Quick strawberry jam

Ingredients:

• Half a vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 5 cardamom seeds, crushed to leave seeds inside[center][/center]
• 0.6 kg strawberries, hulled and halved if larger than walnuts

Preparation:

1. Place the vanilla seeds and pod in a heavy, non-reactive skillet. Add the sugar, orange juice, and cardamom pods and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the strawberries to the pan and stir once to coat. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and resembles jam, 20-25 minutes. The longer the jam cooks, the thicker it will be once it cools.
3. Remove from heat and let cool. Discard the cardamom and vanilla pods before serving. The jam can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks..
   Exit: 1.5 tbsp.