Sometimes incorporating sweet and savory ingredients creates unexpected and deliciously surprising results – which is what I happily found while experimenting with 3 different Slow Jams jams (Blackberry Ginger, Sweet Pepper & Cranberry Red Onion) and Corridor Sausage’s Apple, Sage & Pork sausage. You wouldn’t believe how versatile these ingredients can be! Here is a look at my favorite experiment so far; Sausage and Jam Crostini.
Drizzle slices of baguette with olive oil and toasted them in a 350 degree oven for approximately 10-12 minutes.
Next, grab cream cheese and 2 of the jams; Cranberry Red Onion and Blackberry Ginger. Mix equal parts of cream cheese and jam creating 2 bases for your crostini. (I chose these 2 jams to incorporate one sweet base and one savory base)
Now it’s time to cook the sausage. Side note – if you choose to serve the sausage in slices, you’ll want to parboil them for 3-5 minutes, which will help keep the slices intact. Or, you can opt to serve crumbled sausage, in which case you’ll want to remove the sausage from its casing. After par-boiling, remove the sausage and slice it into 1/4-1/2″ slices. Add the slices back into the pan and spoon 3-4 tsp. of Sweet Pepper Jam (per sausage) directly on top of the sausage slices.
Allow the sausage and jam to cook together for about 5-7 minutes. You will notice that the jam is beginning to caramelize and coat the sausage and the sausage is cooked completely.
Remove sausage and caramelized jam sauce from pan and top baguette slices.
You wouldn’t believe the additional flavors the jam and cream cheese bases add to these tasty treats! The Blackberry Ginger cream cheese brings out the sweetness in the caramelized Sweet Pepper jam and the apple in the sausage. (This base is also amazing alone on the toasted baguette) The Cranberry Red Onion cream cheese brings out the savoriness of the peppers in the caramelized jam with the bold taste of the sage & pork in the sausage.
My recommendation is to grab some jam from Slow Jams and start experimenting! I haven’t worked with such versatile ingredients in a really long time – everything I tried was delicious. You can visit them on the weekends at Eastern Market, Birmingham Farmer’s Market, and West Park Market in Grosse Point. And, be sure to “like” their Facebook Page!
The Apple, Sage & Pork sausage from Corridor Sausage was equally easy and delicious to work with. It is amazing on the grill, sautéed in a pan, mixed with the different jams – any way I prepared it! Be sure to check them out on the weekends at Eastern Market, Dearborn, and Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market. “Like” their Facebook Page, too!
