Piñon nuts. Almonds. Lime juice. Thyme. Oaxacan ancho and pasilla criollo chiles. Burnt corn tortillas. If those sound like bizarre ingredients to add to cherry jam, then you haven’t tried RedCamper’s Piñon Cherry Deliciousness preserves. Maura Gramzinski, founder of the 13-year-old Denver condiment company, was inspired to create the spread after falling for the flavors and culture of Oaxaca, Mexico, on a recent vacation. “RedCamper has always been about place. I wanted to celebrate both countries [Mexico and the United States] and the specialness of their ingredients,” she says. Gramzinski partnered with Oaxacan chef Eduardo Vera Morales of the acclaimed (now shuttered) Atila del Sur restaurant for the project. Together, they spent a month picking apart his 45-ingredient mole recipe to identify the elements that would best complement Colorado cherries from First Fruits Organic Farms in Paonia. The result is nutty and lightly sweet—a perfect foil for aged cheeses and rich meats like charcuterie and duck. Snag your jar ($15) as soon as you can: This special flavor won’t be in stock for long.

This article was originally published in 5280 November 2017.
Callie Sumlin
Callie Sumlin
Callie Sumlin is a writer living in Westminster, and has been covering food and sustainability in the Centennial State for more than five years.