Savory blueberry jam with balsamic vinegar and rosemary
| August 1, 2010 | Posted by ameliaps under appetizers, blueberries, jam, savory, summer |
My sweet neighbor Connie kept an extra eye open over our house – and picked up our mail – while we were gone for a few weeks out West and to thank her (together with an American-Indian souvenir) I brought her a small jar of home-made savory jam. I picked up some fresh organic blueberries from the farmer stand up my street. I mean…these blueberries were a burst of tartness from the woods: crunchy, sweet but not too much, fresh, and earthy. I could eat a whole basket of them (and almost did!) just freshly rinsed, …just like pop-corn, but a lot healthier 
And I loved photographing their beautiful little round blue juicy plumpness. They were perfect!
I did not want to go the obvious way and imagined a way to turn them into a jam that would go well on top of a crusty bread and/or some fresh soft cheese (ricotta?) and/or some French yummy pâté, maybe in the fall. My rosemary plant has been producing so much so my “aha” moment happended as I walked through the garden for some herb inspiration. Then I needed to add some acid to counterbalance and so naturally I gravitated towards my favorite aceto balsamico (balsamic vinegar) from Modena, the good stuff…since I only needed a little. So then I recalled immediately another savory jam I like: onion jam and thought of caramelizing half a finely minced shallot (more delicate than onion) for extra sweetness. Then I gave it the final extra punch with pepper and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. I had purchased some adorable mini 4 oz. glass jars for exactly this purpose: small house gifts. Ecco, pronto.
Note: to make yourself familiar with the basics of home canning the National Center for Home Food Preservation is a good place to start.
Makes about 2 half-pint (8 oz.) jars
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 shallot, finely minced
4 cups blueberries (1 quart), rinsed
1 cups sugar
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar (good quality)
1 small branch fresh rosemary, de-stemmed, chopped fine
a pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Pepper to taste (maybe 1/4 tsp?)
…and if you wish, a small pinch of a special salt
Sauté the finaly minced shallot in olive oil over medium heat.
Add the blueberries and sugar. Bring to a first bubble. Now add the vinegar and stir.
Add the rosemary, nutmeg, and pepper. Allow to continue boiling gently and reducing in water content for about 10-15 minutes.
Spoon the jam into 2 sterilized half-pint (8 oz.) jars.
Place sterilized lids on top, close, and boil in water about 5-10 minutes.
The jam will thicken once it cools.
I chose to decorate the top of the jar with kitchen twine and a branch of fresh rosemary from my garden.
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What a great combination! So unique. Hope your friend enjoys your thoughtful gift
Hi Tea & Taro: thanks for stopping by. Unexpected flavor combinations are lots of fun to think about!
gorgeous! love mixing fresh herbs with fruit… sounds really tasty
nice photos, too.
thanks M.! It is tasty and has a punch: a good jam to use in the fall or winter.
Complimento per l'abbinamento, davvero originale, e per le foto, sono bellissime!
mi sono innamorata di questo blog a prima vista … grazie per la visita e.. mannaggia, se solo fosse in italiano lo seguirei quotidianamente !! … allora facciamo così. Lo seguo e prendo l'occasione per allenarmi nell'inglese e.. se non comprendo asssolutamente qualcosa, chiedo.pOSSO?
è stupendo qui..
Would you mind sharing the location of the farmer's stand you visited? Many thanks.
Sandi S. from LOL
This is such a unique jam recipe! Love to try it out soon to taste how it's like. Beautiful photographs!
Beautiful jam! I think it would be fantastic with salmon…the flavour combos would be great!
Tania: grazie della visita. Il tuo blog mi ispira sempre.
fiOrdivanilla: io adoro il tuo di blog!!! ma certo…scrivimi quando vuoi, sono felice di tradurti qualcosa che ti manca
Sandi: that was Lucy's farmers' stand on Roswell road.
Ellie: thank you!!!
Elizabeth: interesting idea to pair it with salmon. I would imagine that chicken would be great too, given the hint of rosemary…
Beautiful looking jam. I love savory/fruit combos and I agree with Elizabeth, this would be good with salmon.
Uh, yum!
Thank you for leading me to your site. Jeanette
BRAVO!
Tasty recipe! And I love the picture you sent for DMBLGIT – Sept. edition! Thank you very much. Wish you good luck!
Thank you so much for this recipe, I have been looking for berry recipes that don't have a ton of sugar in them. I am going to try this today with my frozen blueberries, hope it works just as well as with fresh.
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