More years ago than I care to remember (actually it was the late 70’s) I travelled around Europe for many months in an old VW Combi van that had been converted to a camper.
I attribute this time to the beginning of my complete and utter love affair with food. Even though I later realized the foundations for this had already been laid in the preceding years, this is what really led me on my chosen path.
As we travelled I discovered many new dishes and foods but one that has stayed firmly in my heart is a particular jam.
We bought a jar of this jam one day in a fairly ordinary epicerie. I remember it being very inexpensive – 5 francs comes to mind which I think was just over a dollar back then. It was a huge jar – at least 800 or 900 grams of apricot jam. I had of course eaten apricot jam before – my mother made it every year in fact – but this jam was very different to anything I’d experienced before.
What made it unique to me was the fact that it was full of whole apricots, some even with the stones still inside. It became a competition to see who could ‘land’ a whole apricot onto their toast. The brand of this spectacular jam was Bonne Maman which translates to ‘good mother’ and I have loved it ever since that day. I have carried numerous jars back from trips, hidden them at the back of the cupboard or fridge so I didn’t have to share and savoured each and every mouthful.
So you can imagine my delight when the brand appeared in New Zealand a few years ago. I am immensely grateful to La Fromagerie, the specialty French importer in Auckland, who imports the range of Bonne Maman jams. Fortunately their delightful café and epicerie is just around the corner from my house so I am assured of a ready supply.
The other day I was invited to breakfast at La Fromagerie to celebrate the re-launch of Bonne Maman jams on the NZ market. They’ll now be more widely available so everyone can enjoy them. It’s not only the contents which haven’t changed a bit. The jars are exactly the same as they were when I first discovered them – a traditional faceted jar with a red gingham lid and even the same hand written label.
The breakfast was a simple one designed so we could enjoy the jam as it is intended – with the best baguette and the best butter. There were also flakey croissant and soft buttery brioche to spread with jam as well. Along with excellent coffee it bought back many a memory of past breakfasts in France.
When I had my Deli in the 80’s I used to make jam crostatas. My favorite will always be raspberry, but I remember I made them with whatever jam was seasonal at the time, including apricot, fig and also marmalade. Essentially a crostata is a free-form tart made with rich short pastry rolled out flat and spread quite thickly with jam. The edges are then tuned in over the top and it can be decorated with lattice strips or other shapes, such as the leaves I have used on this one here.
Bonne Maman jam is perfect for these tarts because it is made the real old fashioned way – with just fruit and sugar. I have found other jams too sweet and cloying. It’s such a simple dessert that takes no time to make. You can also make small individual tarts or crostata to serve for afternoon tea.
There are lots of other ways of course that you can use the Bonne Maman conserves and La Fromagerie has enlisted one of Auckland’s most talented young chefs, Ben Bayly, chef at The Grove, to design several dishes using the jams to show just how versatile they can be. You can find Ben Bayly’s dishes for venison, duck and quail, along with two desserts at http://www.mvauron.co.nz/food/bonne-maman-recipes.asp
In the meantime here’s my ultra easy Jam Crostata.
Jam Crostata – free form jam tart
1¾ cups flour
⅓ cup caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
100 grams butter, diced and chilled
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons chilled water
about 400 grams raspberry jam or jam of your choice
egg wash made from 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
OR a little milk or cream
granulated sugar to garnish
Pastry: Put the flour, sugar and the salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Add the butter and the lemon zest and process until it resembles coarse crumbs. Beat the egg, yolk and 1 tablespoon of the water together and add to the dough. Pulse until it just starts to come together, only adding the extra water if necessary. Tip onto the bench and gently bring together by hand to form a disc. The dough will feel quite sticky. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and place a baking tray in the oven to preheat.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured bench to 2-3mm thick. Use a 30cm plate as a guide to cut out a circle. Transfer it carefully to a second, cold, baking tray lined with baking paper. Re-roll the remaining pastry and cut out leaf shapes with a cutter or use a fresh picked leaf such as ivy as a template.
Spread the jam evenly over the pastry, leaving a 3cm border.
Flip the pastry border over the jam, pleating it gently to fit. Place the leaf shapes on top of the jam. Refrigerate the tart until firm then, just before baking, brush the edges ad leaves with egg wash or a little milk. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Place the baking sheet directly on top of the preheated one. This helps to give the base a burst of heat. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and the pastry is thoroughly cooked. Set aside to cool.
To serve: Slide the crostata onto a board or serving plate. Serve with softly whipped cream if desired. If you don’t eat it all at once, it will keep airtight for a couple of days.
Serves 6-8
