🔑 Quick Answer: Prune shallot jam is a savory-sweet condiment made by slow-cooking California prunes and shallots with orange, honey, and balsamic. It’s delicious off the spoon, on a cheese board, or piled onto my favorite prosciutto, peach, and goat cheese sandwich.
Let me introduce you to your new favorite condiment: a savory-sweet prune shallot jam that tastes like California and France decided to split a picnic. It’s deep, jammy, a little sweet, a little tangy. And I’ll be honest, you’ll probably eat half of it straight off the spoon before it ever makes it onto bread. It’s that good.
The jam is the star here. I’m going to show you my favorite way to use it, a prosciutto sandwich with goat cheese and ripe peaches, but consider that just the beginning. Make a batch and you’ll find a hundred excuses to reach for it all week.
I’m a born-and-raised Californian who has traveled across the state, discovering local farms through farmers markets, roadside stands, and firsthand visits with California Grown. So whenever I cook, I’m pretty much always reaching for the ingredients that capture our farm-to-table culture, and this jam does just that.
Here at Salt & Wind Travel, I’ve curated custom food-focused itineraries to some of California’s most inspiring regions. And this recipe reflects that as it’s a love letter to our local growers, the people who preserve old techniques, and the stories behind a humble jar of jam.
Cherry Bombe Jubilee Inspiration
This recipe came to life after a trip to the 2026 Cherry Bombe Jubilee at The Glasshouse in Manhattan. If you don’t know it, Jubilee is Cherry Bombe’s annual conference celebrating women and creatives in the world of food and drink. Every time I go, I walk away filled with fresh ideas and a renewed admiration for the women shaping what we eat. This year I was there with California Prunes.
The very first thing you saw walking in was the California Prunes purple carpet. It was a whole moment inspired by Prince’s Purple Rain, with the music to match. I spent the day interviewing attendees for video and Instagram, and got to talk with industry greats like Dorie Greenspan and Elizabeth Poett, plus some of our nearest and dearest California Prunes content creators like Britney Bakes Bread and Becky of Baking the Goods. The whole space was buzzing with positive vibes and it was a whirlwind of creativity and inspiration, all fueled by female food lovers.
My favorite bite of the whole day was Kyra’s Bakeshop “Midnight Orchard” a gluten-free cardamom sablé cookie sandwich filled with prune orange pâte de fruit and dipped in Ghirardelli dark chocolate. That prune-and-orange combination clearly stuck with me, because you’ll taste it again in this jam.
This year there was a throughline I kept coming back to: the idea that what’s considered “old” so often comes full circle: refreshed, renewed, and made relevant again. Just like a humble jam can steal the show, prunes are having a real comeback too. (Last year’s Jubilee inspired an arugula salad; this year it was this jam.)
A Jam With Legacy
The line that stuck with me most came from Rita Sodi and Jody Williams, the couple behind Via Carota. They said, simply, that their cooking is good because their ingredients are good.
That is the whole California cooking mentality in one sentence. It’s a philosophy that runs back to Alice Waters, and exactly how I approach my own cooking and recipes.
It echoed all day, right through the keynote honoring Chef Edna Lewis on the 50th anniversary of The Taste of Country Cooking the book that made her the godmother of American farm-to-table cuisine. The reality is, good ingredients have always been the secret.
This jam is really a tartine spread at heart. When I was in culinary school, I used to sit at the sidewalk cafés in the 6th and 7th arrondissements of Paris, eating an open-faced sandwich and sipping a glass of wine, and I’ve loved a good shallot marmalade on a tartine ever since. This is my amped-up, very Californian version of that built on sweet shallots, deep California prunes, and a little orange and balsamic to make it sing.
Why You’ll Love This Prune Shallot Jam
This jam does a lot with very little. You get deep, natural sweetness from California prunes, a savory backbone from sweet, delicate shallots, brightness from orange, and a glossy tang from honey and balsamic. It’s the kind of thing that makes you look like you fussed when you really just let one pan do the work.
It’s also genuinely easy and endlessly useful. It comes together in about 20 minutes and the recipe makes around 1.5 cups, so you’ll have plenty to keep in the fridge and reach for all week. Use it on a cheese board, in a sandwich, over a pork chop, or, yes, straight off the spoon. Because it leans on California prunes you can find year-round, it’s always within reach.
Recipe Ingredients
For the jam:
- California Prunes are the heart of it, melting down into a deep, naturally sweet base with no added sugar needed.
- Shallots cook low and slow into a savory, almost caramelized backbone. I reach for shallots over onions because they’re more delicate and a touch sweeter.
- Garlic adds a little savory depth.
- Orange (zest and juice) brightens everything and keeps the jam from going one-note.
- Whole Grain Mustard brings a gentle tang and a little texture.
- Honey and Balsamic Vinegar round out the sweetness and acidity and give the jam its glossy finish.
For the sandwich (one of many ways to use it):
- Goat Cheese (Chèvre), Prosciutto, firm-ripe Peaches, a crusty Baguette, optional Basil, and Flaky Salt turn a spoonful of jam into a seriously good lunch.
How to Make Prune Shallot Jam
Start by cooking sliced shallots and a smashed garlic clove in olive oil over medium-low heat until they’re soft and golden. Then add the orange juice and zest, a splash of water, the mustard, chopped California prunes, honey, and balsamic. Let it come to a bubble, drop it to a low simmer, and cook another 10 minutes, stirring and mashing the prunes as you go until it’s dark and glossy. Let it cool for 10 minutes and then try not to eat the whole batch before it makes it into a jar.
My Tips for the Best Prune Shallot Jam
- Oil your knife before chopping the prunes. A quick swipe of oil on a sharp blade keeps the sticky prunes from clinging and makes chopping so much easier.
- Shallots, not onions. They’re more delicate and naturally a little sweeter, which is exactly what you want.
- Don’t rush the shallots. Low and slow is what gives the jam its deep, almost caramelized backbone.
- Make extra. This batch yields about 1.5 cups, far more than one sandwich needs and that’s the point.
Ways to Use Prune Shallot Jam
Here’s where the jam earns its keep. A few of my favorites:
- Straight off the spoon. I won’t tell anyone.
- My go-to: a prosciutto sandwich. Split a baguette, spread it with goat cheese and a swipe of jam, then layer on prosciutto, thinly sliced firm-ripe peaches, and a little basil. (Or swap in pear, persimmon, or apple.)
- On a cheese board alongside pâté and a soft, tangy cheese.
- Tucked into a turkey sandwich for an easy upgrade.
- Spooned over a seared pork chop like a quick pan sauce.
- As a tartine pile it on toasted bread with brie, arugula, and cornichons, and call it lunch, the way I learned to in Paris.
About California Prunes
California prunes are the key to this recipe. And California prunes aren’t just delicious, they’re a powerhouse ingredient. Thanks to the region’s ideal growing conditions and generations of skilled farmers, California prunes develop a naturally sweet, deep flavor without any added sugar. They’re sun-dried to perfection, which helps lock in flavor and retain nutrients.
According to the prune board, they’re rich in antioxidants, fiber, and essential vitamins like K and potassium, making them as nourishing as they are tasty. They’re one of my favorite natural sweeteners. I eat them out of hand, blend them into my blueberry smoothie, toss them into salads, use them to sweeten desserts, or in this sweet-savory jam.
More California Prunes Recipes
We also use prunes in everything from appetizers to desserts. A few of our readers’ favorites are:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes and that's the best part. The jam keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, and the recipe makes about 1.5 cups, so you'll have plenty for sandwiches plus a cheese board.
Plenty. It's delicious on a cheese board with pâté, in a turkey sandwich, spooned over a seared pork chop as a quick sauce, or piled onto toast as a tartine. It started as an ode to the French tartine, so it loves anything open-faced and it's awfully good off the spoon.
Goat cheese and a swipe of jam on a split baguette, then prosciutto, firm-ripe peaches, basil, and flaky salt. Out of peach season, swap in your favorite pear, persimmon, or apple.
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Prune Shallot Jam And Prosciutto Peach Sandwich Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Prune Shallot Jam:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 medium shallots peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise into half moons
- 1 medium garlic clove peeled and smashed
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium orange zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard preferably whole grain (also known as ancient style)
- 12 pitted prunes finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
For the Prosciutto Sandwich:
- 4 ounces fresh goat cheese (aka chevre)
- 1 20-inch French (aka sweet) baguette
- 8 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1/3 cup Prune Shallot Jam
- firm ripe peaches or nectarines, pitted and thinly sliced
- fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)
Instructions
For the Prune Shallot Jam:
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Once shimmering, add the shallots, garlic, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, and stir. Cook over medium-low for 10 minutes, until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add the orange juice and zest, water, mustard, prunes, honey, and balsamic vinegar, and cook over medium-low. Once it bubbles, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring and mashing the prunes, until thick and glossy. Cool for 10 minutes before using. (Prune shallot jam can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.)
For the Prosciutto Sandwich:
- Cut each piece of baguette lengthwise so you have a roll. Spread one cut side with goat cheese, then 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of the shallot prune jam. Layer on the prosciutto, sliced peaches, and basil, and finish with flaky salt. Close and repeat to make 5 sandwiches.
