IS FOR JAM
B Y C O L L E E N T H O M P S O N
There might be no better simple treat. Dolloped
on hot biscuits, spread on toast, squished inside
pastry or slathered between layer cakes. The
simplest of preparations: ripe fruit, heated with
sugar, cooled and stored. B Jam made with
care might be fruit’s greatest vocation — par-ticularly
in the summer — when we need to use
up the abundance of produce before it spoils.
In the wintertime, jam becomes the harbinger
of warmer days that gets me through the winter
until spring’s first strawberries arrive. Y Each
of us has a favorite. Mine is strawberry — lus-cious,
gleaming and so sweet. Essential on
scones and the jam of choice for the Queen and
James Bond. Apricot is a staple. Blackberry per-haps
the most elegant and Parisian. Muscadine
is a must for drizzling onto hot biscuits and
grits. The jolt of sweet fig jam cuts through
the richness of wild game. The amber fruit
preserve marmalade still defines breakfast
and elevates the humble slice of toast. X
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WBM june 2019