Spreads

Season: June to October. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, whose recipe this is, thinks the secret of success is to pick the raspberries on a hot, dry day, aiming for a good mixture of ripe and almost-ripe fruit, then to make the jam immediately to capture the full flavor of the berries. The light boiling and lower-than-normal quantity of sugar produce a loose, soft-set jam with a fresh, tangy flavor. Low-sugar jams of this type are often called fridge jams (see p. 36). In fact, as long as it is capped when still above 195°F, this preserve will keep well in the pantry. However, once it is opened, you must keep it in the fridge. It won’t last long after opening – maybe 2 or 3 weeks – but as it tastes so very, very good, this is unlikely to be a problem. It’s one of those things you’ll find yourself eating straight from the jar, maybe in the middle of the night! This light, soft jam is fantastic in cakes or sherry trifles or stirred into creamy rice puddings. Best of all, layer it with toasted rolled oats, cream, Drambuie, and honey for a take on Cranachan, the traditional Scottish dessert.

Season: June to August. In my jam company days, when we would produce nearly fifteen thousand jars of preserves each week, my mum would still bring me jars of her homemade black currant jam. Sometimes I wondered if I needed another jar in the house, but I always enjoyed it immensely – black currant jam is an all-time favorite, with a flavor that is rarely rivaled. It’s also very easy to make. The key is to ensure that the black currants are softened sufficiently before the sugar is added, or the skins will toughen and be unpleasantly chewy. Use this in all the usual jammy ways with bread, toast, pancakes, yogurt, rice pudding, cakes, tarts, and, of course, scones and clotted cream.

Season: June to mid-July. Red currants make a superb and very versatile jelly. The red currant season is short, just a few weeks in midsummer, so make sure you don’t miss it. If you haven’t time to make your jelly straight away, you can pick the currants and freeze for later. This is an endlessly useful jelly. A classic condiment to accompany roast lamb or game, it can also be used to enhance the flavor of gravies, casseroles, and piquant sauces. It makes an excellent glaze for fresh fruit tarts too.

Season: May to August. After a dismal result with my strawberry jam at the 2007 Uplyme and Lyme Regis Horticultural Show, I decided to get my act together and work out a recipe that i could rely on to get me that much-coveted first prize next time. My kitchen soon took on the appearance of a strawberry jam factory, with coded batches piled just about everywhere. I thought I’d nearly made the grade on batch three, but the tweaking for batch four caused mayhem in the jam pan. However, batch five seemed to come alive from the moment the lemon juice was added, and I knew it was going to be just right – bright in color, with some soft whole fruit and, of course, that wonderful, intense strawberry taste. Strawberries are low in pectin. Using sugar with added pectin helps to attain a lovely set and a flavor that isn’t too sickly sweet. Use freshly picked, dry fruit – not too big, or they’ll blow to bits when the jam is bubbling away. However, if you’re using very small fruit, make sure they’re not too hard and seedy.

Season: Mid-January to late March. Early or forced rhubarb has been produced in West Yorkshire since the 1870s, as growers discovered that the heavy clay soil and cold winter climate suited the plant (a native of Siberia). Sequestered in dark sheds, carefully cultivated rhubarb crowns send forth slender, bright pink stems much more delicate in flavor than the thick green shafts of outdoor-grown rhubarb that appear later in the year. This is one of my favorite ways to capture the earthy flavor of rhubarb. It’s a plant that contains very little pectin, so the jam definitely requires an extra dose. The shortish boil time helps to preserve the fabulous color of the stems. I like to add a little Seville orange juice, but juice from sweet oranges works well too. This light, soft jam is good mixed with yogurt or spooned over ice cream, or you can warm it and use to glaze a bread and butter pudding after baking.

Season: Late May to June. I welcome the first tiny gooseberries that appear in the month of May, just as the first boughs of elder flowers are beginning to show. The berries are picked when small, almost as a thinning process, allowing their brothers and sisters to fill out and mature on the bush. But these early green goddesses are full of pectin, sharp, and tart, and make a divine jam. The fragrant elder flowers add a flavor that will remind you, when the days are short and dark, that summer will come again.

A pimiento cheese sandwich made on very fresh white bread is a true southern staple. Nothing goes better with Gwen’s Fried Chicken (page 93). Mama slices the crusts off the sandwiches and cuts them in half for family reunions—very southern belle!

This is my sister’s go-to appetizer for church socials, Super Bowl Sundays, and Christmas munchies. Several years ago, she put too much of the ranch dressing mix into the recipe, and it was hard to serve. My dad renamed it the “cheese wad.” We think Ranch Dressing Cheese Ball sounds more appetizing, but at our house, it will forever be known as Cheese Wad!

I’m sort of a snob when it comes to trying new recipes. I just seem to like my old tried and true ones best, and it takes a lot for something new to grab my attention. I had to have the recipe for this dip after I tried it on Super Bowl Sunday 2006. Garth is a die-hard Steelers fan, so it was an exciting day. Everybody always brings something for the party, and this was my friend Kim’s contribution. Being a good southern girl, I love anything with black-eyed peas in it, but for you folks who are right now turning up your noses at the idea of eating black-eyed peas, all I can say is just try it. In fact, maybe I should name it something else for those skeptics. How about Pea Dippy?

The spice and heat in this jam make it more at ease with meats and cheese than toast. As for the Babylon term, it’s simply in relation to the avid devotion that the world’s kitchen has for reggae music!

In the Market’s kitchen, we make this in mass quantities and use it for all kinds of things. The gentle cooking method produces garlic cloves that are meltingly soft and delicate in flavor, making them easy to blend into mashed potatoes, mayonnaise, salad dressings, or even spread onto sandwiches. The poaching oil becomes infused with garlic flavor; use it in place of olive oil in any savory recipe. (Brushed onto baguette slices, it makes incredible crostini, too.)

You can flavor the goat cheese with any one of the three suggested mix-ins listed below, or make some of each. Serve the cheese spread atop crostini (page 365) or crackers; this recipe makes enough for approximately twenty-four servings.

THIS CREAMY SPREAD can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It adds a tangy element to The Big Omelet (page 210), and spread on bread instead of mayonnaise, it dresses up any sandwich. For an easy appetizer, serve the spread on crostini or with a platter of fresh or grilled vegetables. Artichoke hearts are available in cans or jars, but we prefer canned because they’re brined instead of marinated, lending a milder flavor to the spread. See photograph.

THE SWEET, SMOKY FLAVORS of red peppers are accented with briny olives and feta for a savory spread. We prefer piquillo peppers, which aren’t nearly as spicy as jalapeños but have a bit more heat than red bell peppers, but any jarred red pepper will do. Piquillo peppers are sold in jars and are available at most specialty stores. A perfect spread for artisanal breads and vegetables, it can also be served over grilled meats such as lamb or steak, added to The Big Omelet (page 210), or spooned over a green salad.

MAKING MAYONNAISE FROM SCRATCH is easy and worth the effort; the flavors are much more intense than in store-bought mayonnaise. If you don’t have time to make your own, look for a brand that is free of hydrogenated oils. Mayonnaise easily takes on new flavors, and adding ingredients, such as pesto and wasabi, makes unusual and savory sandwich spreads and vegetable dips.

Try this mayonnaise on chicken or turkey sandwiches.

While it’s great for chicken, this stuffing is also delicious on toast and as a sandwich spread.