Last week I was in Park City, Utah, and I had the best afternoon snack. It was a piece of thick wheat bread, slathered with a smear of softened goat cheese and topped with a habanero-orange jam. It was the perfect piece of toast.
If I lived near this restaurant (Publik Coffee Roaster if you happen to be down there sometime), I might eat this everyday for breakfast. The bread, made by a local vendor (Red Bicycle Bread), was cut thick and it was a hearty, but not too dense of a slice of wheat. It was only lightly toasted.
The toast was then topped with a thick (but not too thick) spread of goat cheese. The jam came last and I asked for a sprinkle of pepper on top.
Ever since I ate this perfect toast, I wanted to make a spicy and savory jam so I could recreate a version of this at home. And lucky me, raspberries are in season.
I went to the farmer’s market and visited a few of my favorite vendors. Cosmic Apple had fresh cilantro and Grove City Gardens has a pallet of raspberries. Fresh jalapenos are not quite ready just yet, so I had to go to the grocery store for those.
I have made raspberry jam many times. I have a basic recipe that I have written in this column before. It is thick but still very spreadable. I usually simply mix raspberries, lemon, lemon zest, vanilla, sugar and salt and boil it until the mixture thickens. I decided to take that basic recipe and adapt it a little bit to make a spicy version of the jam. 
Raspberries, I think, go particularly well with jalapenos and cilantro. I happen to have limes at home so I used them instead of lemons and I loved the combination. This is sort of like a sweeter version of a good raspberry salsa, minus the salsa of course.
After I finished the jam, I wished I had added onions. I actually might sauté and add one to a few of the jars that I didn’t process and can. So, feel free to add half of a chopped white onion to the jam when you put in the jalapenos. I think it would be a nice addition, though the jam was great as is.
I plan to use this jam to make my own version of the goat cheese toast. I also served it as a side to grilled jerk chicken and it was delicious. I think it would be an amazing addition to a sophisticated cheese plate. And, if you are an adventurous eater, use it also on your next peanut butter and jelly. The light, spicy kick could make the sandwich unique.
One last note: I found the spice level perfect, so I suggest including all the seeds in the jalapenos. I had a mild spice but no burning after bite. If you are really sensitive to spice, leave the seeds out. If you like a huge dose of spice, add an extra jalapeno.
Raspberry Jalapeno Cilantro Jam
Ingredients
- (Makes about 3, 4-ounce jars. Feel free to multiply this many times to make a lot of jars.)
- 8 ounces fresh raspberries
- 8 ounces granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 jalapeño pepper (stem removed but seeds included), chopped or diced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the raspberries in a heavy bottom saucepan. Using the back of a wooden spoon, crush them as best you can. Add the sugar and lime juice, then stir.
- Turn the heat on medium and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the chopped jalapeño.
- Cooking until it has thickened a little bit and reduced (about 20 minutes). There is no right or wrong consistency. It you like it thick, cook it a bit longer. If you prefer a thinner jam, cook for a little less time.
- Turn off the heat and add the cilantro, stirring until it’s combined.
- Ladle the jam into your hot, sterilized jars. Loosely screw on the lids and process for 10 minutes. Let sit on a cooling wrack, undisturbed, for at least 12 hours.
