The Secret to Summery Desserts in Winter
The New York Times
Two easy jam-filled desserts satisfy the craving for bright, bold berries when they’re far from their peak.
One of my earliest memories is of sitting in my grandmother’s lap, holding a jelly doughnut. I’d lick the jiggly red sweetness from the center, then hand her back the empty shell. Without the jelly, a doughnut was just a lump of dough. Small child-me would lick the jam off my morning toast, too, and when there was no other dessert, I’d dip my spoon directly into jam jar.
Now that I’ve grown up, I learned to appreciate the entire doughnut. But I’ll still dip a spoon into the jam jar, especially in winter, when those syrupy bits of raspberry and plum can be the closest we get to the vibrant taste of ripe summer fruit.
Historically speaking, jams, jellies and marmalades were some of the only ways to eat fruit in winter in temperate, nontropical zones. But up until the late 19th century, sugar was so expensive that jam was a luxury. It was more economical to preserve fruit by drying it. Sweet-toothed Alice in Wonderland had to suffer jam tomorrow and jam yesterday, never jam today. A spoonful of jam was a once in a while treat, indeed.
