So, this was my first real Instant Pot fail!
I wanted to make strawberry jam in the electric pressure cooker, as it is that time of year here in northern Michigan, when berries are bright and beautiful! So, I researched at least FIVE different recipes, picked the one I thought was the one for me, and tried it.
I was committed to using local honey, as I had just interviewed a beekeeper for a magazine article, and his honey is OH.SO.DELICIOUS! Plus, strawberries use a LOT of sugar and I wanted to avoid that.
Also, I love the combination of strawberries and a good balsamic vinegar, and I get a lovely product from my friend Mario, an Italian farmer living on our beloved Old Mission Peninsula, who make the best balsamic vinegar I have ever tasted.
This should have worked. The flavor is lovely, with a deep and complex note brought out by the balsamic, and the strawberries and the honey pair well…but, after two different tried, doing very different methods, I have sauce, NOT jam. It is totally delicious and great over ice cream, but it is NOT jam.
On the second try, after the pressure had released, I took some of the hot berry juice and mixed it with tapioca starch to make a slurry, added it back in, boiled it for a minute or two and then let it cook to set. Still runny!
I kind of suspect that strawberries and pressure cooking just don’t go well together. They are basically little red cellulose and water fruits…and pressure knocks the stuffing out of them. I think cooking the basic freezer jam recipe in your Instant Pot is fine, but the step of putting them under pressure for even a minute is superfluous – the recipe does not need pressure and you gain nothing from it. In fact, it leaves the berries somewhat wan, and washed out, leading me to believe that the pressure step is too much, and unnecessary.
So, I ask all of you…have you done it successfully? what recipe did you use? did it end up JAM? or sauce? I would LOVE to hear from you…I will be over at the table, having my delicious honey balsamic strawberry sauce drizzled over some vanilla ice cream!
Honey Balsamic Strawberry Sauce in the Instant Pot
Happy Summer! Join us as we make some AMAZING Honey Balsamic Strawberry Sauce in the Instant Pot!
Posted by Quick and Carry on Friday, June 22, 2018
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 1 minute |
| Passive Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
pints
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- 2 quarts strawberries fresh, hulled, sliced in half
- 2 cups honey local, raw if possible
- 1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Ingredients
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- Prep: Wash and hull berries, and slice into halves, unless they are really big, then cut in quarters.
- Turn the Instant Pot onto sauté, and add the honey. Let it warm up a bit, stir well, and add the berries, and stir well again. Bring to a slow boil, watching for the froth to turn pink. At that point, turn off the Instant Pot.
- Lock on your lid, set your toggle to sealing, and set for manual/pressure cook for 2 minutes. Allow for a 15 minutes natural pressure release, and then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Turn the IP back onto sauté, and stir for a couple of minutes to boil off a little more moisture. Add ONE Tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, and then take out a spoonful and allow to cool enough to taste. You can stop here or add the other Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, to your tastes. If the jam will coat the back of a spoon, it is done enough.
- Allow the jam to cool completely in the Instant Pot. Funnel the jam into clean jars, allowing a little room at the top, especially if you plan to freeze. This will store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks, if it lasts that long!
- For the variation: use 2 cups less berries, and substitute 2 cups of rhubarb. Use the orange juice in place of the vinegar, and add at the same time.
