Carmelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Jelly

For the past several years I have enjoyed making Sweet Onion Jelly from a recipe my mother shared with me. It's delicious for tea or when entertaining guests. For a pretty presentation, place a block of cream cheese (soy if preferred) on a pretty plate and then pour a portion of the jar of jelly over the cream cheese. Garnish with some chive blossoms and place crackers in a basket nearby. Perfect for dipping, it's a delicious combination of savory and sweet jelly with salty, crispy crackers.

I found another recipe today for a similar jelly. It was published in the Syracuse Post Standard. This version has the addition of garlic for enhanced flavor.

The recipe:

2 large heads garlic
Olive oil
4 large onions (Walla Walla Sweet or Vidalia)
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons butter (may substitute olive oil)
1 cup white vinegar
4 cups water
6 cups sugar
1 package powdered pectin

Cut top off each garlic head and drizzle with olive oil. Roast at 275 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool completely.Caramelize onions: chop onions into small pieces (save half of 1 onion and cut into large slivers; set aside to be used later as a garnish). Place 2/3 cup sugar in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until melted; mix in butter until melted. Add onions and cook until coated by caramelizing mixture (onions should be soft and pierce easily with a fork). Caramelize large slivers and set aside.Add garlic cloves from one head and simmer 5 minutes. Add vinegar and mix while still over medium heat; mix in 4 cups water and simmer 5 more minutes. Sieve mixture through a jellybag or cheesecloth, allowing to drip until all liquid is through.Measure 5 cups of the garlic/onion liquid into a saucepan and add pectin. Bring to a full boil and add all the sugar at once. Cook at full rolling boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.Remove from heat and ladle mixture into hot, sterilized jars.

Garnish top of each jar with a large sliver of caramelized onion and a clove of roasted garlic.

Put lids on and process 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Store in a cool, dark place.

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