Skip to content
shallot marmalade & jam recipe

Shallot jam is a wonderful addition to a number of dishes. It’s a bit sweet and a little tangy, as well as savory, and a judicious spoonful perks up roasted meats or pâté, and can easily dress up a grilled chicken breast. You might not be familiar with shallots, but they are common in French cuisine and they’re the sweeter cousin of onions. I buy them by the sack at the outdoor markets and in American supermarkets, you’ll find them tucked away in the onion aisle.

French shallot marmalade recipe

You can use the smaller shallots, or the larger ones for this marmalade. The variety doesn’t really matter. I particularly love it with chicken liver mousse or vegetarian foie gras, and it goes well with cheese too. Although I’m sure you can find other uses for this delectable condiment.

shallot marmalade & jam recipe

Shallot Marmalade

This condiment goes great with pate or as a sweet counterpoint to anything rich and meaty. In Paris, there’s normally a gathering before dinner for drinks, such as a kir or a glass of Champagne. I’ve served this with slices of foie gras on toasted brioche, a perfect partnership. You can use large or small shallots. Feel free to another dried fruit (diced, if necessary), such as apricots, figs, dried cranberries, or cherries, in place of the raisons or prunes. In place of the beer, you can use half white wine, half water, or water with a squeeze of lemon or orange juice in it.
  • 1 pound (450g) shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoon unflavored vegetable oil
  • big pinch of coarse salt
  • a few turns of freshly-cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (125ml) beer
  • 1/4 cup (50g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider or balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup (80g) raisins or dried currants
  • In a medium-sized saucepan, warm the oil and saute the shallots over moderate heat with a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring frequently, until the shallots are soft and wilted, which should take about 10 minutes.
  • Add the beer, sugar, honey, vinegar, and raisins or currants, and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the shallots begin to caramelize. While cooking, continue stirring them just enough to keep them from burning. If the mixture seems to be very dry, add a small splash of water toward the end of cooking, to encourage a little juiciness.
  • The jam is done when the shallots are nicely-caramelized, as shown in the picture in the post. Do not overcook; there should still be a bit of juices in the pot when it’s ready. Transfer to a jar.

Notes

Storage: Store the jam in the refrigerator, where it will keep for at least 2 months.
 Related Recipes

Seville Orange Marmalade

Bergamot Marmalade

Apricot Jam

No-Recipe Cherry Jam

Rhubarb-Berry Jam


16 comments

    • Paula

    Glad to hear about another cookbook to look for. I have Mme Ferber’s “Mes Tartes Sucrees et Salees.” It is in French so I have made the occasional goof. Fortunately it is (usually) less important in making a tart than jam!

    • Diva

    I also love the beer and nib jelly.. the other jelly they make that I love too is watermelon chili!

    • David

    To preserve color we use the peel of an apple when making jam.

    • Vladimir

    Since 212° F = 100° C (water boils), 220° F can not be 93° C; it is roughly 104° C. This science minute was brought to you by…

    • David Morton

    David,
    Assume the beer goes in with the vinegar etc :-)

    Also, the ginger and white chocolate ice cream fantastic, I’ve already made three batches.
    Thank you.

    David

    • David

    Thanks, I knew I should have stuck to fahrenheit, which I know like the back of my hand. Darn metrics! And yes, the beer goes in with the vinegar and sugar.

    • James M.

    David, Thanks for posting the recipe!

    James M.

    • Connie

    I love tomato jam , but have never been able to pull it off. The memory of my Grandmama’s gets in the way, but now I will get your book just for your recipe.Any hints ?

    • Lucy Vanel

    Wow that looks awfully delicious.

    • Luisa

    That sounds like a fantastic recipe – what a great fusion of tastes. Can’t wait to try it!

    • Katie

    I’m also a huge fan of beer and chocolate, especially delicious belgian ales like Ommegang (brewed in Cooperstown, NY, bottled in bottles shipped from France) with dark chocolate.

    • Bea at La Tartine Gourmande

    Very interesting combinations indeed! Adventurous that you are! Love the shallots in it! A little bit like confiture d’oignons, yes?
    Just finished making my jams a few days ago ;-) Have to refrain from eating them too fast!

    • Julie

    I love savory jam like this. Your tips were really great too. I have been too intimidated to try making jam with the whole jar-sterilizing process. I may have to give it a go for SHF.

    • Katie

    1 question: have you (or anyone) tried to make jams/preserves with no or very little sugar – just fruit? I tried, rather unsuccessfully, last year when our fruit trees were all in hyper-drive. They were all very flavorful…but rather runny – except the pear-ginger and the apple butter.

    1 comment: Growing up in Wisconsin Beer country – nothing tastes better than beer and chocolatey Devil’s food cake with Fudge frosting…

    • shuna fish lydon

    Mmmmmmmmm shallots. Remember Middleton Gardens? Once at TFL we bought the most exquisite little shallots from Nancy and Thomas roasted them. I stole a few skins and when he caught me I said I wanted to make roasted shallot skin ice cream.

    This combination sounds fabulous and your hints are spot on!

    • deccanheffalump

    Love your blog. This recipe sounds so interesting. I agree 100% with your views on the Christine Ferber book which is wonderful! Have made quite a few jams out of it and her method has taught me a lot!Thanks for the jam making tips as well.

A

Get David's newsletter sent right to your Inbox!

15987

Sign up for my newsletter and get my FREE guidebook to the best bakeries and pastry shops in Paris...