Ask Rachel Saunders, and she'll tell you there's a whole lot more to do with jam than as a topping for toast. Blue Chair Cooks with Jam & Marmalade is an encyclopedic tome that the Oakland-based Saunders (with photographs by Sara Remington) created to answer one of two questions she always gets asked as proprietor of a jam company: "How do you like to eat your jam?" (The other question is "What is the difference between jam and marmalade?," and if you don't know the answer, she has it and more in her first book, the James Beard-nominated The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook.)
Jam is commonly used in cooking to flavor meat, or, in the case of apricot jam, as the glaze for a fruit tart. But as this book shows, those uses are barely scratching the surface.
Turns out that adding marmalade to cake batter can not only add an acidic note, but can improve its texture. When used correctly, jam can brighten up your favorite cocktail. "In cooking, jam's role is frequently to enhance the primary ingredients; in the seafood paella, for example, a small amount of nectarine jam accentuates the natural sweetness of the tomato, carrots and onions," Saunders notes. Who knew.
The book is divided by meal, beginning with breakfast. Some recipes are for items that act as vehicles for jam, like muffins and crepes, and plenty have jam in them, such as banana-fig cake, which uses fig jam rather than the whole fruit as one would expect.
One of the most fun things about this book is guessing which type of jam might be used in any given recipe. For instance, recipes for both yellow split pea/spinach soup and tempeh with mushrooms and baby bok choy rely on greengage jam (a type of plum) for a flavor boost, while creamed spinach with leeks and cheddar calls for a bit of apple butter.
Within the "evening" section, there is a subsection dedicated to Thanksgiving. Brussels sprouts with kumquats and smoked salt, for example, or onions with marmalade and rosemary will no doubt liven up the holiday meal, and a touch of orange marmalade can enhance your basic pecan pie.
The recipes for most of these jams are included, but if one doesn't want to make her own, Blue Chair jams are easily found throughout the Bay Area.
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