gluten free by nature — casein, soy and entirely almost sugar free…

Since we’ve relocated to the East Coast from Colorado, we haven’t stopped longing for the house specialty at a charming little restaurant in downtown Boulder called Lucile’s Creole Cafe. The owners actually converted a tiny two-story Victorian house into a restaurant. Its exterior is painted pale yellow with white trim and it boasts a wonderful front porch for dining al fresco. It’s quaint, homey and super delicious.

Back when I could eat anything on the menu I used to order this egg dish called Eggs Jennifer. It’s not unlike Eggs Benedict – except everything under the hollandaise is vegetarian: egg, avocado, tomato and spinach. So darn good. But, the best part – oh, the total best part – was the buttermilk biscuit that was served alongside it. It’s world famous. At least in that part of the country. As if that wasn’t enough, every table is graced with a sizable jar of strawberry rhubarb jam. I am not ashamed to admit that my serving of breakfast included more jam than buttermilk biscuit. This is the kind of thing that is so incredibly good that it’s conceivable to eat the whole jar with a spoon. (No, I never did by the way).

strawberry rhubarb jam

Spring is almost here. And this is the perfect thing to indulge in as both strawberries and rhubarb come into season. This is by far one of the easiest jam recipes you’ll ever make. Twenty minutes from start to finish. Love that.

Ingredients:

2 cups organic strawberries (measure when hulled and quartered)
2 cups rhubarb, (halved lengthwise and diced into 1/4 inch pieces – again measure when diced)
1 Tblsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 Tblsp maple syrup (I use Grade B)
4 Tbslp brown sugar (I use an unrefined Brown sugar called Mascobado by Alter Eco)

1.) Place all ingredients into a saucepan, stir to coat fruit with sugar.
2.) Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes. The goal is to keep it simmering NOT boiling. Too high of a heat will negatively impact the consistency.
3.) Turn off the burner. Using the back of a fork, press down breaking up the fruit. Let cool. It will thicken a bit as it cools.
4.) Transfer to a jar and refrigerate. Or can according to canning guidelines.
Makes 1 1/2 cups.

This recipe is linked to Aimee’s surprise baby shower and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday over at Amy’s.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 at 1pm and is filed under main course. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.