Valerie Gordon is the woman behind Valerie Confections. She's doing a line of farmers market-inspired preserves. She's currently inspired by Barbara Windrose's smoked dried tomatoes. She cooks the smoked tomatoes down with smoked chipotles, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ginger, salt and pepper. Soak the smoked dried tomatoes and chipotles to rehydrate them. She is also using Weiser Farm onions for a marmalade. Slice the onions thinly and cook it down with brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and Peacock farms raisins.
Valerie sells her preserves at her shop (3360 West 1st Street) and at a stand at the Sunday Hollywood Farmers Market. She also offers preserving classes with Kevin West.
Onion Marmalade
10 cups thinly sliced Weiser Farm’s Bermuda onions (Approx 3.5 lbs)
4-5 dried de Arbol chilies
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Peacock Farm’s Golden Thompson Raisins
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Mix sliced onions, sugar and chopped chilies in a large bowl.
Let sit for at least one hour, stirring occasionally.
Pour onion mixture and all liquids into a large, heavy pot.
Turn heat to high and cook, stirring frequently.
When the onions start to soften, add apple cider vinegar.
Continue to cook at a high heat, stirring more frequently.
When the onions start to darken slightly, add balsamic vinegar. Continue stirring frequently.
Add raisins, salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium and stir less frequently, allowing the onions to caramelize.
When most of the liquid has evaporated and the onions appear dark amber and shiny, remove from heat.
Store in the refrigerator or can according to instructions supplied by the jar manufacturer.
Cook time 45 minutes-1 hour
Yield: 8-12 oz. jars
Christopher Schubert sells organic walnuts and walnut oil from La Nogalera. They are Coastal Payne walnuts, harvested in the fall. He is selling a variety of flavored nuts including smoked walnuts, cocoa/chipotle and cumin/cayenne. Use them for everything to add a complex flavor to baking or salads. Christopher likes to add the cocoa/chipotle walnuts to ice cream.