Leftover #JamVent day 12: Pear & cocoa nib. Vehicle: croissant. I liked this last time, still do, still want more intense pear flavor to set off the nibs. B+
And with that, I’ve finished every jam in the 2024 Bonne Maman advent calendar, and I personally enjoyed every flavor!
Leftover #JamVent days 10 & 11: Quince (R) & Mirabelle Plum & Linden Flower (L) both on homemade wheat toast. (Big slices!) Quince is super light and vaguely apple-ish. Ok, but not terribly exciting. B-. Plum tastes more like sweet plums, but I’m not getting the linden flower at all. B+
Day 9 of holdover #JamVent: raspberry-rose. I was reminded that I like this combo by a DisneyLand vlogger eating the Mickey Macaron from Jolly Holiday. So I had it on a buttered wheat bagel. Raspberry forward, with just a gentle kiss of rose on the back end. Lovely. B+
Holdover #JamVent day 8: Apricot-Orange Blossom. Vehicle: toasted, buttered brioche. Lovely. The floral of the orange blossom lightly undercuts the bite of the apricot without either getting drowned out. A-.
Holdover #JamVent day 7: White nectarine-peach spread. Had this on toasted ciabatta with some Laughing Cow cheese spread. The peach is more prominent, which I don’t mind, and there are actually small chunks in it. I’d eat again, but not as a first choice. B+
Holdover #JamVent day 6: Cherry-pink peppercorn. This feels different from last year; I’m getting a little bit of cherry, not too sweet (but not sour cherry) and definitely more peppercorn on the back end. Not bad! B+
Holdover #JamVent day 5: Caramel-Coffee spread. This was less sweet and had less coffee flavor than I hoped. It is made with condensed milk, so it’s like a dulce de leche sitting next to a cup of coffee. Vehicle: wheat bagel with salted butter. B+
Holdover #JamVent day 4: Apricot Peach spread, eaten with goat cheese on crackers. A bit sweeter than I was expecting, very apricot forward. A-
Holdover #JamVent day 3: Wild Strawberry-strawberry spread. Does what it says on the tin. Simple, solid strawberry jam, I think slightly less sweet than is typical. B+
Holdover #JamVent day 2: Lemon elderflower. Vehicle: toasted “sourdough” with goat cheese. This is not super-tart, it reads lemony like a light lemon cake, not curd, and the elderflower adds an interesting bite that isn’t overly floral. I bet this would make a great simple syrup for cocktails. B.
On the first day of holdover #JamVent it’s rhubarb spice spread for me. Listed spices are cinnamon, ginger, anise, and cardamom. Vehicle: brioche. Cardamom and anise hit first, then light rhubarb bite, then cinnamon & ginger. This is tasty, but doesn’t beat out the Purple fig & cardamom flavor. A-
#JamVent day 23: Apricot - Orange Blossom. This was one I enjoyed last year, although it is being put aside in favor of a high fiber cereal for breakfast today.
(For those keeping score, this makes 11 put to the side for later of the 23 so far).
#JamVent day 22: Mirabelle plum-linden flower spread. I remember thinking this was okay last year, but it’s being put aside because it doesn’t go on my breakfast burrito.
#JamVent Day 21: Pineapple Passionfruit spread. Vehicle: toasted buttered brioche. Reasonably well-balanced, pineapple followed by the passionfruit; the passionfruit is not lost, but as a result, the spread isn’t very strong overall. B.
#JamVent Day 20 is white nectarine-peach, which I remember from last year as being.. fine but nothing to write home about, and it will be put aside for later. Today’s raisin bagel merits apple butter.
#JamVent Day 19: Cherry-honey spread. Vehicle: wheat bagel with crunchy peanut butter. I routinely buy a sour cherry jam from a different brand that I love, and this didn’t beat that out, alas. The spread itself felt a bit thin, not enough cherry flavor, even if the honey was present. B.
Today’s #JamVent is a caramel-coffee spread, which sounds amazing but will have to wait until I have a worthy vehicle for it. I won’t sully it with a pedestrian breakfast carb.
