Strawberry Champagne Jam
Strawberries and champagne are a classic combination…but have you ever had them for breakfast? Grab some berries and bubbly and make a batch of this Strawberry Champagne Jam today!
We go through a lot of jam and jelly in this house. It’s not for my PB&J sandwiches – I’ve noted before that I prefer my PB&J without the J. (However, I do love a piece of buttered toast with jam!) The jam culprit here in our house is a certain 5-year-old named Robbie. That kid loves (I mean loves) some PB&J sammiches. I swear he eats 3-4 a week. As those of you with kids already know, they can be very picky eaters. So when you discover something your kid eats? You run with it. All day. And that means a lot of PB&J sandwiches.
The other day I had this strange urge to make a batch of homemade jam. I used to make jams on occasion, but that was in the pre-Robbie years…you know, when I had time to do things like make jam and collect my thoughts for more than 3 seconds at a time.
Last summer, we stumbled across The Peach Brothers, a group of guys who bring truckloads of South Carolina freestone peaches up to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. I grew up in South Carolina, so I jumped at the chance! We bought so many peaches. We ate peaches for days. And it was awesome. But we still had more peaches. So in an effort to use some, I made a batch of homemade peach jam. It was awesome! And that got me thinking…
Strawberry Champagne Jam
Strawberry Champagne JamThe peach jam used a bit of apple juice as the liquid, but that made the hamster wheels in my brain begin to squeak. What other liquids could you use instead of apple juice? Certainly other juices, but what about bourbon? Maybe an apple-bourbon jelly? Or what about wine instead? It wasn’t long before I landed on the combination of strawberries and champagne. Last week, we re-imagined the classic chocolate-dipped strawberry with these Chocolate Brownies with Strawberry Buttercream. This week we’re looking at the strawberry + champagne pairing instead.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, our stores are packed with roses, strawberries, chocolates and champagne. So grab a bottle of bubbly and a pack of strawberries for a batch of this Strawberry Champagne Jam!
One of the things that I had forgotten about making homemade jam is how easy it is. Now we don’t can our jams…I’ve never taken the time to learn how to can. But then again, we go through jam pretty fast around here so there’s never a need to can anything. This Strawberry Champagne Jam came together in a jiffy and then just simmered on the stovetop until it thickened up. That’s it. Once it cooled off, it was ready to go on toast! Mmmm…hot, buttery toast topped with homemade jam.
The only “downside” (if you can call it that) to this recipe is the fact that you’ll need 1/2 cup of champagne. That means you’ll need to open a bottle. They do make splits of champagne, and those tiny bottles are perfect for this recipe. Or you can just plan ahead and make this at a time when you’re in the mood for a glass or two of bubbly. Or you can just use apple juice instead of champagne – but what’s the fun in that??
If you’ve never made homemade jams or jellies (or even if you have), then I challenge you to make a batch of this Strawberry Champagne Jam. It’s a fun spin on a classic combination. Cheers!
Did you make a batch of this Strawberry Champagne Jam at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see how you used your jam!
Strawberry Champagne Jam
Ingredients
- 2½ cups strawberries washed, hulled and quartered
- ½ cup dry champagne
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp powdered fruit pectin
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Using a medium saucepan, add strawberries, champagne, lemon juice and pectin; mash strawberries with a potato masher. (Note: For smoother jam, process strawberries in a mini-chopped or food processor until smooth.)
- Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often.
- Once boiling, add sugar and stir until well combined. Bring jam back to a boil, stirring constantly at this stage so the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Once mixture returns to a boil, let boil for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.
- To test doneness of jam, dip a spoon into the hot mixture and pull spoon straight up. If the jam mixture runs off in a “liquidy” stream, then reduce the heat and simmer until the jam mixture drops off in dollops. (Note: I needed to let mine simmer for 5-7 more minutes at this stage.)
- Let jam cool to room temperature and then transfer into an airtight container. Store jam in refrigerator until ready to use.
Looking for other tasty Valentine’s Day recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Adding champagne to recipes, whether sweets or vinaigrettes, or JAM makes them extra special. Strawberries and champagne were made for each other anyway, so combining them in jam makes so much sense. Love this, David!
I’m with ya, Marissa! I had fun opening up the bottle of champagne for this jam. I’ve never made jam with champagne, but it totally worked well for this recipe. And that jam on toast? Yum!!
Wow this jam is absolutely STUNNING. What a gorgeous color, and I love the unique and elegant flavor combo. Such a great idea David! And I must say, you had me laughing out loud when you mentioned that time before having kids when you had more than 3 seconds at a time to think! Sooooo true. 😄. But with recipes like this, you’re certainly making good use of that time!
Oh man, the days before Robbie… I love that kid dearly, but having 3 seconds to collect my thoughts rarely happens anymore. (Actually, we just wake up super early to do some work while he’s still in bed.) Either way, this jam was a fun one to make – and the strawberry flavor is out of this world good! I’m craving a good slice of grain bread with that jam on it now. Thanks, Shannon! 🙂
i’m not really a jam eater but it is fun to make some! we have a jaboticaba tree in our yard; the skins are very dark and full of pectin. i made a strawberry and jaboticaba fruit jam one time… oh my you couldn’t even get a spoon into it. it was like rubber, or concrete. but the taste – so delish! i would happily open a bottle of champers at any time:-)
Interesting! I have to admit that I’ve never heard of jaboticaba before. (I just googled it, and it sounds tasty.) I don’t eat a ton of jam either, but I do really enjoy a toasted piece of grain bread topped with jam. And plus, this recipe gives you a good excuse to pop open some bubbly! 🙂 Thanks, Sherry!
Love the idea of a Strawberry champagne jam! Have you had the Peach Bellini jam from Trader Joe’s? It’s so good! But yes, I totally get it — my boys are both picky eaters so when they find something they like, it’s gangbusters!
Interesting! I have not had Trader Joe’s Peach Bellini jam. I’ll have to look for it next time I go in – they are building a TJ’s very close to our house, so I’m pretty excited about that! Thanks for the recommendation, Michelle!
Oh my goodness, this jam looks and sounds marvelous! I used to work with champagne a lot in the kitchen (beautiful jello desserts and even salad dressings), but I’ve been mostly drinking it for the last couple of years. (Hmm. Does this sound like an alcoholic’s speech? lol) Anyway, I can clearly see so many ways to use it, besides the toast, like a topping for a plain cheesecake (Maybe with some extra pectin) or a fancy dessert in a jar. But most likely, I would have ended up eating it right from the jar! 🙂
Ah, you make a good point about champagne in salad dressings – that’s a classic one, although I’ve never made one myself. Hmmm…I might need to do that! And you’re right about this jam. I could see it swirled into a cheesecake for a fun twist. Thanks for the ideas, Ben!
Ohh nice a level up Strawberry Jam, that deserves a good quality toast
Exactly! It’s hard to beat a good slice of grain bread…unless it’s toasted with homemade jam!
I do love making my own jam and we do eat a ton in our household too! I love the idea of making this jam a little fancier with the added champagne! What a fun twist! Can’t wait to give this a try!
The champagne is a fun twist to jam, Kathy! (Plus, it gives you an excuse to open a bottle of bubbly.) Once I realized that you could play with the liquid in jam, it opened up a whole world of ideas! Stay warm, my friend!
OMG – What a fantastic creation! Champagne in jam is perfect – and you don’t have to twist my arm to get me to use 1/2 a cup – after all, 1/2 a cup in the jam and the rest in ma pie hole – right?! BTW when you get around to making that apple-bourbon jelly, I’ll buy a jar off you! Goodness, I can imagine how good that would be!
Also – don’t fault Robbie for loving PB&J – I was new to the PB&J game and they are such a delight!
You can say that again, Shashi! I’m always willing to pop open a bottle of bubbly. In fact, we had a bottle open this weekend – delicious! 🙂 And you better send your drone up for that apple-bourbon jelly. No. Forget the drone – just come up yourself. You know, we can’t risk the drone breaking down somewhere over Virginia!
Maybe I’m weird, but when we pop open a bottle of champagne, there often is some leftover at the end of the night. OK, I’m leaving out some important details. We never pop open “a” bottle of champagne. If we’re having champagne, it’s because friends are over (oh, those were the days), and we’re popping open maybe six bottles. (Do we have just a couple friends, but we all drink a lot? Or do we have a lot of friends. Let’s just say a little bit of both.) In any case, we always make sure to have enough of it around that there usually is a bit left over. It keeps well enough for next-day mimosas, but now I know what to serve with the mimosas! Strawberry-champagne jam on croissants! Mmm, maybe with a bit of brie.
Hah – I know what you mean regarding the “oh, those were the days” when we could have friends over. One day, Jeff…one day… There is absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of leftover champagne. But now you know what to do with it! Mimosas and strawberry champagne jam. And I must admit that the bit of brie is an excellent idea. That’s why we’re friends!