As you can see I now have lots of jars of jam (and marmalade) with still more to come. Well summer is coming and there will be lots of fruit to tempt me. Now there is no way that we are going to eat it all on our morning toast. The grandchildren have acquired a taste for it so some of it will go to them, and it's always nice to give to friends, but nevertheless there is a pretty big supply there, and I have actually temporarily run out of space really. So I checked the net to see what else I could do with it - and here - filched from here there and everywhere are some of the ideas I found. Some were pretty obvious, some not.
Yes I know - this is a very lazy post but I'm seriously into the Christmas panic now and running out of time for the blog, so don't be surprised if posts only appear intermittently for the next week or so. I promise to return after Christmas - hopefully inspired, refreshed and relaxed.
In the meantime - what to do with jam and marmalade when you have too much.
Fundamentally, of course, just substitute jam for stewed fruit, or even fresh fruit.
Stir it into ice-cream, yoghurt, cream (to make a fool), into bottled barbecue sauce, into a vinaigrette - just a tiny bit I would think - maybe for a radicchio kind of salad. Stir into a warm chocolate ganache and pour over a cake, or refrigerate and sandwich macarons with it.
Dollop it on creamy desserts like panna cotta, on pancakes and waffles and suchlike, on cereal. Dollop it on cornbread, crumb cake or brownie batter before baking.
Melt it and use it as a glaze - you can mix it with other things, and then glaze meats or pour over cheesecake, or other cakes that need a boost, or a fruit tart.
Toast - it doesn't just have to be spread on your breakfast toast. Make a grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar and jam - this one is artisan cheddar (of course) and fig jam, but it needn't be. Or - make french toast - by making a jam sandwich, dip in eggs and milk and fry in butter.
Cheese - just serve it with cheese, like you would quince paste, or chutney. Or - top a wheel of brie with jam, wrap in filo or puff pastry and bake at a high temperature, or mix into the cheese for a cheesecake.
Shake a little into a cocktail if you are into that sort of thing.
Then one little thing from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which is obviously open to all sorts of modifications:
"If there's only a little bit of jam or marmalade clinging to the inside of the jar, shake in some soy sauce and rice vinegar, add some finely chopped garlic, chilli and grated ginger and shake to emulsify. Use as a dipping sauce, glaze or marinade."
Bon Appétit - another American site, but one which I have found to have glorious photographs and interesting ideas. Here are two that I picked out, but if you click on the link to the site, you will find more. Sweet and spicy chicken drumsticks and The right bank cocktail - which looks somewhat interesting and is based on whisky. There are lots of other cocktail ideas out there that use jam or marmalade.
Jamie Oliver - I would have given you a link to his recipe for jam roly poly - every English child's school dinner favourite, but it uses shredded suet that you can't get here. I tried to find an Australian version and there are some, but they don't look nearly as good as the British version. However, Jamie did have an easy recipe for the traditional Rainbow jam tarts and also a recipe for a rather delectable looking Malt custard and jam tart
The traditional uses for jam of course are Victoria sponges, jam doughnuts, trifles, lamingtons and cobblers. Slightly less traditional but now fashionable is the jam or marmalade variation on bread and butter pudding - the bread being sometimes replaced with croissants, pannetone, brioche - well you get the picture. I have to say that, even though I am not a massive lover of marmalade, when I used some for a bread and butter pudding the result was gorgeous. So here are a couple of those - Marmalade bread and butter pudding from Donna Hay and White chocolate, cherry jam and croissant pudding from Phoebe Wood of delicious.
There are also lots of baking recipes for muffins, cupcakes, cakes, slices of course, so here are a couple of those from delicious. which always seems to have some of the best examples: Almond and jam polenta shortcake and Peanut butter and jam muffins
I couldn't go to sleep last night - not an unusual situation - so I lay there wondering what I could make for a Christmas dessert, and I have to say that my thoughts did go to jam - maybe mixed in with some bought ice cream, crushed meringues and perhaps some dried or fresh fruit, put into a mould and then sliced on the day?
I might use some as a glaze for the ham though.
But first I have to go and make yet more jam - the birds have started on the last major plum tree. It needs rescuing. Yes I know I could just leave it for them, but I just can't resist making use of free fruit!
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