Cinnamony Strawberry preserve

Back here after a few weeks of inactivity. April has been a busy and hot month.....so my time in the kitchen has been on the downward slide! Bright spot in the month was a holiday in gorgeous Goa to celebrate 4 years of married life. Goa is a super-fun place no matter what the season! Discovered some lovely beaches that made us forget that we were in India......and drove 600 kms in four days!!!

Just logged in to see a draft I'd started before leaving....so time to finish it and share it with you. Made some strawberry preserve a few weeks back, using this recipe from Passionate About Baking.......continuing the homemade spirit. The recipe sounded really good and easy......but I never imagined it would be so yummy! I just reduced the quantity a bit, and replaced the vanilla bean with cinnamon and star anise. The resulting preserve was postitively addictive....with a lovely spicy-tart-sweet taste! Definitely a keeper! 

Strawberry Conserve

Ingredients:

1/2 kg of either very small strawberries or halved hulled larger strawberries

1/2 kg granulated sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

juice of 1/2 lemon

Place alternate layers of strawberries and sugar into a bowl; add the lime juice, star anise, and cinnamon stick: cover and leave to stand overnight. (Make sure the star anise and cinnamon stick are submerged in the liquid to help infuse well.

Next day, transfer the fruit and sugar to a pan, bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour back into the bowl, cover and leave again for another day.

Finally, transfer to a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until setting point is reached. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little until the fruit begins to sink in the syrup. Stir and pour into small, hot sterilized jars and cover immediately.

Makes about 750 gms of conserve.

Note: Keep a small saucer in the fridge to help test the setting point. Place a little bit of the conserve on the cold saucer and let it cool for 30 seconds. If it forms a skin that wrinkles on touching, the setting point has been reached.

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