Liz Cowan, founder of Three Little Figs liked to serve cheese and charcuterie, but found it difficult to find good accompaniments made in the United States. So she started concocting her own, using local ingredients from Oregon’s Willamette Valley (near her home in Portland).
Each of Liz’s jam-tastic creations are dressed up in a jar with a stunning label – in another life she was a fashion stylist, so it’s no surprise she understands the power of a great brand. But she also knows that true beauty lies within – she's all about producing jams of the highest possible quality.
Our current obsession is Liz’s dark, sticky Apple Stout Jam, which she affectionately dubbed “Puddletown Pub Chutney” after her rainy home city in Oregon. We’re loving it on everything from pork chops to gooey grilled cheese. Or eaten while standing barefoot in front of the fridge, simply spooned atop a thick slice of Hunter Cheddar. Hey, we have no shame.
The flavors packed inside the jar kind of epitomize Portlandia’s food obsessions: sliced apples (a Pacific Northwest staple) simmered with onions in a rich mix of craft stout beer, cider vinegar, coffee, blackstrap molasses, currants and spices. Rain or shine, it’s a pretty comforting condiment, packing sweet caramelized flavor with mustard seed tang and a slight, mellow bitterness from coffee.
One spoonful and you’ll know this was meant for bratwurst! Think: Sizzling grill marks, thick Kaiser rolls, sliced Swiss cheese and a pint of stout.
DIY pub.