet as they come. If ever you’re in Portland you must visit her at her wonderful bakery, Bakeshop. Say hello and spend some time sipping coffee and nibbling on her wares. Sadly, those pictures aren’t up on Eater yet, and I can’t share them with you until they are….so keep your eyes on Eater!
Cheers!
Strawberry Jam
Adapted from Good to the Grain
The only change I made to Kim’s recipe was that I used rapadura sugar
as that is what I had on hand. Also, I halved the recipe as I needed to leave some whole berries
to satisfy Adam’s strawberry addiction. Seriously.
The recipe below is for a full batch.
Ingredients:
3 pounds strawberries, hulled
1 cup rapadura or regular sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, optional
~
Place several ice cubes in a large bowl and add a cup of water. Set a smaller bowl, and a spatula, next to the large bowl.
Cut any large strawberries in half.
Pour 1/2 cup water and the sugar into a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Let sit for a minute to allow the sugar and water to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Do not stir.
Let boil, with the bubbles bubbling evenly and slowly across the surface. About 7 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the strawberries.
Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the jam begins to thicken. 15-20 minutes. A candy thermometer will read about 210 F.
Pour the finished jam into the smaller bowl and set the bowl in the ice water bath.
Stir the jam a few times to release the heat.
Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the surface of the jam to prevent a skin from forming.
Let jam cool completely before jarring.
Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Strawberry Barley Scones
Oh, my, yes.
Ingredients:
Dry Mix:
1 cup plus two tablespoons barley flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rapadura sugar, or brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sea salt
Wet Mix:
4 ounces cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
Finish:
Strawberry Jam
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon rapadura sugar
~
Place a rack in the center of your oven and warm the oven to 350.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Cut the butter into 1/2″ chunks and add them to the dry mix.
Rub the butter with your fingers until the chunks of butter become the size of peas. Do this quickly so the butter stays solid.
Whisk the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
Add wet mix to the dry mix and stir until just combined. Add a splash of buttermilk or two if you find the dough to be too dry and flakey. Or flour if it’s too wet.
Flour your work surface and scrape your dough onto it.
Divide the dough into two chunks. Flour your hands and press each chunk into a disk that’s about 7″ in diameter and about 3/4 ” thick.
Spread your jam over one of the disk. Place the other disk on top of the jam and gently press down.
Brush the dough with your melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 triangular wedges.
Place on a parchment lined baking pan and bake for about 25 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the tops of your scones are golden and the jam is bubbling out.
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