There is a small village in South Alsace, in the region of the Upper Rhine, in the outskirts of Colmar, with a very strange name which hides a mine of special jams. In this very small French village with German name Niedermorschwihr is located Au Relais des Trois Epis the jam epicenter of Christine Ferber, France's number one jam master.
Around a corner in the Rue des Trois Epis Madame Ferber produce her famous special jams. From Niedermorschwihr her creations win the world in small and medium sized jars decorated with white and red polka dots fabric, filled with artisanal deliciousness and loaded with France's most profitable creation: terroir.
The flavors of Madame Ferber's jams mix local Alsacian fruits, tropical fruits, flowers (most rose and violet), herbs, spices of all sorts, nuts and chocolate. Au Relais des Trois Epis is a mixture of bakery, delicatessen and local market and it offers a little bit of everything to the visitor or citizen of Niedermorschwihr: fruits, cakes, tarts, biscuits, cheese, charcuterie d'Alsace, bien sur, fresh fruits, Ferber's entire book collection, Alsatian pottery pots and even commercial soap. The large selection of jams which fills the shelves of an entire wall in the small shop is the main attraction to foreign visitors who come from everywhere in the world.
At a certain distance from the place we could already feel the perfume of jam in the air and Per was the first to notice it. I wish my house could smell the same way and I really wished I could master the art of jam making, just like Pete and Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. My jams are pretty good, I must admit without embarrassment, but I must experiment more, I need to learn some more about the chemistry of preserving, to be more aware of the limits of sugar, acid juices and pectin in the fruit soup. For that reason I pushed my Per Niedermorschwihr to visit Madame Ferber's relais.
I was not planning to leave the place empty handed and it would not have been possible at all. We bought five jars of jam, some bread and some meringue. We bought two jars to offer as gifts to my inlaws: a seedless Raspberry jam (Framboise d'Alsace) and Black Cherry (Cerises Noir d'Alsace). I picked two for me: Strawberry and Mango (Fraises d'Alsace et mangues) and Rapsberry, green apples and pistachio (Framboises d'Alsace, Pommer Verts et Pistaches) and Per picked a jar for him: Blackcurrant, apple and violet (Cassis, pommes et violette). It was pretty difficult to choose the flavors and up to the last minute I was changing the flavors. I could have bought more jars but what I was looking for was some inspiration to work and create with my the fruits from my own garden this year.
The Strawberry and mango jam (Fraises D'Alsace et mangue) should have been called Mango and Strawberry jam as the mango is the dominant not only in flavor but in texture of the jam is that of the mango pulp. The flavor is perfect, intense, mild, perfect amount of sugar, not acid at all and the perfect presence of the strawberry on the back of the mixture. No seed, no pieces, no strings nothing to distract the most amazing taste. I would never have made jam with mango and strawberries as in Brazil the season of the best mangoes doesn't coincide with that of the best strawberries which is concentrated in winter months. It is a foreigner though, dealing with imported or frozen mangoes who is able to create the perfect mixture of these adorable fruits into an amazing jam. Oh, how much I wish I had bought two jars of this jam instead...
As soon as I am able to put my hands on some perfectly ripen mangoes (which in my opinion are from the specie we Brazilians call manga espada) I will try to make my own version of this jam to which I will be adding some amazingly perfect (but frozen) Norwegian strawberries which we have been picking around here recently. However, if you have access to some good and ripe mangoes make your own version of this jam now, you won't regret this mixture. Don't forget to add some terroir (from your mangoes or your strawberries or even your sugar) to you jam too, the origin is definitely part of the magical result, don't you think?
If one of these days you find yourself wandering around Alsace, try to find the way that takes you to Niedermorschwihr and the Au Relais des Trois Epis, you won't regret...
Christine Ferber's Au Relais des Trois Epis
18, Rue des Trois Epis
68230 Niedermorschwihr
Alsace
2 comentários:
Claudia, thank you for the mention in a post about such amazing jam making! That mango jam looks astonishing - I thought at first it was apricot. I must suggest it to my husband Pete, who is the jam maker in our family. You're right, it is a skill, getting the balance and mix just right, and one Pete enjoys working at. He makes the jam because I tend to make fruit cement! :)
Love your posts, as always, thanks for sharing your magnificent photos!
Celia
Celia,
I love your blog and it is natural to mention those I appreciate. I must correct the post then, because I want to include Pete's name but since you write the blog more often it feels like all those jams are your creations too.
Best,
Cláudia
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