Jalapeno Kiwi Kissin' Jam

Jam is not just for breakfast, my friends. This makes a tasty accompaniment to meats, vegetables and knocks the socks off a fresh corn madeleine. The jalapeno gives you a tiny kick, the kiwi gives you a tang, and the sugar makes ya lick your lips - or someone else's.

Jalapeno Kiwi Kissin' Jam

I still have several tempting kiwi left from the sweet folks at Zespri (did I tell you that I'm a semi-finalist in the "win a trip to New Zealand" and you can be too? Yayyyy!)

So, along with the kiwi I added this month's produce for TigressCanJam - Peppers! O-and-howdy, I love peppers and how they can turn something really plain into a kick-ass taste bonanza.

A big thank-you to Kaela of Local Kitchen for choosing peppers for us to can or jam with this month.

This really couldn't be any easier - and once you get your equipment (jars, tops, pots, water, etc) all set up, it'll take a couple hours and you'll be staring at jars of zesty green, sweet, tangy homemade jam. You KNOW you want to try this.
RECIPE: Jalapeno Kiwi Kissin' Jam
(inspired by Blue Ribbon Preserves- Amendt)
1 1/2 lb. (peeled, cored, chopped and slightly mashed) Kiwi fruit
6 med. Jalapeno peppers, topped and chopped (remove seeds if you want less heat)
16 oz.(about 3 1/2 cups) organic cane sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 oz. liquid natural pectin

In a large pot, combine first 5 ingredients, (all except pectin) and stir.

Let sit covered for at least 30 minutes to dissolve sugar.
Heat on low, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Increase heat to med/high and bring to rolling boil for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.
Remove from heat and add the pectin, stir to dissolve.
Return to heat and bring to rolling boil, stirring, for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and let sit for about 3 minutes so fruit will not float to top. Pour into sterilized jars, seal and water process for 10 minutes.
Remove jars, sit in dry place on rack, undisturbed for 24 hours to achieve good seal.

*Serving suggestions*

1) Add a tablespoon of jam to chicken, lamb or pork
2) Serve on cream cheese topped crackers for quick snacks
3) Serve a dollop with sour cream on corn bread or muffins
4) Serve a dollop on tomato, squash or corn soup
5) Add a dollop on top of warm polenta

Cowboy Tomato Jam

Cowboy Tomato Jam

Ahhh, tomatoes. Is there a vegetable/fruit that tastes more like summer than a vine ripened tomato? On my Grandparent's farm, we kids would pick a tomato, lick the outside, then dip it into a palm full of Morton Salt. Then we'd take a slurpy bite out of the sun-heated tomato as if we were eating an apple. You would never want to do that to a winterized grocery store chain tomato, but there is nothing sweeter than a farm grown, garden grown, patio grown summer variety.
It's hard to believe, the tomato used to be thought of as poison many centuries ago. Then, it was grown as only ornamental garden decor, and finally - some brave people realized they were passing up a great BLT sandwich. I re-created that sandwich with Smokey Tea Tomato jam last summer right here.

When tomatoes were first brought to Italy, it's thought they were probably the yellow ones as the Italians and Spanish named it Pomi d'oro (now known as Pomodoro) meaning "apple of yellow/gold). The French (not too surprising) called them Pommes d'amour (apples of love) because they thought the tomatoes were aphrodisiacs. But, don't the French think air is aphrodisiac, too? Love that about the French!
So, this month's canning challenge for Tigress Can/Jam was the glorious TOMATO; chosen by Julia of What Julia Ate.
Here's my adaptation of a recipe from the Minimalist for Tomato Jam:

COWBOY TOMATO JAM:

1 lb. Garden fresh tomatoes (peeled, cored and chopped)
12 oz. sugar
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 Tbls. fresh ginger zested
1 whole Jalapeno (minced)
1 tsp each: cumin, black pepper and cinnamon
1 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a deep saucepan. Cook on low until the sugar dissolves, stirring often.
Bring to a boil on Med., continue to stir, for several minutes.
Increase heat and boil until temp reaches 220F or check for jam set with a chilled plate (a dollop should have a little rise to it, and leave a space when you drag your finger through it).

Fill sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace for food expansion. Seal immediately, and hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove, carefully, and leave for 12-24 hours without moving. Label and store in a cool, dry place.

If you are new to canning, be sure to read over the correct process. Otherwise, you can make this jam, pour into containers, leave to cool, then refrigerate for consuming. Yipee, Cowboys and Cowgirls - this jam has a little bite back!

Blackberry, Blueberry, Port Wine Jam - Sing it!

The path to my grandmother's house was through the woods. And, no matter how many times I was told as a kid to go straight through without stopping - I got distracted. A 2 minute walk turned into a 20 minute journey. Can you blame me? The path was lined with walls of wild blackberries.

BLACKBERRY, BLUEBERRY, PORT WINE JAM

This month's TigressCanJam ingredient was any product considered an "-erry". That meant strawberries, loganberries, blueberries, cranberries...get it? "-erries". Fun, right? It was almost TOO open for my easily distracted and multi-loving personality. I let the Farmer's Market decide for me, and when the "childhood memory" met with a great price, these black beauties won. But then, I got home to find my little Blueberry bush had turned into a it's own dark jeweled beauty and I couldn't resist having some blueberries join the jamming.
The Port seemed a natural mix and a way to sophisticate the flavors; I was hoping to actually create a jam for breakfast bread, but also a nice marinade or sauce addition to main entrees. I tried it on a nice lean Pork Tenderloin roast with mushrooms. It was the perfect addition to bring a little tang to the umami that was already there.
The recipe is a little from childhood memory (after a while, even Grandma recognized a good berry picker when she saw one), and a little experimentation. It's very simple and I've had great response to this jam as a biscuit topper and as an enhancer. Jam on!

RECIPE: Blackberry, Blueberry, Port Wine Jam
24 oz. Fresh Blackberries (crushed)
8 oz. Fresh Blueberries
1lb 6 oz. organic sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup Port (Warriors is a good balance)

Add the crushed black berries, the blueberries and the sugar to a large, deep pot. Heat on low, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the lemon juice and bring the heat up to Med/High, stirring to blend.
Cook until the berry mixture reaches 220F. Carefully add the Port, stir and reheat to 222F (or check the jam set on a pre-chilled plate in the freezer. If a dollop of jam doesn't run on the pre-chilled plate, the set is good.)

Remove from the heat and let rest for 3-5 minutes so the berries can mix with the syrup. If any obvious hard blackberry cores rise to the top, remove them for a smoother jam.

Pour hot jam into sterilized jars, seal properly and finish with a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
If you don't want to can this jam, just follow the recipe and pour into refrigerator containers, let cool and keep air tight in refrigerator (for 2 weeks).

Jammin' Jam: Strawberry, Black Pepper and Fresh Mint

I can honestly say that I have never bitten into a lovely, warm scone topped with sweet, plump jammy fruit and thought to myself, "What this is missing is some ground black pepper." So, when I was reading through Mes Confitures by Christine Ferber ( a most beloved maker of jams and jellies, second only in my mind to June Taylor) and read about a jam made with strawberries, fresh mint and black pepper - well, I had to give it some thought.

Jammin' Jam of Strawberry, Black Pepper & Fresh Mint

Ladies and Gents, it works! Not only does it work, it has a remarkable balance that keeps the sugar (that can sometimes be too much, especially for non-jam loving folks), in the background. Suddenly, the fruit is first, then a hint of mint rises up and never do you think, "oh wow, pepper in my mouth." It just seems to make the sugar be a little more generous with the spotlight.

This month's Tigress Can Jam ingredient was any kind of herb that we fancied using. I actually still have a nice Mint plant doing well even after the wet winter here, so I definitely wanted to use that. Then, the Farmer's Market starting showing off the first of the season's strawberries for us fortunate Californians, so it was easy to see where my combo was headed. I, frankly, would never have thought to use pepper on my own - maybe balsamic vinegar or vanilla or perhaps a tea blend, but never ground pepper.
Since the strawberries are also a little tangy this early in the year, the pepper really played nicely with the acids and herbal notes. The recipe is a breeze, although in my adaptation I have cut a whole day off of the macerating (and I still do it overnight once).
Christine just loves to take a few days to do her amazing creations, and I didn't have the patience to be so French. Until I have the pleasure of tasting her jar of this bliss, I'll be satisfied with loving mine. I highly recommend giving this a whirl; It's easy and has a big wow factor. RECIPE: Strawberry, Ground Pepper & Fresh Mint Jam
(adapted from Mes Confitures)

2lbs Strawberries, (weigh after washed, hulled & sliced in half )
1 1/2 lb sugar (this is about 3 1/2 cups)
1 lemon zest and juice
8 fresh mint leaves, hand shredded
8 black peppercorns, freshly ground

In a ceramic bowl, add the strawberries, lemon zest and juice, and sugar. Fold together just to mix and cover with parchment paper and let macerate overnight in the refrigerator.

Next day, bring the preparation to a simmer in a preserving pot or large saucepan. Stir gently to dissolve all sugar for about 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve and hold the fruit separately while you return the syrup to the pan and bring to a boil, cooking on high til concentrated at 221F on a candy thermometer.

Add the fruit back into the pot with the mint and ground pepper. Return to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Check the set.

Fill sterilized jars, immediately, and close with lids. Boil in a hot waterbath, covering the jars by 1 inch of water, for 10 minutes. See "How To Preserve" for any questions about water baths. Remove carefully to a rack to cool and seal. Do not move jars for 24 hours to secure the seal.

*Optionally, you can fill jars and keep in refrigerator for 3 weeks without a water bath*
Getcha Pepper on, peeps!

Balsamic Prawns on Sweet Pepper Polenta w/Fennel & Shallot Jam AKA: Paper Chef #49 Winner Announced

What would you make with Prawns, Sweet Peppers, Fennel and the theme of Passion? Several extremely creative folks answered that question and generously gave us their recipes and how-to's. I am fortunate enough to have the difficult job, this month, of choosing a Paper Chef #49 winner. I'm really sincere when I say this: There is not a clunker in the bunch. These dishes could be their own site. I hope you'll bookmark this round-up and use it over and over!

Now, even though I'm not eligible for the challenge, I still wanted to play along, so I made a dish, too. I hope it's worthy to be with these other phenoms.

Balsamic Prawns on Red Pepper Polenta w/ Spicy Fennel & Shallot Jam

I have a PASSION for all things Italian, so I challenged myself to use the Paper Chef ingredients with other classic Italian ingredients and add a modern presentation to them.

The PRAWNS/White Tiger Shrimp were simply broiled after being drizzled with Balsamic Vinegar, Fiorano Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

The RED PEPPER POLENTA:

2 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 cup Corn Polenta
1/2 cup Roasted Sweet Peppers (char roast, peel/seed and chop)
1 Tbls. Butter
salt/pepper

Heat the stock and the peppers in a sauce pan til simmering. Sprinkle in the Polenta, a little at a time, stirring constantly to avoid clumping. Cook on low for about 15 minutes or until creamy. Take off the heat and stir in butter, salt and pepper to taste.

SPICY FENNEL & SHALLOT JAM
(this is not a recipe for canning jam, just for immediate or refrigerator jam)

1/2 cup of Fennel bulb (cut in thin slivers)
1/4 cup of Shallot (chopped)
1 tsp. Red Pepper flakes
2 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar

In a sauce pan combine the fennel, shallots and red pepper flakes with 1/4 cup water. Heat on low to soften the fennel and shallots (for about 10 minutes). Add the sugar and lemon juice and increase the heat to Med/High. Stir often and boil til thickened (about 215F, or about 10 minutes.) Remove from heat and hold. Refrigerate any un-used jam (good for several weeks.)

To Plate:

Place an oiled circle mold on the plate and fill half way up with Polenta. Remove circle.
On top of polenta, place a Tbls. of Fennel & Shallot jam. Press 1-2 shrimp into the center of the jam and serve.

Quote from Teen-age son: (Nothing, but he handed me an empty plate after-wards. Sometimes words are not needed.)
And here is the Fabulous Passion-Peppers-Prawns & Fennel lineup:

Bill's Brew-B-Que
Using his passion for the grill, Bill made "Mothership Wit Superbowl Skewers". The picture of the beer made me want to reach up and grab/drink it. The marinaded shrimp sound delicious! His passion for cooking is contagious and a fun name for his blog.

Prospect: The Pantry created a cozy, inviting Seafood Pot-pie with Fennel and Peppers, even though she was snowed in (which played well into her passion that included resourcefulness and making the most of all things).

I Could Even Eat a Baby Deer has a really fun spirited post and a recipe for a Prawn Burger and Pineapple Salsa that looks very flavorful. Always a nice read, here, too.

Lucullian Delights created a beautiful dish of Grappa and Fennel seed infused Prawns on a bed of Chickpea Puree. As always, her pictures are amazing too. Ilva is the gracious and talented co-host of Paper Chef and we newbies are so thankful that she continues this fun food event.

Culinary Annotations has a colorful and hunger-provoking dish of Italian inspired Prawns and a burst of Cognac is introduced. I'm drooling just typing about it. I particularly loved the information that is shared in the post, also.

Spikey Mikey's wrapped these ingredients up in a Rice Paper wrapper where the stripes of the red pepper showing through are such a fun presentation. This also sounds like a dish you would eat and feel good about what you just did for your body. Mike is also a Co-host and has been extremely patient with my many questions.

I'm sure it's no coincidence that this is such a long running challenge AND the two hosts are so passionate and generous.

Oh, it's SO hard to pick only one. Sorry for rambling, but having entered a few of these online events in my "less that a year blogging" time, I just want to applaud ALL of these entries. My final decision is just a personal feeling (which has been said to me in the casting world a lot, too) and here goes:

The Paperchef #49 winner is: Prospect: The Pantry (the use of almost every morsel of everything: shells for stock, stems for flavor and the feelings of cold and warm coming across in this tasty looking flaky pie just played my heart strings on this one.)

Great job, and I'll be visiting all these blogs over and over!

Orange & Pinot Jelly; YES I CAN!

I did it. I did it, again. I joined another monthly challenge. But who can blame me with this one? It's the brain child of Tigress Can Jam and every month we will be hot water canning or jamming a pre-chosen ingredient. To kick off 2010, the ingredient is CITRUS. Since I've made a lot of marmalade, and because I'm possessed with wanting to push my own envelope I chose to try something new. And let's face it; wine? Even if the jelly didn't work I could have a blast drinking the leftovers! However: the jelly not only worked, it's so unusual and tummy warming without being too sweet - I've eaten it by the spoonful.

ORANGE & PINOT NOIR JELLY

I grew up watching my Grandmother can and jam, but as a kid didn't pay much attention to the how, just the rewards. The impressions that stayed are: boiling water making the windows steam over in the kitchen, jars and jars sitting on muslin (lining the table, window sills and counters), sugar bags with cups inside for easy access, lemons squeezed by her farm hands until nothing remained but dry yellow shells, the smell of hot fruit and the music of the lids as they pinged to an air-tight hug. Canning and jamming is a time honored tradition that is centuries old and yet has returned to be a truly hip and happening culinary art form.

If you haven't tried making jam yet, it might be because you've fallen for the fear tactics, as the famous and talented sugar artist, June Taylor, explained in a workshop I took with her in Berkley, CA last year.

June Taylor Jams and Preserved Fruits are famously delicious. If you ever have the chance to take a workshop with her, you'll find her to be generous with her vast knowledge, completely passionate about her craft and inspiring. (After two of her seasonal workshops, I started selling my own creations.)

As June expressed: Some where in the 1950's American home cooks were convinced (mostly by the expanding "convenience food" processing companies) that it was a waste of time for people to cook at home when they could buy it, zap it, or reheat it in a few minutes. The idea of actually PRESERVING it yourself was old fashion and could kill you if not done by a large corporation. It created a generation of folks who felt embarrassed to actually cook or preserve daily food.

Thankfully, we are rediscovering how important fresh seasonal food is for our families and our communities, and how easy and modern it is to extend our seasons and talents by creating our own jars of treats and savories. Instead of eating those tasteless dollar jars of "almost fruit" jams; Learn the easy basics, and like anything else; you CAN make your own.
RECIPE: ORANGE & PINOT NOIR JELLY
(adapted from Mes Confitures, by the world reknown Christine Ferber, and using skills and techniques taught by June Taylor)

6 Large Oranges (making about 2 cups juice)
Zest from those oranges
5 Granny Smith Apples
6 cups Sugar
1 cup Pinot Noir
1 lemon (juiced)
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. ground cardamom

Cut apples into quarters, cover with water and boil for about 20-30 minutes.
Pour soft apples and the juice through a cheesecloth or jam bag and press on the bag to get all the juice. Let the juice sit in the refrigerator over night so the sediment can settle. The next day, filter again through cheese cloth and save juice.

Zest the Oranges and boil them in water to cover for 10 minutes, drain and save. Then, squeeze juice from Oranges and filter through a cheesecloth, saving the seeds and pulp in the cheesecloth.
In a large pan, preferably a preserving pan, add the orange juice, the juice from one lemon, the apple juice, the zest, cinnamon stick, cardamon, cloves, sugar, and the tied-up cheese cloth full of seeds and orange pulp.

Bring this to a boil, skim, and keep boiling for about 12 minutes while stirring now and then. Remove the cheese cloth and cinnamon stick. Pour in the Pinot Noir and continue boiling until the temp reaches about 220F.

[Or check for your set using this method: Keep a small plate in the freezer. When checking the set, spoon a small bit onto the cold plate and if it has a "shoulder" to it (a bit of a rise), or you can drag a finger through the mixture leaving a clear path, you're good to go for a loose gell. Remove the preserving pan from the heat while you check this.

Pour your jelly into prepared jars, place them in readied water bath, boil for 10 minutes, carefully remove and wait to hear the song-of-pings when the tops close tight on your success.
This jelly is amazing on toast and muffins or bread, but also adds quite a zing to cheeses and meats.
Hope you'll try this; and let me know so I can admire you.

Quote from my adorable daughter: "I didn't think I'd like this, I don't like marmalade and seeing the zest made me think ewww, but it's not marmalade it's just really delicious jelly and I can taste the wine and it doesn't have that "way too sweet" thing going on. I love it! "

FRIED GREEN FIGS (or the Tweet that turned into Figs)

I was browsing over Twitter and saw this tweet:

The fig tree in our yard is dropping so much fruit its like carnage out there! 9:24 AM

By noon and a couple tweets back and forth, I had claimed my chance to visit the beautiful 20 ft. tree of Dana from BrokeAssBride.com and gather a basketful of Kadota Figs. In my excitement, I took a few that were not quite ready for jam making, so I cooked up a batch of FRIED GREEN FIGS.

FRIED GREEN FIGS

w/ Wild Arugula, Feta and Honey Vinaigrette

I've been a long-time lover of figs; my grandma's yard had an easy 5 ft. "grab-a-snack" tree right at her front door. And by the age of 8 (due to my Southern Baptist upbringing) I had already sewn play-clothes from the fig leaves (ala the guilt-ridden Adam and Eve from the Bible.) Don't try it; fig leaves dry so quickly and your green twirly dress turns to dust.Dana's tree was heavy with figs, syrup, sunshine and...GIANT June Bugs that were not happy to share, and loved dive-buzzing at my head. And even though this picture is not great, I had to include my iPhone capture of a Monarch butterfly in flight.

Most of the figs I picked were used
to make Fig & Fennel Jam...








... and Fig/Fennel Fruit Paste to serve
on a cheese platter.

But, keeping with my southern touch, I used the green figs like I do green tomatoes and it worked out fabulously.






First I soaked the green slices in heavy cream instead of the egg and milk combo. Then, I very lightly dredged the slices in a mixture of seasoned flour.

After shaking them off, I placed them in a pan with a few tablespoons of oil, heated on med/high, and fried them for just a couple minutes on each side.

I served the petite Fried Green Figs with a Wild Arugula and Feta Cheese salad, drizzled with Honey Vinaigrette.Figs are great for all ages because of their high concentration of vitamins - and the seeds help in digestion. They're one of the first fruits to be dried and stored and have been cultivated since around 5,000 BC. They are the most mentioned fruit in the Bible, loved by Cleopatra, talked about by Mohammad and mentioned in Homer's Iliad.

As promised, I will be giving Dana @brokeassbride a jar of Fig & Fennel Jam in exchange for her generous tweet that turned into a "Fico Fantastico".


Here's a little diddy about June Bugs for your enjoyment:

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomato Jam

This post is about my first virtual lunch with virtual friends whose names start with @, and although I don't know them-know them...I know them. I joined in on the wonderful idea to "create a BLT with your own spin on it, photograph it, and blog about it". Mine is a BLTea ~I'm kinda new to the social media scene, twitter schmitter, life in 140 characters or less, but I'm hooked! I'm trying hard to catch up with some of the big guns in the foodie/chef/cooking online world. I have to say, most of the time I've found them to be amazingly intelligent, creative, passionate, and generous with info and time. I'm having a blast and so thrilled to be playing. This #BLTlunch idea was one of those twitters that I read between @cowgirlchef and @cheryltan88 and @pinchmysalt. They explained briefly (because that's all you can do on twitter) about doing something that sounded like a virtual picnic, a Friday web-lunch, a Recipe Roundup where BLT sandwiches were the star of the moment. I loved the idea and also knew that it would get me off my canister with the blogging thing.

I cook - every day. I think about food - every moment. I take "sorta" good photos - every meal. My family is already so used to eating food that has to be warmed up after it has starred in its own 15 minutes of fame. I wrote to each one of those well established and extremely talented bloggers and said, "count me in". They responded as if we had been friends forever, excited that I was aboard and anxious to see what BLTea was about.

Well, my BLTea is about making a Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato sandwich that would be good in all seasons - made with seasonal and farmer's market heritage tomatoes. To do that, I turned the tomatoes into a savory, just a bit spicy, jam infused with smokey tea.For about a year now, I've been developing recipes for the very highly respected ALGABAR, a Home and Tea Salon in Los Angeles. I'm Executive Chef for their catering division, Fete Du The, and I've grown to appreciate the healthy, spiritual, sensual qualities of truly great tea-- like the ones they have in the shop on La Brea in Los Angeles. Gail and Robb are more than retailers, they are passionate artists and connoisseurs of taste and style. It's rare to be able to say such great things about people that you work with, and I think of them as friends. But before I throw-up the sandwich I just ate (and loved) with all this mushy talk - let me finish with the bullet points of my BLTea sandwich and I hope you will try making the jam. There is such a self-loving feeling that happens when you spread your own, home-made jam on a piece of bread. You feel - no matter what else - I can survive. I can make jam! Jam on.

SMOKEY TEA TOMATO JAM for a BLTea-

300 grams (about 8) Farmer's Market Heritage Tomatoes (red, zebra, yellow, etc. peeled, cored, seeded, chopped)
200 grams (about 3) Apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
300 grams (about 1 1/4 cups) sugar
1 tsp. minced serrano chili pepper
1 lemon (zest and juice)
2 Tbls. Smokey Tea

In a deep sauce pan combine the tomatoes, apples, sugar, minced serrano, lemon zest and juice. Heat just to boiling then remove the pan and let cool.
Meanwhile, wrap 2 Tbls. of smokey tea leaves in a cheesecloth and tie tightly with kitchen string. Place the wrapped tea into the pan with tomatoes and push into the liquid. Cover the pan and place in refrigerator over night to infuse.The next day, heat the pan of tomatoes and tea to just before boiling. Remove the wrapped tea and continue boiling the tomato mixture til it reaches 224F. and is concentrated. This should take about 20 minutes. Check the set and carefully pour into prepared jars immediately and seal properly. If not preserving, this can be sealed and kept in refrigerator for 1 week.

My BLTea is prepared by spreading the Smokey Tea Jam on one side of dark, multi-grain Russian Rye bread. Add crisp Bacon on top, then wild Rocket Arugula and the second slice of bread. This is a great sandwich for traveling.

Let me hear about your jamming, too. Enjoy!