shallot jam

While part of me will always be a city girl (basically, I just need to be within five miles of a Target), there is also a part of me that wants to be a homesteader — the one who wakes up every morning overlooking her sprawl of quiet farmland, knits her own blankets, carries chicken feed in her apron out to the coop and has a walk-in pantry stocked floor to ceiling with homemade jams.

Does that even exist anymore, anywhere? I hope it does. I like to think it does, and that maybe, one day, our lives will take a turn in that direction. Maybe not completely so (I just don’t really know if I’m cut out to have chickens), but in some ways. For now, I know I can make the jam.

Truly, anyone can make the jam: this spiced pear and caramelized onion jam, in particular. It may sound a little different, and that’s because it is — a little sweet, and a little savory, but all delicious, I promise you. And it couldn’t be easier to make. Some fresh pear slices, a few sweet and savory spices, chopped caramelized shallots and a pot on the stove and you’re already on your way to homemade jam happiness.

This recipe makes enough to fill two standard-sized Mason jars — so keep one in your fridge to spread on your morning toast, or add it to your grilled cheese (seriously, do this. Your life will never be the same.). Freeze the other one for later, either to use on crostini for your holiday parties (if you’re a fancy city girl/guy like that) or to give to a loved one as a gift. I think that’s the homesteader-like thing to do, anyway.

Head over to the KitchenAid blog for the full recipe and step-by-step photos. Happy Thursday!

P.S. Share your homemade jam recipes on Instagram using #MadeWithKitchenAid for a chance to be featured by KitchenAid!