Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam & Spring Cheese Board!

5 from 3 votes

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam is super easy to make + how to make a perfect cheese board for spring!

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This post is sponsored by Castello Cheese. All opinions are my own.

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam + how to make a great looking (& tasting!) Spring Cheese Board!

How to Make Spring Cheese Board

What do you guys think about cheese boards? Fun right? I think they are so much fun! You don’t have to do much but the possibilities are endless. One can add so much to them depending on the occasion, weather and the best part is they look great with minimal effort. Cheese boards are so good for entertaining – variety of flavors, delicious cheese, fruits, there’s something for everyone. To celebrate spring, today I am sharing with you guys how to make a Spring Cheese Board.

When I think of spring, I think of colors and that’s what you can see in my spring inspired cheese board. It sure is colorful!

Spring Cheese Board

 

Spring Cheese Board with Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam-1

So let’s see what all you need to make a Spring Inspired Cheese Board.

Cheese: like duh! Obviously what’s a cheese board without some good cheese! Use a variety of cheese with different textures in your cheese board. For my spring cheese board, I used  Castello Havarti Cheese and Castello Blue Cheese. Castello has always been my favorite since it offers a variety of creatively crafted cheeses. Their cheeses are deliciously balanced and come together to create a gourmet cheese board.

Fruits & Vegetable: Since it’s spring, think of adding lots of colors to your cheese board using fresh fruits and vegetable. I used strawberries, green grapes, black grapes and watermelon radish. You can use other spring fruits and veggies too like oranges, apples etc.

Condiments: My favorite part! For this cheese board, I made Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam (recipe below) and my favorite Cilantro Mint Chutney. Strawberries and balsamic pair great together in this jam which is spiced with some red chili flakes and black pepper. It goes so well the cheese! And of course I believe my cilantro mint chutney goes well with everything. These condiments also add a lot of color to the cheese board and make it look perfect for spring!

Spicy Satrwberry Balsamic Jam

 

Spring Cheese Board With Castello

Nuts & Crackers: I like to add assorted nuts to my cheese board for texture. You can use any nuts of your choice here. Add different types of crackers and breads. There should be something for everyone!

And last but not the least, get creative, add lots of colors and have fun. You see how my jam and chutney not only add lot of flavor to the cheese board but also make it look really colorful. A colorful cheese board during spring is sure to catch attention!

 

Method

To a pan add strawberries and granulated white sugar. Keep them like this for 10-15 minutes with the heat switched off.

After 15 minutes, the berries would have released some of their juices. Now switch on the heat to medium.

Keep stirring as the sugar melts. After 5 minutes, most of the sugar would have melted.

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam-Recipe-Step-1

Add cinnamon stick, cinnamon powder and keep stirring every now and then.

The mixture will come to a boil around 10 minutes.

Stir as it continues to thicken. It will start getting thick after 15 minutes of cooking.

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam-Recipe-Step-2

At this point, add balsamic vinegar.

Mix till well combined and cook the jam for additional 5-10 minutes or till desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind that the jam will continue to thicken as it cools down so do not wait for it to get extra thick.

Remove pan from heat, stir in black pepper powder and red chili flakes. Mix till well combined.

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam-Recipe-Step-3

Allow the spicy strawberry balsamic jam to cool down, then transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator.

Spring Cheese Board with Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam

 

 

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam

5 from 3 votes
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 1 cups
Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam is super easy to make + how to make a perfect cheese board for spring!

Ingredients 

  • 1.5 pounds strawberries hulled and chopped [around 3.5 cups chopped strawberries]
  • 1.5 cups granulated white sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 2.5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
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Instructions 

  • To a pan add strawberries and granulated white sugar. Keep them like this for 10-15 minutes with the heat switched off.
  • After 15 minutes, the berries would have released some of their juices. Now switch on the heat to medium.
  • Keep stirring as the sugar melts. After 5 minutes, most of the sugar would have melted.
  • Add cinnamon stick, cinnamon powder and keep stirring every now and then.
  • The mixture will come to a boil around 10 minutes.
  • Stir as it continues to thicken. It will start getting thick after 15 minutes of cooking. At this point, add balsamic vinegar.
  • Mix till well combined and cook the jam for additional 5-10 minutes or till desired consistency is reached. Keep in mind that the jam will continue to thicken as it cools down so do not wait for it to get extra thick.
  • Remove pan from heat, stir in black pepper powder and red chili flakes. Mix till well combined.
  • Allow the jam to cool down, then transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 1429kcal, Carbohydrates: 363g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 2g, Sodium: 36mg, Potassium: 1085mg, Fiber: 16g, Sugar: 338g, Vitamin A: 380IU, Vitamin C: 400mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 3.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: sauce
Cuisine: World
Your feedback is valuable!Please share your comments, ratings, and any suggestions or adaptations below to help us improve and make our recipes more successful.

Spicy Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Spicy Satrwberry Balsamic Jam Collage


Hi, I’m Manali!

Bringing you easy, delicious vegetarian & vegan recipes! Eating veggies can be fun, you just need to get creative in the kitchen with the right set of ingredients!


5 from 3 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




27 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Spicy Balsamic Strawberry Jam tastes amazing! I made the recipe exactly using fresh local strawberries. I served it for a charcuterie board and had leftovers. Foodies love this! I shared with friends and family and got nothing but rave reviews. It pairs lovingly with wines (and beer) and cheeses but also goes delicious on breakfast toast. It also stores for a long time in the refrigerator. I recommend extra for gifts. Definitely a hit and a keeper. Thank you, Manali.

  2. Wow, This cheese board looks great! And Love the spicy touch in this jam, I’m loving this

  3. What a fun spin on strawberry jam! Must try this as soon as strawberries are in season in my area.

  4. This is a really beautiful cheeseboard! I don’t think I’d be able to keep myself out of that jam. Such a great combination of flavors!