Iron Chef Strawberry: Strawberry Chipotle Jam

I fear that my title might be taken after I post the recipe used for my strawberry chipotle jam and cheddar biscuits. This was my first time making jam so I made a trial batch a week before. Regardless how simple, after one bite I knew it would be a winning recipe.


Thank you to A Spicy Perspective for the recipe.



JAM
3 cups of sugar
1 lemon
1.5 lbs of strawberries (or 3 cups chopped)
2-3 chipotle peppers (from canned)


Prep by chopping the strawberries and peppers into tiny pieces. I used my pamper chef chopper which made the process go much faster than using a knife and it mashed up enough to make a nice consistency for the jam.


Zest and juice the lemon into a large pot. Combine with the 3 cups of sugar over medium heat. Stir regularly until the sugar is dissolved. Getting the sugar fully dissolved can be tricky and you really don't want to burn sugar. I used a rubber spatula and smeared the mixture on the side of the pot until it didn't feel gritty anymore.


Add the berries and peppers to the mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes then test and repeat. The spicy perspective recipe gave a great suggestion to test the jam consistency. Take a tiny bit and put on an ice cube to test. If hot, the jam will always appear runny until cooled and the longer you cook it the thicker the jam will get. Mine took 40 minutes to simmer until just right, but I imagine each stove top will be different.


BISCUITS
2 cups of bisquick
2/3 cups of milk
1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
(get the thick shredded cheese, not the fine)
1/2 cup of melted butter
tsp of garlic powder


Preheat oven to 425. Combine the bisquick and cheese. Then add the milk and 1/4 cup of butter. Use a large spoon to create and drop biscuits onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic powder to the remaining butter and brush the mixture on top the finished biscuits. Let cool and enjoy!


(Click here for printable recipe)