A New Use For Lapsang!
Posted: Dec 8th, '07, 10:39
Every year my grandmother makes a ton of different jams and jellies (lots of orchards and berry farms in her area of Pennsylvania!), and sends them off to all her children and grandchildren. Unfortunately, I just opened a jar of her gooseberry and discovered that Gran must have forgotten that she'd already added the sugar. That sucker was sweet.
I didn't want to waste Gran's love 'n labor, though, so I melted the jam in a saucepan and added about 1 cooking cup's worth of quadruple-strength lapsang souchong. I thoroughly mixed the two, then let the solution reduce to the original volume of the jam. (One of these gizmos is excellent for judging adequate reduction.)
I've got to say...not bad. The sweetness is definitely cut and the smokiness is really complementary. I wouldn't put it on a PB&J, but it would totally pass for one of those ritzy gourmet jellies people often put out with cheese and crackers at parties. I'm not going to go through the rigmarole of sanitizing a canning jar, so it'll have to stay in the fridge, but I'm still pretty impressed with my creation.
I didn't want to waste Gran's love 'n labor, though, so I melted the jam in a saucepan and added about 1 cooking cup's worth of quadruple-strength lapsang souchong. I thoroughly mixed the two, then let the solution reduce to the original volume of the jam. (One of these gizmos is excellent for judging adequate reduction.)
I've got to say...not bad. The sweetness is definitely cut and the smokiness is really complementary. I wouldn't put it on a PB&J, but it would totally pass for one of those ritzy gourmet jellies people often put out with cheese and crackers at parties. I'm not going to go through the rigmarole of sanitizing a canning jar, so it'll have to stay in the fridge, but I'm still pretty impressed with my creation.