BEST STRAWBERRY PRESERVES RECIPE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325º and grease a 9” springform pan with cooking spray.  Make cheesecake mixture: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until combined. Add eggs and beat until combined, then add sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest.  Make crust: Stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt until completely moist. Spray a 9” springform pan with cooking spray and press graham mixture into prepared pan until packed. Pour cheesecake mixture over crust. Bake until slightly jiggly in the center, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool 1 hour in oven, then refrigerate until completely cool, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Make glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberry preserves and lemon juice. Whisk constantly until the mixture is smooth. Top the cheesecake with strawberries, then brush the glaze over strawberries. Slice into wedges and serve cold.

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until the strawberries release some of their juices and the mixture boils slowly. Cook until a small amount of the juice gels on a very cold plate. (I keep one in the freezer.) Pour carefully into 2 pint canning jars and either seal or keep refrigerated. Use immediately, or follow proper canning guidelines below.
• Sterilizing Tips:
• Jars should be made from glass and free of any chips or cracks. Preserving or canning jars are topped with a glass, plastic, or metal lid, which has a rubber seal. Two piece lids are best for canning, as they vacuum seal when processed.
• To sterilize jars, before filling with jams, pickles, or preserves, wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water. Rinse well and arrange jars and lids open sides up, without touching, on a tray. Leave in a preheated 175 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Or, boil the jars and lids in a large saucepan, covered with water, for 15 minutes.
• Use tongs when handling the hot sterilized jars, to move them from either boiling water or the oven. Be sure the tongs are sterilized too, by dipping the ends in boiling water for a few minutes.
• As a rule, hot preserves go into hot jars and cold preserves go into cold jars. All items used in the process of making jams, jellies, and preserves must be clean. This includes any towels used, and especially your hands.
• After the jars are sterilized, you can preserve the food. It is important to follow any canning and processing instructions included in the recipe and refer to USDA guidelines about the sterilization of canned products.