Fauna’s Chef Billy Khoo jams with Bonne Maman for a sweet Ottawa foodie challenge

Introducing the famous quartet, and the star of today’s jam session… Bonne Maman Peach jam, Cherry jam, Fig jam and Black Currant jelly.

I was invited for a media mixer at one of Ottawa’s top restaurants, Fauna, to experience a sweet menu prepared by Chef Billy Khoo who incorporated Bonne Maman jams in his dishes and gave us a fresh perspective on how to use jams in everyday cooking.

The Science behind Sweet & Savoury

Pairing sweet with savoury is not uncommon, especially if you’re keen on things like Hawaiian pizza, maple bacon donuts and  mango salsa on fish. Personally, I love the combination and balanced flavour of sweet and savoury dishes. Similar to the role of a crisp white wine, the tartness of fruit can help cut through fat (like meat or cheese), and the sweetness can help counteract a very spicy dish. Rather than using typical salt to flavour umami foods, sweetening up a dish can add more interest both to the flavor and texture. Nothing glazes and caramelizes meat quite like sugar!

Elk carpaccio

Bonne Maman Menu at Fauna

The following four-course menu was served:

Sous-vide pork shoulder: farro + pickled fennel + fennel pollen + mustard jus + spiced peach jam gelee

Maple foie gras torchon: smoked salt + crostini + red current pearls

Elk carpaccio: rosemary & juniper rub + Fig jam + potato crackers + parmesan

Spicy duck prosciutto: Soeur D’Angele cheese + forest honey + toasted baguette + cherry jam

All four dishes were amazing, but my favourite was the sous-vide pork shoulder and spicy peach jam gelee. The jam gelee came out like a soft fruit leather, and was very interesting in texture.

Maple foie gras torchon

Why I love Bonne Maman Jam

I always look at the ingredient list when I buy ready-made foods, and primarily look for clean and simple ingredients. Bonne Maman has been creating jam using their traditional recipes for decades. And to this day, Bonne Maman continues to produce their preserves in France using all natural ingredients with no artificial colorings, no additives or preservatives. And when we are done with the jam, I collect the jars and use them as tumblers! Pro tip- Keep the lids and shake individual cocktails 😉

How I plan to use my Bonne Maman Jam

Bonne Maman gifted us a lovely collection of jams, that I can’t wait to dig into. I use jam at home for a variety of things. My ultimate favourite ways of using jam have to be:

    • chutney with spicy sausages
    • accompaniment for a cheeseboard
    • peanut butter and jam cookies (use your favourite jam!)

 

Spicy duck prosciutto

 

Thank you to Bonne Maman, who sponsored this lovely evening and blog post. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. Photography by Jen Bernard Photography courtesy of Bonne Maman.

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