Rings of Fire

Around these parts, shallots are pervasive. They're minced and macerated in vinaigrettes and pickled for use as a punchy counterpoint to grilled meats.

Shallot jam, though, might be a first.

For the preparation, Veronica Laramie, chef and co-owner along with her husband, Christopher, of downtown Berkeley's new eVe, transforms the sulfur thrum of onion's gentler cousin into a delicate, savory condiment.

She slices the bulbs into thin rings, then cooks them slowly with rice wine vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper and a hit of grainy mustard. The result is a syrupy tangle of lively shallot flavor (click here to download the recipe).

At eVe, the Laramies use the jam to delicious effect. After breaking down whole ducks for a recent main-course preparation of duck breast cooked en sous vide with taro root purée and duck confit-green papaya salad, the pair were left with a duck liver glut. So the Laramies made a liver pâté, serving it as an amuse-bouche on house-made brioche with pomegranate and the sprightly conserve.

The Laramies have also used the jam as a revelatory accompaniment to triple-cream cheeses like Brillat-Savarin--a trick that could forever upend toasted nuts' cheese-plate hegemony.

eVe, 1960 University Ave. (at Bonita Ave.), Berkeley; 510-868-0735 or eve-berkeley.com