In this installment
Apricot Jam
Vanilla Plum Cream
Mango Passion Fruit Pate de Fruit
Apricot Jam
We taste a heck of a lot of jam when scouting for new foods, so it can be hard for one to stand out amongst the fruity pack. But after trying this apricot jam and chatting with genial founder Jean-Eric Lavenir, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The small family-owned company of Olbia uses a medley of eleven varieties of apricots grown in their own orchards in Provence. The fruits are picked in the morning and in a jar by the end of the day. The sumptuous jam is a beautiful jeweled orange color with a balanced sweet-tart flavor that will brighten up any breakfast or dessert.
Anyone who’s ever eaten an aprioct can appreciate how tricky they are to work with. You blink and they go from under-ripe to mush. Utilizing the fruit at the peak of flavor and texture is the true art of Jean-Eric Lavenir. This is what it’s like to “paint with flavors.”
Vanilla Plum Cream
The countryside surrounding Bordeaux is most synonymous with grapes, but they aren’t the only fruit in town. Mixed among the vineyards are hundreds of plum orchards.
Plums have been grown here for centuries, and for much of their history were just as valuable as salt. The plums grown in the region are particularly large and flavorful, and, when semi-dried, can be kept as a stupendous sweetener all year long—a big deal in the days before refrigeration.
Today, the family at the storybook castle Château de Born take their plums, dry them just enough to preserve them, and then whip the plums into a luscious, spreadable cream with a bit of vanilla bean and a touch of sugar. The flavor is bright and clean and fruity, and the texture is silky and rich.
Use it like jam: Spread it on toast or croissants or crepes, dollop a spoonful on ice cream or into your oatmeal.
Mango Passion Fruit Pate de Fruit
Surrounded by France’s most luscious and bountiful fruits, the confections of Provence come with an extra level of luxe. These pâte de fruit—think posh fruit gummies—from third generation confectioner François Doucet capture the redolent, rich flavors of our favorite fruits in a smooth, sweet eating experience. They’re jammy and burst with the the type of fresh fruit flavor you rarely find in a sugar encrusted confection.
The morsels make wonderful treats anytime of day. Especially great for those looking to expand their sweets repertoire beyond chocolate.