Strawberry/Lemon Butter

More berries! More, more, more … and then what do you do with them? I wanted to make something a little different this time, a smooth strawberry spread, almost the texture of apple butter. Something bright and perky, and absolutely wonderful. Something in a very small batch. Yield: 3 half-pint jars

• 1 quart ripe strawberries, sliced crosswise
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• generous 1 Tbsp freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 small pat unsalted butter

Wash and hull the berries; slice them crosswise. For every 4 cups sliced berries use 3 cups sugar (this recipe may be doubled, to use 8 c berries). Stir and let stand at least 30 minutes, so that the sugar draws some juices out of the berries. Add lemon juice and zest and butter, begin to cook over medium heat, stirring often.

When the berries begin to look cooked and are beginning to be translucent, whiz the pot with an immersion blender, so that everything is made as smooth as possible. Continue cooking, bringing mixture to a boil, and cook until it will pass a jelly test: it sheets off the spoon, or wrinkles on a saucer, as described in this post.

Pour into prepared jars, wipe rims, and seal.