In The Wild Heart Kitchen

Spooned Summer Fruit; strawberries cooked until loosely set and lightly sweated with raw sugar. Spoon these over your morning yogurt or afternoon ice-cream.

There comes a ethereal moment around mid-June, where our garden fills with delicate, white blossoms, and thickly entwined vines, ending with the most beautiful bunches of strawberries. There also comes a…less than ideal moment around mid-June when our garden is attacked by squirrels and chipmunks…who take one gluttonous bite out of each and every berry.

It’s a war.

A cold hearted, brutal bloody war. The invaders have no mercy. Each year…the darn furry-assed bastards win.

But this year….we have reigned victorious and have earned our strawberries. At my gentle wifely encouragment…..in layman’s terms we call this belligerent nagging…my husband, The Farmer in the Red Hat, had screened in our beloved strawberry patch.

Ha.

Take that, you super rodents.

Since we built the great berry force field, this strawberry season has become sacred because when a strawberry ripens on the vine they are deep red, fragrant and sweet…the kind that you bite into and the crimson juice runs down your chin. Many of the strawberries you buy in store are chemically ripened and harvested under ripe. Last week, my daughters and husband crouched down into the thickets of the strawberry patch, baskets in tow, and picked mountains of strawberries that are deeply red and sun sweetened.

In a few weeks, I will begin setting up batches of preserves; strawberry rhubarb, blackberry, peach, etc. But the fruit harvest in our garden is just beginning. It’s right about now in the season where I make batches of spooned summer fruit.

Spooned Summer Fruit is what you’ve been searching for.

Spooned summer fruit is a family favorite that happened by accident one summer when my preserves didn’t set up the way I intended. Since then, I cook up batches of spooned fruit intentionally because it’s somewhere between a sauce and a jam; the fruit still maintains its shape but melts in your mouth. I use just enough sugar for the fruit to release its juices, relying on the natural sweetness of the ripened fruit for flavor. Summer spooned fruit has a sprinkle of lemon zest stirred in right at the end for brightness. I also add a touch of vanilla at the end as my little secret. Vanilla adds a robust, gourmet sweetness that sugar doesn’t have.

The process for making spooned summer fruit is the same as making my small batch strawberry rhubarb preserves, but you remove it from the heat just when its just loosely set and the fruit hasn’t completely broken down. I always keep a few jars in my freezer, tucked away for the darkest night in January when I’m missing summer. You can make spooned fruit out of almost any ripe fruit you have on hand. Spooned fruit is perfect swirled into yogurt for a hearty morning breakfast bowl. It’s also delicious paired with vanilla ice cream and bits of crumbled graham crackers. Try it spooned it over pancakes and oatmeal.

This is a petite recipe, yielding 1 jar of spooned fruit so you can make it quickly, on a whim. If you find yourself with an abundance of fruit, you could easily double the recipe. Make a jar, make two; one for the freezer and one to tuck up in your fridge. Don’t worry, you’ll find one jar won’t last long because there is nothing like spooning a little summer into your bowl all year round.

Print Recipe

Spooned Summer Fruit

Spooned Summer Fruit; strawberries cooked until loosely set and lightly sweated with raw sugar. Spoon these over your morning yogurt or afternoon ice-cream.

Course: Breakfast, Condiment, Dessert

Keyword: fruit

Servings: 13 oz.

Ingredients

• 12 oz. strawberries washed, greens removed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon raw/turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• In a 2 quart pan (preferably with a wide bottom), add the cut strawberries, raw sugar and lemon juice and set them over low heat.
• Stir the strawberries and keep an eye on them as they begin to cook and release their juices. You will want to stir them every few minutes so they don’t burn to the bottom of the pan.
• As the fruit simmers, you may notice a frothy skim form. Using a spoon, carefully skim the froth off the preserves and discard (or save it and add it to plain seltzer because its delicious).
• Continue stirring and cook for roughly 20 minutes, or until the mixture has reduced by at least half and the liquid begins to thicken and slightly gel.
• At this point, test if your spoon fruit is “set.” The spooned fruit will be “set” when you dip a wooden spoon into the pot, take your finger and draw a line through the back of the coated spoon. If the wiped line holds and doesn’t run, your spooned fruit is ready.
• Remove from heat and add the lemon zest and vanilla. Stir to incorporate.
• Carefully ladle into glass jars and let them cool on the counter before storing in the refrigerator. When the jar is completely chilled, it can be kept in the fridge for 5 days or then stored in the freezer.