Caramelized figs with rum and cinnamon

Pick figs that are small and preferably black.

Clean them as best as you can using kitchen paper that you have already moistened. Cut and remove the stem trying to not cut through the surface of the fig at that point. If you do, the figs will open up and break during cooking.

Place them in a pot with a thick bottom but low sides, large enough to fit all of them (look at the tips). Don't pour them in, just arrange them one next to the other, bottom down, with the stem facing upwards.

Sprinkle them with rum and pour the sugar on top of them, distributing it evenly over all, the rum will help keep it in place as well as on top of the figs.

Cover the pot and set the figs aside to rest and "get drunk" overnight. If you start making your jam on a Saturday morning or if you don't have all this time available, don't rush it, they will require at least 2-3 hours.

On the next day turn on the heat very low and after adding the cinnamon and the zest, watch them simmer. 

From time to time, shake the figs so that they are thoroughly drenched with the syrup. How to do that? Just lift the pot and make a couple of small but strong and decisive circular moves. You can either do that or move it back and forth or even use a wooden spoon to push the figs lightly but very carefully so that you don't punch a hole in them by mistake or taking a little syrup at a time and sprinling it on them.

Continue with the simmering - shaking - sprinkling until the sugar dissolves completely, it will take about an hour for that. When that time has passed you have to be careful. The syrup will (and should) start getting thicker and it will thicken quite a bit, but it shouldn't caramelize too much. So, keep an eye on it and be careful.

When a very thick (but still liquid) syrup has formed (it took me 8 minutes but time varies depending on the cooker and can reach or take more than 10 minutes) and the figs have a dark colour, then they are ready.

Place the figs in sterilized jars and cover them with the caramelized syrup. With 1 kg of fresh figs you will fill up about 4 small jars of 250 ml each. Of course, it depends on the size of the figs (larger figs have more empty space in the jar, so less figs per jar).

Seal the jars hermetically and turn them upside down for at least 5 minutes so that you create a vacuum inside.

Store in a cool place for a few months.