Jellies and Jam Recipes

Peanut butter and jelly cheesecake with a crunchy oat-peanut crust, chunky peanut butter filling, and a glossy grape jelly topping. Childhood flavors in a grown-up dessert.

Peanut muffins with a hidden jelly surprise: tender peanut-studded muffins baked around a molten pocket of fruit jam and topped with a crunchy peanut sprinkle. PB and J in muffin form, ready in about 45 minutes.

Pear honey is a Southern-style fruit spread made from ground pears, apples, and orange cooked down with sugar until thick and golden. No actual honey needed.

Pickled nasturtium seeds brined in salt water, layered with tarragon and horseradish, then preserved in spiced white wine vinegar. A peppery homemade caper substitute.

Pickled peppers or chilies in vinegar brine, with optional olive oil top layer. Versatile pantry preserve for sandwiches, charcuterie, or stir-frys.

Chinese pickled pigs' ears simmered with ginger and vinegar, then chilled in a sweet-sour brine with cucumber, carrot, red onion, and bell pepper. A classic Cantonese cold appetizer.

Old-fashioned pineapple rhubarb marmalade with chopped figs and lemon. A spring preserve that captures peak rhubarb season in jars. Sweet, tart, and built for biscuits or buttered toast.

Old-fashioned raspberry jelly with no commercial pectin: apples provide natural set, raspberries give the flavor. Traditional jelly-bag technique for a clear, pure-fruit preserve.

Raspberry-filled jelly doughnuts made from canned biscuits, dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. A clever shortcut that tastes like the real thing.

Smooth shrimp butter spread made with fresh shrimp, cream cheese, butter, and hard-boiled egg blended silky in a food processor. A rich, molded appetizer for crackers.

Homemade red chile oil with dried piquin or cayenne peppers steeped in hot vegetable oil for 12 to 24 hours. Just 2 ingredients. The longer it sits, the spicier it gets.

Rhubarb, rose, and strawberry jam macerates rhubarb and small berries with sugar overnight, then boils with scented rose petals and lemon juice for a floral, blush-pink English preserve.

Roman pickles brine fresh lettuce leaves with vinegar, dill, fennel, and salt for an ancient pickling method straight from Columella's first-century cookbook. Crisp, briny, and unexpectedly fresh.

Salsa de Linda is an easy, no-cook salsa: a coarsely blended tomato base loaded with chopped onion, peppers, and green chilies, then spiced with cumin, oregano, garlic, and cayenne. Ready for chips in 10 minutes.

Classic Chinese cold sesame jellyfish appetizer dressed in soy sauce, rice vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. Crunchy, slippery, and refreshing with a nutty sesame seed finish.

Spicy Korean marinade with shoyu, brown rice vinegar, and hot pepper sesame oil. Three ingredients that work on tofu, tempeh, chicken, or fish.