Caramelized Onion Jam

Submitted by KeyWee

"A cerain "someone" (who is a jelly & jam expert!) has been after me to post this recipe for quite some time. After finding it in Saveur Magazine, we spent a morning making up a double batch. It was fun and the jam turned out to be "interesting". If you try it, let us know what you think."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 4 pints

ingredients

• 4 heads garlic, whole, bulbs
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 5 cups sweet onions, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup butter, cubed
• 3⁄4 cup cider vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 cups sugar
• 1 (3 ounce) package liquid fruit pectin

directions

1. Remove papery outer skin from garlic bulbs, but do not peel or separate cloves.
2. Cut the tops off of the bulbs and brush with vegetable oil.
3. Wrap each bulb in foil and bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes.
4. In a Dutch oven, saute onions in butter for 30 to 40 minutes, until lightly browned.
5. Squeeze softened garlic into pot and stir in both vinegars, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, ginger and cloves.
6. Bring to a rolling boil and gradually add sugar, stirring constantly, boiling for three minutes.
7. Add pectin and boil for one minute more, stirring constantly.
8. Remove pot from heat and let stand for three minutes. Skim off foam.
9. Pour hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/2" of headspace.
10. Adjust caps and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Reviews

[La Dilettante]

Oh, yeah...this is some kinda tasty! When the sweet Vidalia onions hit the markets, I always buy far too many, so end up looking for ways to use them up. This is a GREAT savory-sweet jam. I spoon it over cream cheese for a quick appetizer with crackers, and everyone loves it!

 

[lmoren]

I was disappointed in this recipe. It's extremely sweet, not what I would spread in a sandwich or on a pizza crust. It might be suitable for a ham glaze - I'm hoping I can salvage it that way.

 

[melanie_swarner]

This was so good! We tried a little last night with lamb sausages. I plan to make more for my friends and family. To save a trip to the store (and gas), I made a few substitutions. It turned out just fine. 1. I used a mixture of red, sweet and cooking onions that I had lying around. 2. I also only had one lemon, so I used 1/4 lemon juice and substituted additional balsamic for the remaining 1/4 cup. 3. I didn't use liquid fruit pectin. Instead, I prepared sur-jell per package directions (1 package + 3/4 water; rolling boil for one minute stirring constantly). Just substitute this for the liquid. No need to change any other steps.

 

[Nancy W.]

Have made this for years, both for home use and gifts. Like it on sandwiches (cheddar, beef) or as a garnish for curry dishes (like a chutney). Others have liked it so much, they ask for the recipe to make more themselves. Good recipe & thank you.

 

[cshideler]

I love savory jams and have had caramelized jelly before, so was excited to try it for myself. However, this jam is SO SWEET! The savory flavors are overpowered by the sugar. I'm going to try it again and cut down the sugar SIGNIFICANTLY. I'm going to try 1-2 cups brown sugar instead. Ick, so so sweet!