Balsamic Onion & Bacon Jam

my ambitions for cooking today are dwindling. i love cooking. i love coaxing the flavors of grains and fruits and meats and vegetables into morsels that cannot be refused by my palette. i love over-thinking the possibilities of an onion, for example. so, today i did just that. i over-thought my beloved and dear friend, the onion. the onion enters in and out of my life, repeatedly, all day- every day. we have a relationship. my all time favorite way to prepare onions is to caramelize them. whenever i caramelize onions, i make certain to prepare more than i need. that way, i have a stash in the fridge that i can dollop on, say, a bagel with chevre. or folded into mashed potatoes. or draped over leftover pizza. however i choose to roll with my onions, they are fantastic, and they hold a special place in a heart, soul, and belly.

i am also currently obsessed with making jam. i have now picked a slew of wild berries, which will soon be transformed into preserves. as wonderful and magnificent as fruit jams are, why limit one's self? i really think that onions- caramelized and paired with say balsamic vinegar, rosemary, and BACON would make a mighty fine jam. this was my task for the day. must make caramelized onion and BACON jam. here's how it went....

i researched a few different recipes to give myself some guidelines. the balsamic onion marmalade from the book, 'wichcraft' was easy and a great place to start. i substituted brown sugar for their granulated sugar, made a few adjustments, added bacon and fresh rosemary, and the end result was awesome!!

1 Tbl olive oil
4 slices bacon, minced
4 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp smoked sea salt, or plain sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp fresh rosemary
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed skillet with the olive oil. saute the minced bacon until browned and crisp. remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the bacon fat.

* i suspected that by mincing the bacon, i would get a more even bacon flavor throughout the marmalade. my tasters detected the bacon, but a few folks suggested that bigger chunks of bacon might be better. so go with your preference. if you like big bits of bacon, don't mince the bacon.*

add the onions, salt and pepper to the skillet. cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until the onions are soft. add the sugar and reduce the heat to medium-low. cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the onions appear dry. add the vinegar, rosemary, and the cooked bacon and reduce the heat to low. continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, until the vinegar is reduced. the end product should be creamy-thick, onion-y, sweet, and slightly salty. i spooned the jam into cute little 4oz jam jars, allowed them to come to room temp, and stashed them in the fridge. belly up!!