The word "extra" on a jam isn't a marketing adjective. It's a category defined by law: extra jam must contain at least 45% fruit, compared with a minimum of 35% for ordinary jam. That's not a subtle difference. It means there's more strawberry in this jar than in almost anything on supermarket shelves, that the fruit is the star rather than a detail covered by sugar, and that texture, colour and aroma depend on the quality of the strawberries above all. Choosing to make extra jam means choosing not to hide behind sugar.
The strawberries are picked at just the right ripeness. Not before, because an unripe strawberry hasn't yet developed the full aroma that makes it recognisable, and no cooking can create what the fruit hasn't had time to build. Not after, because an overripe strawberry loses firmness and doesn't stand up to cooking properly. There's a precise window of a few days when a strawberry is what it should be: red to the centre, fragrant, firm but not hard. That's where this jam begins.
The recipe has three ingredients: strawberries, cane sugar and lemon pectin. Cane sugar brings a slightly darker, deeper sweetness than refined white sugar, with a background hint of molasses felt as warmth without changing the strawberry's profile. It doesn't cover, it accompanies. Lemon pectin is the natural thickener that gives the jam body without adding foreign flavours: it comes from fruit, not industrial processes, and works gently, letting the jam set without becoming rigid. The result is a velvety texture that spreads evenly and stays put.
The colour is a deep, almost dark red, telling you the strawberries were ripe and the cooking was done well: cooking too long or too hot burns the pigments and turns jam brown and lifeless. Careful cooking keeps that red, the aroma and something alive in the jar. Lift the lid and you smell it: real strawberry, tasting of summer and gardens, not the artificial note some industrial products use to recall fruit that isn't there.
Breakfast is the most obvious use. On buttered toast, a warm croissant or rusks: the jam warms slightly on the bread, the aroma opens up, and an ordinary breakfast becomes worth waiting for. On plain yogurt it adds sweetness and colour without overpowering – strawberry and yogurt have always gone together, and a quality jam proves it better than any industrial flavoured version.
In baking it's truly versatile. As a tart filling it holds up in the oven, neither drying out nor turning runny, keeping its colour and flavour after baking. For biscuits, layer cakes or with cheesecake: it works because the texture is right and the flavour holds its own beside other sweet ingredients. A spoonful on vanilla or custard ice cream makes sense from the first bite.
A less obvious use worth mentioning: strawberry jam with fresh cheeses, especially ricotta, stracchino or burrata. The same principle as any jam with cheese: the sweetness and acidity of the fruit contrast with the creaminess and make it more interesting. A crostino with ricotta and a teaspoon of strawberry jam has a balance that surprises those who've never tried it – and those who have look for it again.
The 100g jar is small for a reason: it's the right amount to open, use within a few days and not leave in the fridge until the aroma has gone. It's also ideal for a food hamper, alongside chilli jam or garlic cream, for a gift that brings together different products from the same philosophy.
How to use it
On toast, croissants and rusks at breakfast. On plain or Greek yogurt as a natural sweetener. To fill tarts, biscuits and layer cakes. As a topping for custard or vanilla ice cream. With fresh cheeses such as ricotta, stracchino or burrata, on crostini. On pancakes and crêpes. To decorate spoon desserts and semifreddi. In food hampers as a gourmet gift alongside other Braalla preserves.
Storage
Store in a cool, dry place before opening. Once opened, refrigerate and consume within 2–3 weeks.
Size
100g jar.
Ingredients
Fresh strawberries, cane sugar, lemon pectin.
