It’s jam time…that’s right, one of my very favorite times of the year. The time of year when those empty shelves in my pantry start getting filled with all sorts of delicious cooked fruit. My daughters love that I make jam, in fact my younger daughter refuses to eat any other jam except my homemade. You could say I have spoiled them, or maybe just taught them what good food is.
I have already started stock piling for the holidays – but I always save some for the girls. Usually I just put the leftovers in a ramekin, or in a jar that is not labeled, that I place on a special shelf in the pantry – “our jam section” – as opposed to the jam for gifts. Last week I came over after a long day, and saw that there was a new jar of strawberry vanilla jam in the refrigerator. I just about lost it. Ok, so it wasn’t my proudest moment – but when I asked why they didn’t use the other two already opened jars of jam (one which I might add was the exact same variety, and another was the leftover jam I used for these delicious treats) – they told me that the jam with the pretty labels tastes even better. Seriously??? I was so angry, but part of me was laughing inside (although that laughing started much later) – but I was fuming that they had just wasted one of my holiday jams. I brought them into the pantry and showed them where I keep “our jam section” as opposed to the “holiday jam section”. Of course the “holiday jam section” has about 30 jars already – where as ours only has about 5. The girls didn’t understand why they didn’t get both. Wow – that would be a lot of jam. So – no Mom of the year award for me…
Back to this recipe…I found this in Bon Appetit, and I felt like it was time to actually bake with some jam. These were so perfect for strawberry season – just the right amount of sweetness with the biscuit – the girls ate them every morning before swim team, and they were gone in no time. Fortunately there is still some of that great leftover jam in the refrigerator…I just need to get a label for the jar, and it will disappear magically, so I am told.
Ingredients
Strawberry Jam
- 12 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered if large (about 3 cups)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Biscuits
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg, beaten to blend
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar
- Vanilla ice cream (for serving)
Preparation
Strawberry Jam
Cook strawberries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until jamlike in consistency, 12–15 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime zest and juice. Pour into a shallow bowl and let cool.
Biscuits
Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk sugar, baking powder, salt, and 2 1/4 cups flour in a large bowl. Add butter and lime zest and blend with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form. Add buttermilk and, using a fork, mix until just combined. Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead just until a shaggy, moist dough forms, about 4 times.
Roll out dough about 1/2-inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter or inverted glass, cut out rounds. Gather scraps and repeat rolling and cutting until all dough is used. Place biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using your thumb, make a large divot in the center of each biscuit; brush with egg and sprinkle liberally with raw sugar. Spoon a scant 1 teaspoon strawberry jam into each divot.
Bake biscuits until golden brown, 18–22 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if using, and remaining jam.
DO AHEAD: Jam can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill.
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First Look, Then Cook 