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Jigsaw (Enigma, #3)

Sunday, October 11th, 2009

Tomato Hot Pepper Jam

  • 2.5# Mixed Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Mixed chilies to taste (2 Orange Habenero, 2 ripe red Jalapenos, 2 Fish, 2 Thai dragon)
  • 2 cups sugar
  • Juice of one lemon
  • big pinch of sel gris

Mill everything tomatoes and peppers and combine in non-reactive pot with sugar and lemon juice and bring to a boil.  Turn down to a slow boil and cook for 30 minutes skimming the foam.  Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, overnight.  Taste for seasoning and add more chillies or acid needed. Bring back to a boil and reduce to a medium heat, skimming and stirring frequently, cooking until it passes the plate test.  Ladle into prepared jars and process for 6 minutes.

Next year, I hope the tomato harvest aligns with the Rocoto Peppers.

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Sauerkraut: if I’d only known you were so easy

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

We love sauerkraut and have been happily forking over for Alexander Valley Gourmet’s fresh sauerkraut to get our fermented veggie fix.  We’d been put off trying to make our own by accounts of wet moldy rags and open pickling crocks and then we read this SF. Chronicle article on fermented foods that had a seemingly easy to try sauerkraut recipe.

Two pounds green cabbage, 2 tablespoons salt (not iodized), 1-2 teaspoons caraways seeds.  Shred, salt, add seeds, wait a bit for the salt to wilt the cabbage, stuff tightly into mason jars, cover with a bit of extra brine if needed, screw down lids and ferment.  Wait, we can do that!

We’ve made 5 or so batches since the article came out and our favorite so far was made with the addition of carrots and celery seeds.  It was AMAZING with caramelized Gravensteins and Santi sausages.

There are a lot of detailed instructions out there so just go search and remember, don’t be afraid.  It’s easy!  We’re on our third batch of dill pickles now too!

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Nocino

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Emily made a batch of Nocino with this recipe this year to celebrate her birthday and we just finished bottling it tonight.  The walnuts were a little ahead of us this year and may have been a little too mature.  It is also a little citrusy and doesn’t have the depth that we hoped for but it is supposed to improve with time.  Most recipes call for letting it age at least 6 months.  I think that next time we’ll add few coffee beans to the infusion – this may be one of the flavors that leaves ours wanting when compared to Nocino Bella Cristina.

Then we found these traditional nocino (or translated by google) recipes.

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Refrigerator Pickles

Friday, June 26th, 2009
  • 2 large cukes
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1c water
  • 1c cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 c sugar (to taste)
  • salt (to taste, 1/2 t?)
  • 1t mustard seeds
  • 1t turmeric
  • 1/2 t celery seeds
  • 1/2 t pickling spice
  • 1/2 t red pepper flakes

Toast spices to help release flavors, combine with water, vinegar sugar and salt in small saucepan and bring to boil with smashed garlic.  Simmer for a few minutes to help release oils from spices.  Slice cukes into 1/4″ thick rounds, toss with sliced onions and pack tightly into quart mason jars.  Poor brine over pickles, let cool to room temperature and refrigerate.  Make a little extra brine with 1 part water to 1 part vinegar if needed to completely cover pickles.  Ready in about 24-48 hours!

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Apricot Preserves #1

Friday, June 26th, 2009
  • 5# Apricots
  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 3c sugar
  • 1c, scant, water
  • kernels from 1/2 of the apricots

Combine all ingredients, cook, process!

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Apricot Lavender Jam #1

Friday, June 26th, 2009
  • 4# Apricots (Blenheim)
  • Juice and zest from 1 lemon
  • 3c sugar
  • 1 scant cup water
  • 1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers
  • kernels from about 1/2 of apricots

Combine all incredients, except for lavender flowers in a heavy pot and cook until nearly done.  Add lavender flowers to taste and cook another 5 to 10 minutes.  Add to jars, process and enjoy!

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Milk Maid

Sunday, January 11th, 2009

3/4oz Nocino della Cristina
1/2 oz Galliano
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz citrus infused vodka
1 oz cream
1 egg white

Shake, with ice, serve in a cocktail class.  Maybe with a preserved cherry or lemon twist spritzed around the rim.

We’ve been searching for a cocktail to features Nocino della Cristina but haven’t had a lot of success until now.  That amazing walnutiness comes through clearly neither fighting with or overpowering the other spirits.  The Cointreau and infused vodka lend just a hint of citrus that peaks through the otherwise dark, herbally flavor.

We’ll try it with Grand Marnier and cognac next but I suspect the Cointreau and vodka keep it from becoming too heavy.

We’re looking forward to celebrating St. John the Baptist this year in addition to Emily’s birthday to the heady smell of black-end fingers and chattering of the squirrels by making our own Nocino.

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Quince Butter

Saturday, November 1st, 2008
  • 5# Quinces
  • 2 Lemons (to taste)
  • Sugar

Cut quinces into small chunks and put into pot half about half covered with water.  Bring to boil and cook until the quinces are soft.  Mill, strain, measure and return to heat.  Add lemon zest and juice to taste.  Add 1/4 of puree’s volume in sugar.  5# quinices yielded 8 cups of puree and 2 cups of sugar.  Cook down until it’s reached the desired thickness – somewhere in the neighborhood of 220°F.  It can be helpful to do this in a 300°F over in a large flat pan rather than on a stove top where it is likely to burn.  In either case stir frequently.  When finished, fill 1/2 pint jars, seal and process for 6 minutes.

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Quince Jelly, Yum!

Thursday, October 30th, 2008
  • Quinces
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Lemon

Cut up and slice the unpeeled quinces thinly and place in a large non-reactive pot.  Add enough water to cover.  Bring to a hard boil, turn down heat to a simmer.  Cook until not quite mushy.  Turn out entire contents of the pot into a large chinoise or strainer over a large pot and leave overnight to drain.  To keep the jelly more or less clear, don’t force the pulp through the strainer.  Just let it drip.

Measure the liquid and add 3/4 its volume in sugar and return to heat.  Add lemon juice to taste.  Boil and skim until the Jelly is ready – 220°F at sea level (8°F over boiling water) – or when it passes the spoon or plate tests to your liking.  Fill jars leaving 1/4″ air gap, seal and process for 6 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Three and a half pounds of quinces yielded 10 half-pints of delicious, floral, quince jelly.  Perfect for serving with pate!

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Puzzle (Enigma, #2)

Saturday, October 18th, 2008
  • 3# San Marzano Tomatoes, milled whole
  • 7 small ripe Serrano Chillies, milled whole
  • 3 Shallots, minced
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 2T red wine vinegar
  • 1T crushed red pepper
  • a couple of pinches of salt

Combine everything in non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.  Cook for about 30 minutes skimming the foam as it comes up.  Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, overnight.  It’s a good time to taste it and add more chillies if needed – this batch wasn’t spicy enough.  Bring back to a boil and reduce to a medium heat, skimming and stirring frequently, cooking until it passes the plate test.  Ladle into prepared jars and process for 6 minutes.

I like this batch with the shallots distinctly less than the batch with only tomatoes and chillies.

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