Lemony Strawberry Butter

This is fruit butter, not the dairy kind. Despite the name, there’s no actual butter in this jar. Fruit butter describes the smooth, dense, spreadable consistency that comes from cooking pureed fruit down with sugar until it reaches that velvety thickness, the same technique behind apple butter and pumpkin butter.

Pressing the strawberries through a sieve or food mill before cooking is what gives this butter its silky texture. Skipping this step leaves you with a chunkier preserve, more jam than butter, which is fine but isn’t what this recipe is going for.

The two- to three-hour rest with sugar and lemon juice is doing real work. Maceration draws out the strawberry juices, dissolves the sugar, and starts the pectin extraction that helps the butter set without added pectin. Don’t shortcut it.

Pro Tips

• Use a wide, heavy pot for the simmer, more surface area means faster evaporation and shorter cook time.
• Stir frequently during the last 20 minutes, the thickening butter scorches on the bottom of the pan if neglected.
• Test for doneness by spooning a little onto a chilled plate, the butter should hold its shape and not run.
• Sterilize jars before filling and process the full 10 minutes in boiling water for shelf-stable storage.

Variations

• Add 1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest along with the juice for stronger citrus character.
• Sub mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries) for a more complex fruit butter.
• Add a teaspoon of vanilla or a pinch of cardamom in the last 10 minutes for spice depth.