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Calamondin & Saffron Preserves
"Calamondins, a cross between kumquats and mandarin oranges, are suspended in saffron syrup in these sophisticated, lip-puckering preserves."
PAIR WITH: Brillat-Savarin PGI
"Amy Deaver has earned a loyal following with Lemon Bird Preserves, the vivid, creatively spiced jams and pickles she makes in her southern California kitchen. Now, she's offering cocktail cherries in three versions: straight-up Maraschinos made from Rainier cherries, subtly sweet and bright yellow; Cocktail Cherries, seasoned with finger limes and vanilla; and Southern Smoked Cherries, soaked in whiskey, ready to drop into a Manhattan. Bonus: The leftover syrup is terrific drizzled over ice cream."
"To be entirely honest, we love pretty much everything Lemon Bird makes, like preserved yuzu and apricot jam. But there's something special about this one. Besides the not-too-tart satsuma and passion fruit (we can't resist passion fruit), the orange blossom water is a burst of floral flavor that we weren't expecting but were sure glad to have."
"Here's a combination you won't find on a Smucker's label: Meyer lemon and dark chocolate. Also unusual: kumquat, tangerine and vanilla bean. Amy Deaver isn't your everyday jam maker, and her preserves aren't your typical aisle-four stock. . . You can do the obvious and apply these viscous creations to a PB&J, but Ms. Deaver likes to serve them with cheese and charcuterie, brush them on grilled shrimp or rub them on rotisserie chicken."
"Within Lemon Bird's calligraphy-labeled jars are unexpected concoctions that bring together herbs, fruit, and spice in usual ways - The satsuma plum with Sichuan pepper is lovely, dreamy stuff, somehow evoking earthy, savory black tea even though it only contains fruit, sugar, and the peppercorns. The luscious apricot with sage honey and whole pistachios is dessert enough on its own, but would be incredible with cheese or unsweetened whipped cream."
"Each of Lemon Bird's pickles uses a unique brine that complements (but doesn't overpower) the character of the SoCal-harvested produce in the jar."
"Lemon Bird Preserves Smoked Cherries. The smokey, syrupy cocktail cherries bring out the dark, sexy side of the cheese. Drink: If munching the cheese for breakfast on toast, black coffee with the above mentioned cherries (something to ease your case of the Mondays). If pairing the two for end-of-the-night snacking, eat with two fingers of rye and an ice cube."
"When Amy Deaver teams the fruit with whole Madagascar vanilla beans, the acidic pulp mellows into the perfect addition to goat cheese crostini."
"There’s a condiment for just about anything. A jar of peach with cinnamon and rose wine makes a perfect barbecue glaze. Top off baked Brie with cherry, honey, and balsamic or the tomato-vanilla blend. Fig with honey and cinnamon takes shortbread to a whole new level, as does the orange, dark chocolate, and cardamom mix. One thing’s for certain: This stuff is definitely not for the birds."
"Amy Deaver pickles unusual farmers market finds like fresh cucamelons (tiny cucumbers that look like watermelons) and perfumes peak-of-summer tomatoes with vanilla beans for a fresh take on everyday breakfast jam."
"All it took was an abundance of peaches for Amy Deaver to start jamming. Her jams, preserves and marmalades come in a variety of unique flavors using the best local seasonal produce, all made in small batches in French copper kettles. Spring brings strawberry with rose petals or lemon basil or yellow grapefruit with candied ginger; summer we look forward to cantaloupe with vanilla and cherry jam with star anise."
"Amy Deaver's farmers market-driven creations - They're in a flavor league of their own. We love them even more for the artistic flair given not only to the label, but the contents inside each jar. Deaver has crafted each to look like a miniature (edible) painting."