gastronomy

I just finished licking the last of the 'Rhubarb with Acacia Honey and Rosemary' jam from my fingers. I'm in heaven. It is that good. In fact, all the jams I have made from Mes Confitures have been fantastic. And I have made quite a few.

I've been inspired by the contents of this book: the jellies can be used as bases for meat glazes, toppings for ice cream, dessert flavorings, or would be the perfect finish over sourdough waffles. Amazing possibilities.

I love jams made with unusual ingredients and combinations, but I don't love making five batches to fine tune the taste. Christine Ferber has already done it for me in this book, and her inventions are *fantastic.* She has a true european appreciation for the concept of savory. Not every jam needs to be cloyingly sweet. Many of her recipes call for overnight fruit/sugar macerations to slowly combine the ingredients.

She does have a habit of seeming to forget that most of us don't live next to farmers and friends who can stroll about and collect fresh ingredients for us. Her recipes often call for specific varieties of fruit. Luckily the translator has written brief footnotes for most specific listings like that, and you can figure out a good substitution. If nothing else, head to a farmers market and tell them the flavor/consistency of fruit you want and they can help you find a native variety that matches.

Hopefully none of my family members will read this book, because if they do they're going to know what jellies they're getting for christmas this year.

Her techniques for jam-making and her emphasis on fresh fruits and small batches make for truly wonderful jam. I made grape jam using her techniques and it is the best grape jam I have ever eaten.