SWEET ONION JAM

Makes 3 jars. You will need:

25g (1oz) butter 680g (1½lbs) onions, peeled and thinly sliced 150g (5oz) caster sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 100ml (3½oz ) sherry vinegar 250ml (9floz) full-bodied red wine 2 tablespoons creme de cassis (or a good-quality blackcurrant cordial — see my Tip, above right) Melt the butter in a saucepan and allow it to foam and turn light brown (but don’t let it burn!). Add the thinly sliced onions, the caster sugar, the salt and the freshly ground black pepper. Stir, then cover the saucepan and allow it to cook for 30 minutes over a gentle heat, stirring the contents from time to time to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the lid and add the sherry vinegar, the red wine and the creme de cassis or blackcurrant cordial, whichever you’re using, and cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, stirring every now and then. The jam should be slightly thick by now.

Pour it into sterilised jars and cover them while they are hot, or allow the jam to cool slightly and serve it straight away. It thickens as it cools.

CROUTES

(Pictured) Makes about 20.

You will need:

Half a thin baguette (preferably a day or two old) Preheat the oven to 150°C, 300°F, Gas 2. Slice the baguette as thinly as possible. If you want the croutes to be bite-size, then cut the baguette straight across, but if you want the croutes a bit larger, then slice the baguette at an angle. If the bread is a bit stale, then it’ll be easier to slice really thinly, resulting in a lovely crisp croute.

Put the baguette slices on a baking tray in a single layer and cook them in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, until they are very pale golden and crisp.

Allow them to cool, then serve them under a generous dollop of the salmon rillettes (see recipe, right) or goat’s cheese, Serrano ham and sweet onion jam (see next recipe).