So you’re wandering through the grocery store, working on checking items off of your carefully-prepared list, when lo and behold you stumble upon a highlighted, “special” item being promoted by the store. You are stuck in the throngs of other carts cued up to head down the aisle for canned goods, when the nice lady with a hair net offering food samples starts talking about this great new item that you just HAVE to try. Heck, you may as well snack while you’re at the store, right? It’s a time saver; you don’t have to have dinner now! Look at you, multitasking! You try the magical, exclusive fruit spread, and before you know it, you’ve bought 3 jars, just certain that you’ll use them in sauces, roasts, and in creative dishes for all of the friends who are bound to drop by during the holidays. Such a smart shopper you are!
3 months later…
CRAP! Where the heck did all of these extraneous jars come from? How did this jar of clementine marmalade wind up in my pantry? And why in the world did I think I needed 4 of them?? Geez. I can’t just throw it away—my lapsed Catholic guilt would get me for sure. Suddenly, it’s like a twisted crime scene line up. The unusual suspects, lying in wait to confound and taunt you from the recesses of your pantry. Now I have to figure out some kind of “Chopped” TV show scenario to use these items in a way that doesn’t wind up in a nightmare dish that combines white chocolate tomatillo sauce and strawberry rhubarb preserves (shudder).
You’ve done this, right? Fallen into the trappings of an impulse buy, or gathered otherwise unusual ingredients for a trendy new dish that caught your eye? It happens to the best of us. But when time and inspiration fade away, we’re inevitably left with a random assortment of condiments that get pushed farther into the back shelves of our pantries, only to be found when digging for some other long-lost ingredient, or when the movers are on our doorstep (not that I have ANY experience with that last one).
Included in my crazy top 10 list, somehow accumulated in the short 4 months we’ve lived in this house, are:
1. Bacon jam
2. Beer mustard
3. Truffle honey
4. Mostarda (here’s a link in case you aren’t familiar with this mystery ingredient)
5. Strawberry Rhubarb preserves
6. Muscadine jelly
7. Truffle sauce
8. Clementine marmalade
9. White chocolate tomatillo sauce
10. Balsamic glaze
Some initial grandiose recipe ideas included using the bacon jam in a stew, the truffle honey drizzled over a hard Italian cheese, the clementine marmalade as a sauce for pork roast, and the balsamic glaze in a chicken and roasted red pepper dish. And to answer your question: YES, I have actually tried each of these ingredients separately, and was lulled into a false sense of ability and inspiration for the use of each item. Of course, since these are all still sitting on my pantry shelves, you can see how successful I was at implementing those grand ideas.
And so it begins, the brainstorm of what to do with this list of unusual suspects lurking behind the tomato sauce and packages of rice. So I want you to propose to me (I know, so soon!)! From this cornucopia of condiments, propose a recipe idea in the comments section below that is not just palatable, but likely to actually be tasty. I’m putting it out there to cyberspace—what ideas would YOU bring to the dinner table with this list? Whatever the most inspired recipe for one (or more!) of these crazy ingredients, I’ll make, photograph, and post—and give YOU credit for it, I promise!
Ready, set, PROPOSE TO ME!
Add to Favourites
why not make a fry dip with the truffle sauce? you can use any of the jams to make a bar treat, like oatmeal cran-orange bar or something like that. you can use bacon jam as a rub or glaze or just put it on toast, which is tasty …. I hope that helps 🙂
Put the strawberry rhubarb preserves in scone dough. Or as a filling for a nice swirly bread!
Ooo, I like the swirly bread idea!
I found this absolutely hilarious. If my husband read it he would insist we found a support group together or something. He HATES all of these things cluttering up our cupboards! But sometimes they come in really handy… You never know!
Oh Laura, sounds like your husband and mine should get together and go bowling. Yeah, I have a problem with these types of ingredients. They just materialize out of no where!! LOL
I’ve used balsamic glaze on strawberries before. It wasn’t bad. In fact, I shared the recipe on my blog if you are interested.
I love shopping at TJ Maxx and so I am guilty of buying similar condiments that I have no intended use for. I eventually always find a way to use them though.
I think the balsamic glaze is always a must to have around. I put it with Bruschetta.
How about the clementine marmalade over some warm Brie as an appetizer? Or spread on a warm ham and Brie sandwich (toasted panini style? Or as a glaze on turkey legs roasted in the oven?
Hmmm, the glaze idea on a roasted meat sounds tasty. I may have to do the brie sandwich, too! I’ll be looking at empty jars in no time!
How about pairing the mostarda with a cheese plate, choosing two or three cheeses that are new to you?
roasted brussell sprouts glazed with a little bacon jam. at the end ..mmmmm…
When making a grilled cheese sammie, spread the bacon jam on the inside of the bread.
Ooo, bacon and cheese and bread–oh my! That will definitely be one to try!!
Balsamic Glaze:
I have a bottle of this in my husband’s kitchen in CO (oh the wonders of military married life for anyone else who reads this and wonders why we have 2 kitchens…if only one of them was a good kitchen, it might be okay) and 2, that’s right, 2 bottles in my kitchen.
How to use:
Caprase Salad is my main use. When I was overseas, there was this outdoor restaurant that served the most amazing caprase salad. It was fabulous, the mozzarella, the tomatoes were fresh, a nice light olive oil, some basil and two last toppings that really made the salad: balsamic glaze and black olives. You see I’m a little odd, I don’t like a lot of basil so this light touch of basil made me happy. And I don’t like the standard calmatta olives used in many salads and foods to make them sound yummier but to me they taste ickier. So this salad was amazing. But the glaze was awesome because unlike regular balsamic vinegar, it was thick and didn’t run into the oil and make a mess, but allowed you to choose where you wanted the balsamic flavor. The chef drizzled it across the top of the salad and over the plate lightly so there wasn’t too much but not too little. And when you were done, there was bread to dip into the left over oil and glaze.
I also have used it in salads in my home. I don’t buy a lot of salad dressings but tend to make my own. My favorite, you wonder? I make up a nice salad, grind a little fresh pepper onto it, grind a little dried garlic over it (I use a pepper/salt grinder and buy my dehydrated garlic flakes from Penzeys for this == best trick ever and the garlic tastes so much better than using plain garlic powder–no garlic salt in my house. Then I drizzle a teaspoon or two of olive oil over the salad and a squirt or two of the glaze over the top. Fresh, not quite balsamic vinaigrette but better!
Lastly, an appetizer. Fresh baked bread…a rustic tuscan or italian or a baguette from the store work well. Some olive oil and three or so small bread plates or something to use for the dipping oils. I use plain fresh ground black pepper and oil, italian seasoning and oil, or even a mix of seasonings meant just for bread dipping. My favorite though is olive oil, black pepper and that fresh ground garlic. Sometimes I add fresh grated parmesan and the husband loves the balsamic glaze in this as well. For the same reasons as I mention above. It’s thicker so it doesn’t spread around as much as plain balsamic vinegar does.
Hope that helps for 1 ingredient 😀
As for the beer mustard, I’d try that on a German Pretzel or a nice salami and triscut cracker with a sharp white cheddar. But if you want to use it in a recipe, I’d suggest turning it into a vinaigrette salad dressing. NOT a honey mustard one…as a mustard lover with 3 types of mustard in my fridge in AL and 4 more in the husband’s in CO (our record is 7 different ones I think and maybe we had a bottle of ketchup), honey mustard is one of the meanest things you can do to the yumminess of mustard but I realize people love it. Anyhow, a mustard vinaigrette or a mustard based bbq sauce over a nice pulled pork sandwich with dill pickle slices, sliced white or yellow onions and coleslaw (yes all on the sandwich). Also, a Chicago Dog. I’d put it on one of those and love it! 😀 Curious to see what others come up with 😀
Now THAT’S what I call rising to the challenge!!! And I have some crusty bread on the counter right now. Lunch may be taken care of!
I wish there was a ‘like’ function. Enjoy lunch…pairs well with wine (white or red depending on seasonings and personal preferences)