Allen Williams

Cinnamon-Fig Jam Recipe

I am continuing my jam fetish with this cinnamon fig combination. Figs are still new to me and I’m learning what else I can do with them besides using in salads. When I received my latest carton of beautifully plump figs, I wondered how they would be when stewed with a bit of cinnamon and sugar. The resulting jam put a smile on my face … I couldn’t stop poking at it with my spoon while it cooled.

This is one of several jams that I’ve made this year, which kind of surprises me. When I think of jam, I remember the episode of ‘Friends’ where Joey is gorging himself on Monica’s jam. I’m not really a jam lover or connoisseur – it’s good, but I could easily live without it. The reality is that jams are an easy way to use up an abundance of fresh fruit when you can’t think of what else to do with it all. Hmm, I make jam because I’m lazy (?) … yeah, I guess so :-)

Apparently, I’m not the only person with jam on their mind. Mark of No Special Effects lost his jam virginity this past week when he made a tempting Mango-Pineapple Jam. It sounds so exotic and interesting that I may just have to give it a try next. But first, I must finish the jar of fig jam that I made.

Cinnamon Fig Jam
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 lb. mission figs (about 10-12 figs)
1 3″ strip lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 lemon juiced

Add water and sugar to a pan and place on a medium heat to dissolve.

Remove the stems from the figs and cut into quarters. Add to the sugar mixture along with lemon zest, cinnamon stick, and lemon juice. Bring the mix to a light simmer and leave the pan uncovered. Cook for about 1 hour or until the mix thickens. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

This recipe makes a single jar – about 1 1/2 cups. I’ve been home alone all week and slowly working my way toward the bottom of the jar. I’ve eaten it on crackers and toast, along with a few plain spoonfuls that went directly to my lips. It’s rather addictive and an amazing use for figs.



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38 comments

  4. Ooh, “jam virginity!” It sounds so dirty, which is incidentally my favorite way of hearing things. :P
    I STILL have no idea what a fig tastes like, but this looks delicious, and seed-y like the strawberry jams we have here :) A-ha! What is that fluffy white stuff on the cracker?! Izzat cream?!

    I love that Friends episode. I feel so sad for Monica.
    “Babies!”
    “You’re going to need bigger jars…”

  12. I’m new to figs too. I was browsing our farmer’s stand yesterday trying to figure out what to bring home when I spotted some baskets of figs. I passed over them since I couldn’t think of what I’d like to use them for. Darn. This looks really, really delicious!

  14. how wonderful! I love fig jam on sandwiches, the only jam I’ll eat. I’m meeting with some local foodies to make some next week, I can’t wait

  18. Oh wow, look at that deeply luscious colour of the jam! It’s just gorgeous.

    I love the idea of a fig jam: we haven’t been lucky here with fresh figs so I’m insanely jealous of this.

    I’m not a big jam person too, but I’m starting to see it as a neat way, especially once you put them in those pretty glass jars, to get rid of excess fruit cluttering up the counter. ;)

  22. Peter G: Thank you! The cinnamon does give it that little something extra. I wanted to add some port but decided against it since I had just combined figs and port for the recent sorbet.

    Manggy: Ahhh, tell me something I don’t know! The fig jam is definetly seedy which I tend to like. It’s also chunky which adds to the overall texture. And for the record, the white stuff is fat-free cream cheese … so I haven’t broken any rules, I’m still eating low fat :-)

    Astra Libris: Thank you! I have a 2 lb bag of pintos in my cupboard and every time I look at them I think of you :-)

    Susan: I love how sticky-thick the jam becomes – it’s perfect for a fig hedonist!

    Megan: Mmmm, it would be perfect with muffins.

    RecipeGirl: Well, there’s always next week :-)

    Kat: Fig jam on sandwiches? Oh, now that sounds good! I hope you post about your foodie meetup.

    Food Librarian: Thank you!

    Eatingclub: Thank you! No figs up north? Bummer. If I get around to making a big batch, I’ll have to send a jar your way :-) Tagged? Oh no, I’ll have to take a look and see what sort of personal info I need to divulge … ;-)

  24. Really beautiful, and a terrific idea! I’ve just recently been experimenting with figs, too. Green & Black, and think I like the black ones best. Don’t have any left to try this yummy jam right now which is quite sad.

  28. Oh man, a spoonful of this fig jam with a dollop of mascarpone would be a match made in heaven. Or I wonder how yummy the jam might be on a crudite with some shaved parmesan. The combinations are endless, I’m sure.

  30. Kellypea: I haven’t tried the green figs yet but now I’m feeling inspired to explore them.

    Esi: Haha – congrats on losing your jam virginity!

    Carolyn: Thanks for stopping by my blog – I love your idea on pairing with shaved parmesan … a wonderful salty-sweet combination :-)

  34. Allen,
    You have again come up with a simple delicious recipe. Will need to link to this as my readers would also enjoy such a fresh and healthy condement.

    Munchbrother

  36. Morning Allen,
    I am a transplanted southerner, now living in Wyoming. I always had access to fresh figs because I had my own trees but here I don’t have that luxury. Do you know where I can get fresh figs here or an online site that might ship them? I really want to try this recipe on hot biscuits!

    Thanks,
    Moozie56

  40. Figs and cinnamon.. yum! I usually go through phases of loving and leaving jam, but homemade jam is one of those things I’d never say no to trying at least once.

  42. I always have cinnamon on hand but as for the figs.. Well they never last long in their whole form so I’m gonna need to buy lots to make this…

  52. The jam is gorgeous. Allen – have you tried making it with dried mission figs? The cooking time may increase and you might need to add a little more liquid but I think it would be a good substitute when you can’t find fresh figs.

  56. Hi, I have alot of figs to get rid of. Could I use your exact recipe for the cinnamon fig jam for canning or do I need to add pectin? Thanks you, Linda

  58. While I have only a lime tree, many houses in older neighborhoods in Phoenix have a grapefruit tree, and mounds of grapefruit are often free for the taking in my office lunchroom. Fruit must picked to prevent infestations of roof rats. Do you have a recipe for Grapefruit Marmalade that will make use of some of our local bounty?

  60. This is the post to which my ‘fig jam search’ connected. I will certainly try it if all 2 dozen figs on my little fig tree actually ripen!

  64. Just tried your recipe with addition of ginger and I have to say it really is the best fig jam I have ever made! Thanks for the inspiration!

  66. just made the recipe- it’s great. What I did do differently is that I used one of those sticks that mush things up (I can never come up with the name of this ingenious machine) some 20 minutes into the process which gave the jam a more homogeneous consistency- some might consider this cheating, but it did come out quite wonderful. thanks.

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