How to Use Preserved Foods

Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, the cooks behind Canal House, contributed their beautiful styling and delicious recipes to our latest catalog, all about summer preserving. I asked them for some of their favorite ways to use the fruits and vegetables they put up in the summer — read on for their serving suggestions, and click here to try the recipes yourself.

Strawberry Preserves: We always buy extra berries to make small batches of strawberry preserves, the whole-fruit jam that we love. For a crunch with your sip in the evening, layer the strawberry preserves with Serrano ham on little toasts, topped with a drop or two of balsamic vinegar.

Red Berry Jelly: Tempted as we are to spoon this luscious old-fashioned jelly onto our morning toast, currants are hard to come by, so we treasure each beautiful jar and serve it as a condiment with grilled and roasted meats.

Preserved Lemons: We’ve come to think of our preserved lemons as money in the bank: their deep, salty-sour flavor can brighten up practically any dish. They go into our salads and flavored butters, our lemon meringue tart, even into our gin martinis in place of the olive.

Simplest Tomato Sauce: We use this sauce for our homemade green lasagne with tomato sauce & fresh ricotta, and for saucing delicate fresh pasta, ravioli, and gnocchi. Or we ladle it into soup bowls, float a fried egg on top, and sop up the goodness with warm crusty bread.