Product Reviews

Ambrosial…Grilled cheese sandwich as haute cuisine? A heavenly combination – and recent obsession – that combines cheesemaker Brenda Jensen’s brilliant new Bohemian Blue (Hidden Springs Creamery) with locally produced Figs and Black Tea preserves from Quince & Apple raises the bar forever on the lowly cheese sandwich.

Dried mission figs are simmered with Indonesian black tea for a dark, caramel-y conserve that can swing sweet or savory. Take inspiration from Madison coffee shop Bradbury’s and fold the jam into a crêpe with fresh chèvre.

Dried black Mission figs steep in a blend of black Indonesian tea and just the right amount of sugar, making for a heavenly spread that sings with both salty and sweet flavors. We especially love it stirred into our morning yogurt of alongside a big hunk of cheddar cheese.

The depth and astringency of black tea comes out immediately in the fig flavor.

A little reminiscent of the filling in a Fig Newton, but far more moist and delicious. The black tea serves to mellow the fig flavor ever so slightly.

Red wine practically billows from the shallot variety, which finishes with the taste of shallots and a bit of caramelized sweetness.

I recommend…Shallot Confit with Red Wine, a fine preserve that features caramelized shallots that are slow-cooked with a robust red wine, so that the natural sugars of the shallot balance the audacious acidic vintage. Not created for the pedestrian PB&J sandwich, this is a truly adult endeavor. Pair it with a favorite cheese that tends to contort the face…like a pungent bleu or an aged sharp cheddar. Serve it with artisan crackers or with roasted poultry.

Its flavor exhibits a complex and delicate balance between the potent shallots and a robust (but ‘not fancy’) red wine.

Literally eye opening, bright as the sun, a bracing mix of sweet and sour.

Stuff we want to eat right now…If you want to send a summer indulgence to someone special (or even to yourself), then treat yourself to a look at some of our deliverable favorites. This preserves producer based out of Madison, Wisconsin, makes its brightly flavored marmalade from only sugar, oranges, lemons, ginger, and pectin.

Citrus-sweet goodness

Practically begs to be served inside of a crepe.