Ripe strawberries cooked with sugar until they coat a spoon, then jarred to keep a little summer. A ruby jam, fragrant, that turned dry bread into a feast.

Why this dish? In June 1944, whole crates of strawberries arrived at the Annex. Anne recounts two days of celebration and work: they hull, boil, fill jars, eat strawberry porridge until they are sick — a rare moment of joyful abundance in the hiding place.

Strawberries, strawberries, and more strawberries! For two days we did nothing else: hulling until our fingers were red, boiling whole pots, filling every jar in the house. We ate so much of it in porridge and pudding that I thought I'd never be able to see another one — and yet, spreading that jam on a slice of bread at breakfast was like the war, for one bite, had forgotten us.

How it was made : Putting summer fruit into jars was a vital gesture before refrigeration: jam allowed people to get through the winter. In the Annex, receiving such a quantity of fresh fruit at once was exceptional and justified mobilizing the whole household.

The contemporary twist : A pinch of pepper or a few basil leaves finely chopped at the end of cooking give a 'chef's' jam; superb on fresh cheese.

Sources : Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl (Het Achterhuis)

Anne Frank · Charactorium