Interesting Jam Combinations?

February 2, 2016 9:41 AM

I need to make one more batch of jam. Any ideas on interesting flavours?

I'm in Chile, so it's the second half of summer and quality fruit is cheap and abundant. I've made two batches of jam so far (Strawberry+Raspberry then Peach+Vanilla) and think I have the basics down (it's not rocket science).

So what are surprising combinations of flavours that really work?

posted by andrewcooke to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

My favorites:
- Peaches or Nectarines with cardamom and bourbon
- Strawberries with balsamic vinegar and a tiny bit of black pepper (Not enough to taste peppery, just to add a little extra oomph to the strawberry flavor)
posted by antimony at 9:43 AM on February 2, 2016

Strawberry and fresh ground cardamom is pretty fantastic.
posted by furnace.heart at 9:44 AM on February 2, 2016

Pears and ginger always go well.

From a texture perspective, I love lumpy fruits (cherries, blueberries) with a citrus-peel marmalade. (cherry-orange is good, also tomatillo-lime)
posted by aimedwander at 9:46 AM on February 2, 2016

Where do I even start?

Strawberry, balsamic vinegar and thyme
Sour cherry and mint
Fig and raspberry
Raspberry basil
blueberry lavender
peach butter with honey

and on and on and on!
posted by Sophie1 at 9:48 AM on February 2, 2016

Raspberry rhubarb Pimms
Blackberry bourbon
posted by littlewater at 9:50 AM on February 2, 2016

I really enjoyed Peach with ginger liquor, and cherry jam with kirsch.
posted by answergrape at 9:51 AM on February 2, 2016

Cranberry-raspberry. Although cranberries may not be in yet in your part of the world.

Also, pretty much any combination of stone fruits (cherries -- sour or sweet, apricots, nectarines, peaches, etc.) is phenomenal together.
posted by pie ninja at 9:58 AM on February 2, 2016

Rhubarb and vanilla is amazing (probably because rhubarb is usually paired with vanilla custard).
posted by pipeski at 10:09 AM on February 2, 2016

i can make more in the autumn (i seem to eat a lot of jam), so don't worry about season too much. rhubarb and cardamom seeds are both really hard to find (rhubarb is grown down south, but not shipped to santiago much), but these are all amazing combinations so far - thank-you.
posted by andrewcooke at 10:11 AM on February 2, 2016

Blackberry with rosemary, orange ginger marmalade, strawberry lemon, strawberry lavender
posted by tangaroo at 10:17 AM on February 2, 2016

You are not going to believe this, but tomato (ideally yellow tomato) and banana.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:18 AM on February 2, 2016

blueberry, lemon & chile jam ? sounds delicious.
posted by mean square error at 10:18 AM on February 2, 2016

I like stone fruit with almond flavor (either with actual sliced almonds or with Amaretto).

Also a friend of mine made an apricot jam with cayenne.

The only jam I have ever made was plum jam with cinnamon and lemon. It was wonderful.

I tend to put Chinese 5-spice powder in my sweet things (i.e., apple pie or cakes), so that might be fun to combine. You could experiment with garam masala too.

Finally, can you make jam from some of the fruits you get there that we don't get so much in North America like cherimoya or atún (prickly pear)?
posted by vunder at 10:22 AM on February 2, 2016

Whoops, I mean tuna for prickly pear. Haha!
posted by vunder at 10:35 AM on February 2, 2016

I haven't for several years now, but I used to make an amazing kumquat jam that no one could guess the composition of even with the clue of hundreds of tiny orange crescents of peel spread across their toast.

Cranberry-grapefruit is excellent too, and has a very complex finish.

I've read that Seville oranges are a common street tree in the older parts of Santiago, and there's always a little extra satisfaction to be had eating jam made from found fruit.
posted by jamjam at 10:36 AM on February 2, 2016

being a gringo i'm not that keen on the local fruits, because they're not what i ate as a kid, and my partner is way too health conscious (or just has inherently healthy tastes) to eat jam. but lúcuma might be interesting in a mix - it has a complex, vaguely coffee-like taste - google turns up a few hits for "mermelada lucuma". hmmm.... (i make the same mistake / didn't even realised you'd got atun / tuna mixed up).
posted by andrewcooke at 10:39 AM on February 2, 2016

Fig and ginger jam is amazing.
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 10:46 AM on February 2, 2016

Fig + pomegranate is the successful surprise we stumbled into last year. Ended up with a surprisingly rich, molasses-like aftertaste. Added in a splash of port to one jar, and it was the first jar to be licked clean. We still have a couple small jars in the fridge and are rationing until the fig tree explodes in fruit again.

Also just plain old ripe tomato jam is a surprise to many. It fits well with the "add jalapeño to it" school of jam making, too, as does apple.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 12:00 PM on February 2, 2016

Peaches and hot peppers are a delicious match.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:01 PM on February 2, 2016

I'm not sure if figs are available where you are, but I've done a fig-port jam that is AMAZING.
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:15 PM on February 2, 2016

I found a jarred cranberry-horseradish that has proved life-changing on turkey things.
posted by smirkette at 12:41 PM on February 2, 2016

Another endorsement for Fig and Ginger.
And we were gifted a batch of Raspberry Habanero jam - that has been a revelation!
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:05 PM on February 2, 2016

Apple Pie Jam.
Basically apples with traditional apple pie spices.

Garlic jam/jelly.
Loads of recipes online. I've used apple and white grape as a base with grape being the best. Roast the garlic. I made loads of it the summer I was selling jams and jellies at a farmers market and it was by far the best seller.
posted by Jalliah at 1:29 PM on February 2, 2016

Pumpkin and ginger
posted by KateViolet at 1:34 PM on February 2, 2016

I came here to say pear and ginger too!
posted by ontheradio at 2:01 PM on February 2, 2016

* fig finished with whisky
* apricot and white pepper
* cranberry, orange and elderflower
* plum, vanilla, star anise, honey and bay
* any stone fruit can be finished with amaretto
* blackberries with ginger
* carrot, orange and cardamom
* strawberries with black pepper and mint, though balsamic vinegar is also an excellent choice
* strawberry and elderberry
* chestnut and vanilla
* fig, honey & bay
* green tomato and cinnamon

Why yes, I do preserves. I also hoard honey.
posted by jadepearl at 4:17 PM on February 2, 2016

Do you have access to pesticide-free flowers? Rose, violet, lavender are all wonderful in jam. Raspberry violet....mmmm.

Check out Christine Ferber for inspiration.
posted by apparently at 4:43 PM on February 2, 2016

I just picked up a blackberry and sage jam from a flea market and it was absolutely delicious. Also pear and thyme. Somehow fruit + herbs really work for me. I also like the combination of mangoes and peaches, mangoes and any citrus fruit.

I second the idea of making jam from fruits native to Chile. I bet jam made from cherimoyas or prickly pears would be fantastic.
posted by theappleonatree at 6:14 PM on February 2, 2016