Sweet Onion Jam
This is an easy-to-make but luxurious condiment with a myriad of uses, like grilled meats, crostini toppings or even a hamburger.
I made this specifically to accompany a roasted pork tenderloin, but used it a second time with baked chicken. Unlike several other recipes of this ilk that I've run across, mine contains no added sugar. Start with naturally sweet Vidalia, or Texas-1015 onions when they are available and you have all the natural sugar you need. And the balsamic vinegar will carry the sweetness through to complete the jam without the need for added sugar.
I am taking some poetic license in calling this a jam. Technically, a jam contains fruit and sugar, neither of which are actually in this recipe. Because of the root vegetable and the vinegar, it’s really closer to a chutney or just a relish. But those just sounded boring to me.
This Kitchen Tapestry Sweet Onion Jam is not really something meant for breakfast toast, but rather meant to accompany savory food flavors as a sweet balance. If goes very well with roasted pork or chicken, but would also be good on a burger or a crostini with melted goat cheese. My recipe adds sage and thyme to give the jam an earthy, herbal background as a further offset to the rich sweetness of the onions and balsamic vinegar; speaking of which, use a quality IGP Certified Balsamic Vinegar, like Colavita. If you do not know what an IGP Balsamic vinegar is, look it up here.
While deceptively simple in it's ingredients and preparation, I cannot over-emphasize the time element. Many recipes will have you sautéing and simmering the onions for a relatively short period of time. I recommend a full hour of slow stewing the onions with their vinegar and seasoning counterparts to reap the full benefit and end-result of this versatile accompaniment.
Sweet Onion Jam
Ingredients
- 4 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia, Walla-Walla or Texas -1015
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup good quality IGP Balsamic Vinegar
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp dried sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 7-8 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the onions, cut off the root and the top, and then slice horizontally to make onion rings about 1/8-inch thick. Take the time to separate all the rings from each slice.
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan with a lid that is large enough to accommodate all of the onions over medium high heat.
- Place all the onion rings in the pan, cover, and allow them to cook and collapse, stirring frequently to keep the onions circulating through to the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes.
- Once the onions have collapsed, keep stirring and sautéing uncovered until they continue to soften and begin to caramelize, another 15 minutes or so.
- Flatten the onions in a level layer at the bottom of your pan. Turn down the heat to medium low, and stir in the balsamic vinegar until it is just even with the top of the layer of cooked onions. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, and stir well to combine.
- Cap the pan with its lid and allow the mixture to gently simmer, but not so much that you lose a lot of liquid. Stir occasionally, maybe once every 10 minutes or so.
- Once the onion mixture has cooked for a total time of about 1 hour, remove the cover and continue to simmer until all of any remaining liquid has evaporated. Your onion mixture should be dark brown, glistening and moist, but not runny. You can test this by putting a spoonful of the onion jam on a plate. If liquid oozes beyond the dollop of jam, it is too wet.
- Once cooked thoroughly, allow it to cool completely. The taste is best when served at room temperature. The jam can be refrigerated in a container with a tight fitting lid for a couple of weeks.
