On her Instagram account, Stéphanie Le Quellec, a two-Michelin-starred chef and former winner of Top Chef, has revealed her way of turning simple seasonal strawberries into jam worthy of a fine dining table. No secret trick or professional utensil that nobody has in their kitchen: just a rigorous method designed to preserve as much as possible the taste of the fruit rather than drowning it in sugar. Here’s to strawberry jams that smell of fruit!
Pourquoi cette cheffe tourne le dos au ratio classique
For generations it’s been said: to make good jam, you count 1 kilogram of sugar for 1 kilogram of fruit. But Stéphanie Le Quellec puts an end to this eternally sugar-heavy ratio and therefore advocates a jam where the fruit can express itself and reveal all its aromas. However, this choice has a direct consequence: the jam keeps for a shorter time once opened and must be refrigerated. A compromise accepted to gain in flavor intensity. It’s not a high price to pay to indulge in it after all!
L’étape de la nuit au frais, souvent négligée
After carefully selecting ripe, undamaged fruits and before any cooking, the strawberries must be hulled and then mixed with unrefined sugar. Then they will spend an entire night in the refrigerator to “marinate.” This prolonged rest allows the fruits to naturally release their juice, which avoids the need to add water and already concentrates the aromas before the pot comes into play.
This step is the most important of the recipe, but it’s also the one many home cooks skip due to lack of time (or laziness)! And yet, by letting the fruits marinate overnight with sugar, you will irreversibly change the taste of all your homemade jams.
Une cuisson courte et vive, plutôt que longue et douce
The next day, it’s time to cook! So head to the pot for a rapid boil, much faster than you might imagine: only 10 minutes for strawberries. The starred chef notes that this time can climb up to 25 minutes for firmer fruits like apricot, for example, proof that each fruit has its own requirements. You simply bring your mixture to a vigorous boil and then cook at a “steady boil for 10 minutes,” explains Stéphanie Le Quellec. Pectin is added only in the last two minutes of cooking (not earlier).
L’hygiène des pots : l’étape importante pour éviter le gâchis
Last point (often underestimated and yet very important) to remember: jars and lids must be plunged for 5 minutes in boiling water before being filled to the brim with the jam still hot. Otherwise, use a sterilizer directly. Once your jars are clean and filled, you must then close them immediately and turn them upside down to cool head-down. This simple gesture creates a vacuum of air, thus limiting the risks of mold. Your jams will then be preserved!
Les proportions pour une fournée généreuse et savoureuse
To reproduce the chef Stéphanie Le Quellec’s recipe and obtain about 8 jars of 350 g each, plan 3 kg of ripe gariguette strawberries for 1 kg of unrefined sugar and 10 g of pectin. You’ll simply follow her method, which we’ve detailed above, for an irresistible strawberry jam! Your morning toast will now be full of flavor.
Le twist herbacé qui change tout
Before jarring, the chef adds her signature gesture: she flavors a portion of the jam with finely chopped fresh basil. This touch brings an unexpected brightness that balances the strawberry’s sweet roundness, a pairing that Stéphanie Le Quellec particularly loves and that clearly distinguishes her recipe from a classic strawberry jam.
Confiture maison simple et économique : ce qu’il faut retenir
The method of this starred chef thus rests on four actions: choosing very ripe fruit, letting them macerate for a full night, cooking quickly rather than long, and daring a herbal touch at the very end of preparation. You will truly transform your upcoming jams with all these simple and economical tips!
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Stephanie Le Quellec (@steflequellec)
