AMERICA’S BEST : New York Jam

Apricadabra. Rosy Cheeks. Plum Loco. No, these aren’t the latest lipstick shades but some of the silly names Sarabeth Levine has given her incredible fruit preserves.

In 1981, Levine opened Sarabeth’s, a takeout shop on Amsterdam Avenue in New York City. At first, the shop sold just a few baked goods and orange-apricot marmalade made from a 200-year-old Levine family recipe. Business was good and Levine soon added a few tables. She also came up with some great new fruit combinations for her preserves. Now there are three Sarabeth’s restaurant/bakeries in Manhattan (the newest is at the Whitney Museum of American Art) and 10 preserve flavors.

But you don’t have to go to New York to taste her products. Everything from the chocolate San Andreas cake (the top crust cracks during baking--fault lines, get it?) to the chunky preserves are available by mail. Apricadabra, by the way, is an apricot-pineapple-currant combo; Rosy Cheeks is strawberry-apple. And don’t forget the original orange-apricot marmalade. But be careful. The flavor is so fresh and tangy that your toast consumption is sure to increase.

The pint-sized preserves are sent regular UPS and cost $13 each, including shipping (or three for $35), a fair price for a taste of a 200-year-old secret.

* Sarabeth’s Kitchen, Inc., 423 Amsterdam Ave., New York, N.Y. 10024. (800) 552-5267

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