Homemade Jam

Joef and I recently discovered the joys of making homemade jam. On a whim one night, we went to the local grocery store. I asked the first staff person there where I could find the jamming jars. We found them, and then she hovered around. "What kind of jam are you making?" "Oh, I donno...we were thinking peach?" "Oh." "....Do you, um, have any suggestions?" Did she ever! About twenty minutes later, she had sent us off with recipe ideas, guidance on how to seal and purify the jars, instructions on how to make jam without pectin, proportions...pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about jamming. Including the fact that it's called "jamming", and those who jam regularly are called, as she referred to herself, "jammers".

Well, we've made three jams so far, so we're getting there! They are so delicious and fresh. And it's really not that hard. Especially when Joef does most of the work. We're still experimenting a bit with consistency, probably the toughest thing to master - we've had two that are a little runnier than ideal, and one that's a little chunky, but all three have legitimately been jam. We eat it on toast, waffles, even as ice cream topping.

The three we've made to-date have been: Strawberry-Rhubarb Bourbon, Blackberry-Raspberry Petite Syrah, and Mango. The instructions are essentially the same each time:

7 lbs of your fruit of choice (we pared and halved the strawberries, and cubed and mashed the mangoes)
7 cups of sugar
2 cups booze of your choice (or, in the case of the mango, none at all)
Juice of 1-3 lemons, depending on the sweetness of the fruit and your personal taste
12 jars

Preheat the oven to 260, and wash your jars. Put the jars and the part of the lids without the rubber into the oven for the duration of the cooking.

Combine all of the ingredients into a massive pot. The liquid will obviously boil down faster if you use a wider pot with more space for evaporation. Stir and cook on very high heat until it reaches a rolling boil, then turn down the heat slightly, while still keeping it at a rolling boil, and stir constantly until it thickens and starts to appear somewhat oily and shimmery on the surface (at least 30 minutes). To test its readiness, put a small drop on a spoon and place it in the freezer for three minutes, while continuing to cook the jam. If it's the consistency you'd want your final product to be when it comes out of the freezer, it's done. Otherwise, keep on cooking and freezer-testing as needed.

When your jam is done, take the jars out of the oven, but keep the oven on. Spoon the jam into the jars, and tighten the lids. Place back into oven for twenty minutes.

Your jam is ready when the lids pop and you can't push them down again (it means they're sealed). Once you've opened a jar, store it in the fridge. Enjoy!

Cooking Lesson!...and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Strawberries

Back in April, I auctioned off a La Piccina Cucina cooking lesson to support Yale SOM's summer internship fund. Greg, a good friend of ours, was the "lucky" winner! He and his fiancee Jen came over last week to cash in on their winnings. It was a blast - for me, at least! Greg did great, too.

Greg made the excellent choice of Risotto with Broccoli Rabe and Pancetta. Not only is this delicious, but it's a useful recipe - risotto is a nice, fancy-seeming dish that's actually pretty simple, and really, once you've learned how to make basic risotto, you can really improvise with all kinds of additions. AND, this particular risotto recipe basically also teaches you how to make broccoli rabe as a side.

We also made a quick salad - Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese and Strawberries. Really, the name is the recipe. I wanted to do a salad to show how to make a basic olive oil/balsamic dressing. We used a bag of arugula, about 4-5 strawberries, sliced, and a healthy sprinkling of goat cheese  crumbles. We dressed it with 4 large spoonfuls of olive oil and 2 of balsamic. (2:1 ratio!) If you want the salad to stay pretty, dress the strawberries and arugula first, then just sprinkle with goat cheese. Or, do as we did (after this photo was taken) and dress it all together and mix (it won't look pretty anymore, but the cheese and dressing will coat the salad nicely).

We ended the night with a lesson from Joef on hot fudge (no Indian Ghost Pepper this time, to his chagrin) - probably one of the more fickle recipes we know, but definitely worth the effort.

Thanks to Greg and Jen for bidding on the lesson and for letting me geek out about cooking all night! Can't wait to do it again.

Strawberry Bread French Toast with Caramelized Bananas

(adapted from Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers)

I love French toast. Some of my absolute favorite French toast is my mom's, made just with eggs, skim milk, and whole wheat bread. This, seeing as it was for Easter brunch, is a little jazzed up. And my mom probably couldn't eat it, since she has an aversion to bananas. Nevertheless, this was pretty delicious - Joef has named it one of the best things I've ever made (someone has a sweet tooth). I really like the batter for the toast - esp. the vanilla and orange zest.

I've had this recipe on my list for a long time. It's from a great cookbook (Comfort Food) with all kinds of down-home, American, rich, flavorful meals that all make me drool just a little bit. Easter Sunday seemed like a great opportunity to make brunch (which is really a great way to start the day, both from an eating and cooking perspective). The sun is shining and it's practically hot out.

We used the strawberry bread from yesterday - alternately, you could use challah (mmmmm), or heck - why not whole wheat toast?

6 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated orange zest from one orange
Pinch of ground nutmeg
4-6 slices strawberry bread, halved
Canola oil for cooking
3 bananas (firm but ripe)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 firmly packed tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp bourbon, or rum, or Grand Marnier (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, and nutmeg. Add the slices of bread, turning gently to coat. Let them sit in the liquid for about a minute. Place on a plate and do the next batch, if your bowl isn't big enough for all of them.

In a large, flat frying pan or griddle, heat a little oil over medium-high heat and allow to get hot. Place each piece of bread in the pan. When one side gets golden brown, flip and let the other side do the same. Transfer bread to a rimmed baking sheet and do the next batch. When done, pop the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the egg is cooked through the bread.

Meanwhile, make your caramelized bananas. Peel the bananas and slice diagonally. Melt butter over medium-high heat in a frying pan, then add the bananas and let them cook for about 2-3 minutes, turning gently once in awhile. (The recipe says to let them get golden brown, which mine didn't do, but maybe you'll have better luck. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and let it melt (about 1 minute). Then gently stir in the orange juice and a splash of bourbon, and cook for about another minute or so to let it reduce.

Serve the French toast hot, smothered with bananas. Happy Easter!

Betty's Strawberry Bread

Another great recipe from my mother-in-law, Betty. We hadn't made this since college - long overdue. It's simple and delicious. Just think banana bread, only with...can you guess? Strawberries!

We kept the strawberries whole for this one, but you could blend them, chop them, or do half chopped and half whole. I kind of like the big bites of strawberry you get when you bite into the bread.

This made two lovely loaves.

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
4 eggs, beaten
2 16 oz packages frozen strawberries, thawed
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then stir in the eggs. Stir in the strawberries - this will significantly moisten the dough. Stir until evenly mixed, then stir in the oil until incorporated. Divide between two bread pans. Cook in the oven for 1 hour.