Thursday, April 29, 2010

Pluot Swirl

'Way back when, I took a jam making class from the delightful June Taylor. In that class, we prepped Dapple Dandy pluots for the pot and each of us got a jar of the jam we had made to take home. Recently, I opened my jar and have been enjoying the heck out of it on toast and muffins. It is ever so slightly sweet, chunky, fruity and a beautiful shade of dark rose. Lovely stuff.

The other morning, just back from Connecticut, I was looking in my nearly-empty fridge for something to make for breakfast; I found a small, half full tub of plain Greek yogurt and, as I turned to close the door, spied the jar of pluot jam.

Now, I detest commercial yogurt with jam in it; all the tartness of the yogurt gets buried in the sicky-sweet of the jam. I was tired, too, of yogurt itself, having consumed gallons of the stuff all winter on a mysterious yogurt binge - I think my bones were craving calcium. Anyway, I thought perhaps June's jam might improve it enough to finish off that last bit before it grew fur. And, boy oh boy, was I ever right! I swirled a small dollop into the yogurt and had a splendid breakfast. Not only did it retain its tartness, it also gained sweet-tart fruity flavor and beautiful color
from the pluots.

If you've never tried June Taylor's jams, made locally here in Berkeley, you are missing a treat. She uses a tiny fraction of the normal sugar, fresh organic fruit from growers she knows as friends (she hugs them when they bring in baskets of fruit), and a lifetime of experience to concoct delicious varieties. You can order online from her website, find her at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market in San Francisco and, occasionally, I see her jams in high-end food stores. Wherever you find them, grab a jar and swirl it into your yogurt or onto your toast - you're in for a treat!

And she didn't ask me to say so.

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5 Comments:

Blogger Louis la Vache said...

This jam looks delicious. «Louis», like you detests the cloyingly sweet yogurt sold here. He misses the good yogurt - and the fromage frais and other yogurt cousins there. He's never understood why Dannon and Yoplait haven't tried to develop that part of the market here.

Thursday, April 29, 2010  
Blogger cookiecrumb said...

Have you read the pluot book? "The Perfect Fruit." Written by a friend of mine, Chip Brantley.
http://www.chipbrantley.com/

I've GOT to get back to making yogurt. Mm!

Thursday, April 29, 2010  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Louis, I just buy plain yogurt and stir in a little sugar, the way they served it in my French boarding school when I was young. That way, you get sweet/tart and smooth/crunchy all in the same bite. Delish!

Cookiecrumb, no, I haven't heard of that. Yet another book for my long reading list! I used to have a yogurt maker but no longer do. It's a good idea to make my own. The nonfat is a little thin and the Greek style too rich for everyday; if I made my own, I could balance that.

Friday, April 30, 2010  
Blogger cookiecrumb said...

Your "blend" of yogurt textures sounds great. I know you can make yogurt without a machine... You wrap the tub of cultured milk in a towel, and stash it in the oven with just the light on for warmth, no heat. Harold McGee said so.

Friday, April 30, 2010  
Blogger Zoomie said...

Cookiecrumb, I'm tempted to try it. Don't need no stinking machine.

Saturday, May 01, 2010  

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