Delicious Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve … so addictive and so worth it!
Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve… when life gives you strawberries, make preserve, loads of preserve. It’s honestly the best thing ever and probably the best way to make the most of the seasons surplus berry produce. Layer it over Greek yogurt for an almost too good to be true breakfast parfait or equally a quick almost guilt free dessert, spoon it over ice cream or pancakes, add it to a quick layered trifle, stir it into whipped cream … you get the drift.
I make several jars of this Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve every strawberry season and when I get to the last one, I always always wish I had made double the quantity. Of course it has sugar as do almost all jams, compotes, preserves and conserves, of course it’s not the healthiest treat if you’re on a sugar free or low sugar diet, however it’s home made, you know what goes into it. It’s way better than store bought stuff with preservatives, it’s not UPF {ultra processed food}, it doesn’t have unnecessary emulsifiers, thickeners, additives, stabilisers and what not. Just a clean, indulgent, home made label. And of course, it’s made with love like all my desserts, not in the least the strawberry desserts!!
Strawberry season is one of my most eagerly awaited seasons, the other being mango of course. There’s just something so special, so charming about these juicy, red berries, so many ways to enjoy them. There’s something about the colour red in nature, be it ruby red strawberries, tomatoes, red chilies or red chili powder, or even the gorgeous railway creeper. Red just catches your eye, gladdens the spirit! I absolutely love styling & shooting it…
And as soon of the deepest red strawberries begin to show up, my first go to is always dessert and that burst of the colour red is definitely very inspiring. As you can see, infinite possibilities, berry berry much fun, and so much deliciousness!
Once the season is in full swing, the market sees a glut of this beautiful fruit and with them available at such economical prices per punnet, I begin to dice and freeze bags full of the seasons best strawberries to see me through months of smoothies. This year, I’ve upped my game and made several jars of this addictive good Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve, and I absolutely love the process. Actually preservation of any seasonal fruit is right up my street!
I’ve been making Bitter Kumquat/Tangerine/Calamondin Marmalade picking fruit from my little trees for over a decade, and it’s always a fascinating and fulfilling experience. Adding Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve to my pantry in addition is the best thing ever! When I began making jams or preserves, marmalade, compotes and sometimes conserves, it was always ‘what should I call this?’, What is the difference between jam, preserve, conserve, marmalade, compote etc.
Now with granola and Greek yogurt being quite centre stage to breakfast for a while now, I find it quite handy to have a jar of homemade preserve in the fridge to quickly throw together a parfait. It takes less that 5 minutes. Greek yogurt, preserve, granola, repeat, done! And I also have a new favourite granola, my peanut butter granola that I’ve been making on repeat these past few months. Still to share that recipe …
I’m a diehard peanut butter fan, and can’t get enough of it. I always have a couple of jars on hand. A sudden dash of hunger, a spoon of peanut butter is all it takes to calm me. There is this Vegan Chickpea Chocolate Chip Mug Cake which has become a breakfast staple through cooler months and makes for a very tasty dessert too.
Morning protein spoonful, an add to a curry or salad dressing, a last minute whipped PB mousse, PB cheesecake, PB cookies, PB energy balls, PB breakfast bars, snickers tart …and the list goes on and on. I very recently experimented with a PB granola and was a little skeptical. But oh my, how wrong I was. I have been making PB Granola on repeat the last few months and it’s the best thing that ever happened to my granola.
I make my granola as gut friendly as I possibly can, adding loads of plant foods to it. I think there’s nothing I enjoy more than playing around and experimenting with recipes. My latest batch of granola has rolled oats as the base of course and then – peanut butter, ghee or olive oil, honey or maple syrup, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, buckwheat groats, chia seeds, hemp hearts, flax seeds, orange zest, cinnamon powder, Celtic sea salt. With so much deliciousness going in, you can well imagine how good it tastes and how gut friendly it is!
Every morning is looked forward to, every morning is bursting with flavour, every morning feels indulgent and we are always grateful to have been blessed with plenty. Also so fortunate to be able to make everything from scratch. It’s such a good feeling, so fulfilling! And the preserve fights alongside the PB granola for the star. Both are equally good, just making the preserve is more seasonal while granola has ingredients available the year round.
I make a large batch of the Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve and transfer them into recycled jam/honey, nut butter glass jars, keep one in the fridge and place the rest in the freezer. I return a jar from the freezer to the fridge when required, leave it overnight to defrost. This is a great way to use the surplus produce during season.
Have you tried pairing strawberries with oranges? An aunt in the UK used to add fresh orange juice to the juiciest red strawberries during the Wimbledon when we visited decades ago and that memory comes alive every time I see strawberries. I absolutely love adding orange zest to everything I make while the orange season lasts. Here in winter and spring in India orange season overlaps with strawberry season. Have you tried adding orange zest to fresh strawberries and leaving them to macerate with a little sugar for 5-7 minutes? Do try! It adds the best flavour ever and I do that often in layered desserts like the one below, a Strawberry Cream Walnut Dessert Glass, and the berries just shone!
I’ve made a similar mixed berry preserve with a bag of frozen mixed berries – blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, and very recently, a plum, orange, vanilla spice version. It’s just too much fun and so rewarding! Hopefully you’ll enjoy making this Strawberry Vanilla Orange Preserve as much as I did!
Strawberry Orange Vanilla Preserve
Equipment
- 1 heavy bottom saucepan large
- 1 spatula
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Knife
- 1 microplane zester
- 2-3 recycled jars
Ingredients
- 800 g strawberry diced
- Zest of 2 oranges
- 1 vanilla bean shell
- ⅛ cup water
- 250-300 g raw sugar / desi khaand
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Place the diced strawberries, orange zest, vanilla bean shell, sugar and a pinch of sea salt in a large heavy bottom pan. I like to leave this covered in the fridge overnight to draw as much gentle flavour out as possible and softening the fruit in the process. You could leave it for a couple of hours on the counter, else begin immediately.
- Simmer over low heat until it comes to a simmering boil, stir on and off so the liquid doesn't boil over. You'll need to keep an eye on it initially.
- Cook until the mixture is as thick as desired, mashing the berries with the back of a spoon along the way. Taste and adjust sweetness if required.
- Take off heat and add the lime juice. This really brightens the colour and adds freshness.
- Fill into sterilized jars, cool, then refrigerate.
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