Shallot and Red Wine Jam

In one mouthwatering roll around the tongue you get fruity, onion-y, sweet, and tangy. Shallots with honey, wine, balsamic vinegar, and aromatic vanilla beans, slowly cooked into a sticky compote–this intensely flavorful savory shallot and red wine jam almost takes your breath away.

On top of crostini, paired with goat cheese, the plum-colored tangle of allium becomes a fabulous cocktail nibble. Delicious with a glass of red wine. Since you didn’t use the entire bottle of wine to make your shallot jam, you might as well drink the rest along with the crostini. At least that’s how it went down with me… 
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This recipe yields more jam than you need for a small party—put together something else yummy with what’s leftover. You will love sharp cheddar cheese melted with shallot and red wine jam as a quesadilla filling–O-M-G! To heck with the crostini–make quesadillas.

Shallot and Red Wine Jam recipe notes:

• Shallots are the sweeter cousins of onion and garlic. They come with similar papery skin covering two lobes, or cloves.
• The hardest part of this simple recipe is cutting the shallots as thinly as possible—use a sharp chef’s knife.
• Shallots keep a little texture when cooked; unlike onions, they don’t soften or truly caramelize.

• Choose a fruity red wine, like Pinot Noir, Rioja, or Zinfandel.
• Shallot and red wine jam pairs well with garlicky sautéed greens too. Hmmm–brain spinning—why not put garlicky greens in those quesadillas next time?
• Recipe adapted from the Red Wine-Shallot Compote in Peter Berley’s Flexitarian Table.

Every month Becky of Vintage Mixer gathers a group of recipe-writing bloggers and a list of seasonal produce, to get our creative juices flowing. This month I chose shallots. “They’re my jam.” Does that slang make me sound crazy, old, or young?

Check out Becky’s 90+ recipes this month–recipes featuring seasonal veggies and fruits. Follow the bloggers below to see what we all created for April. We hope they inspire you to get in the kitchen and cook something seasonal and delicious.

Asparagus and Baked Ricotta Tart by Vintage Mixer

Papaya-Lime Smoothie Bowl with Toasted Cashew-Quinoa Cereal by Floating Kitchen

Easy Maple Mustard Chicken Drumsticks with Roasted Radishes and Asparagus by Simple Bites

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Rice Noodle Bowls: Bun Ga Nuong by Food For My Family

Rhubarb Ginger-Berry Bourbon Cooler by Climbing Grier Mountain

Marinated Beets with White Wine Vinegar by Project Domestication

Lemon Rosemary Shrimp and Broccoli Slaw by Cookin’ Canuck

Spring Vegetable Lemon Risotto by Flavor the Moments

Key Lime Pie by Foodie Crush

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Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Shallot and Red Wine Jam

Terrific with goat cheese as an appetizer, this is the most delicious savory jam you will ever enjoy. This shallot and red wine jam with cheddar cheese make incredible quesadillas! Yields about 1 1/2 cups jam.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Component, Condiment

Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: 1 cups

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 1 pound shallots
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ cups red wine
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup honey or agave syrup
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary , optional
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Cut the shallots in half lengthwise to separate the lobes. Remove the papery skin and any dry outside layers and trim the tip and the tail. Slice thinly, crosswise.
• Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Stir in the shallots and sauté until they begin to soften. Add the red wine, water, honey, both vinegars, and the salt. Split the vanilla bean down the middle with a knife and scrape out the tiny seed pods. Add the bean and its scrapings to the skillet, along with the rosemary, if using. Grind in a generous amount of black pepper, at least 20 turns of the grinder.
• Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat as low as you can. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the most of the liquid is gone, about an hour. Remove the vanilla bean and rosemary sprig.
• Serve warm, or spoon into jars and refrigerate. Serve with goat cheese and crostini toast or crackers.

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***This recipe is an update of one I posted in August 2012, and migrated over from my old muffintalk.wordpress.com blog.