herbs de provence and rose olive oil cake

do you remember in the seventies when carrot cakes were all the rage? no..weren't even born then! well..believe me when i say they were de rigueur and cutting edge gastronomy back then..what? a vegetable in a cake? oil instead of butter? wow!

i got on the carrot cake bandwagon with great enthusiasm..come on..i'd just returned to australia after having lived in a small town in the mountains of northern greece for a few years..i was easily excited.. 

one day i thought i was being clever when, instead of using a flavourless oil, i used extra virgin olive oil to make my usual carrot cake..no surprise then that it tasted strongly of olive oil but my taste buds just weren't up to the flavour in a cake even though they were olive oil inured so i reverted to the flavourless stuff..now fast forward to yesterday when i put all of my decades old extra virgin olive oil in cake prejudices aside to make this recipe..the cake has herbs de provence in it too..what? herb de provence in a cake? wow!

i found the recipe for this herbs de provence and rose olive oil cake here when i was looking for ways to use all the grapefruit my girl kat gave me..the flavours in this cake intrigued me but i wasn't sure how i would like them but i think they're wonderful..i thought the rose water* would dominate but it's quite subtle and goes really well with the grapefruit..and the herbs de provence* add intriguing and delightful notes that complement the delicious fruity flavours of the olive oil..not being one to waste much i made candied peel from the juiced grapefruit skins..that was the only thing i did differently..oh..hang on..i did cut down on the sugar a bit..

note: * i used a french rose water concentrate imported by the essential ingredient purchased from here and herbs de provence, brought back from france by my dear friend robyn, that included rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram and summer savoury..

have you come across any flavours that have intrigued and surprised you lately?

bitter grapefruit and whisky* marmalade

my girl kat brought me a whole lot of home grown fruit recently that she got from work..several of her colleagues had taken apples, lemons and grapefruit to work for anyone to help themselves but because there were so few takers i became the lucky recipient..i've made a few different things as well as this marmalade but i still have many kilos of fruit left..none of it will be wasted

bitter grapefruit and whisky marmalade

tea with hazel

makes 5 jars

ingredients

1 kilo grapefruit

1 kilo sugar**

1 litre filtered water

1/3 cup whisky (i used chivas regal that was gifted to me by a friend for cooking)

method

~ cut the grapefruit in quarters, remove and retain any seeds, and then slice the fruit finely

~ place the seeds in a muslin square and tie up into a sachet with string

~ place the grapefruit and sachet in a large saucepan, add water, and leave overnight or for about 12 hours

~ boil the fruit for 30 minutes

~ add warmed sugar but do not allow to boil until the sugar has completely dissolved

~ once the sugar has dissolved boil rapidly, stirring every now and again, until set has been reached

~ add whisky and boil for a minute to cook out the alcohol

~ squeeze the seed sachet to extract as much pectin possible and discard the sachet

~ ladle the marmalade into warm sterilised jars and cap immediately

notes:
*   'whisky' denotes scottish whisky whereas the spelling 'whiskey' denotes irish or american whiskey
** i tasted the jam as it was reaching set and it was not sweet enough so, after removing the jam from the heat, i added an extra 250 gms of sugar..after the sugar had dissolved i brought it back to the boil and set was reached quickly

i really like the bitter flavour of marmalade..do you?

this post submitted to punk domestics

fresh pomegranate juice and raspberry jam

a ripe homegrown pomegranate is a beautiful thing..i just love peeling off enough of the pink leathery skin to get a purchase with my fingers so that i can tear the fruit open..but it's not just a tactile thing because the tearing open makes a lovely sound..and then inside is the visual delight of the glistening ruby jewels nestling in white papery folds..i know some advocate banging the back of the opened fruit with a wooden spoon to extract the arils but for me that's a bit brutal..i like to extract the fruit with my fingers..gently..gently..

some fruit just doesn't lend itself to public consumption..i'm thinking mangoes and maybe bananas..and for me it's also pomegranates because i don't like the seeds..i haven't come up with a way of extracting the chewed seeds elegantly from my mouth so i eat and seed spit in private..although i don't mind downing a few in a salad..

one way around the seed thing is to juice the pomegranate but that's easier said than done..well for me anyway because i haven't discovered a nifty non spattering crime scene way of doing it yet..it took me ages yesterday to press the arils with a spoon against a sieve to extract the juice for my jam but not as long as the bloody cleaning up took..but it was worth the effort!

fresh pomegranate juice and raspberry jam

tea with hazel
makes 2 jars of 250 mls and a bit

ingredients

500 gms raspberries*
500 gms sugar**
150 mls fresh organic pomegranate juice***
juice of half of an organic lemon

method

~ place ingredients in a large saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar has dissolved
~ bring to the boil and boil until set has been reached
~ pour into sterilized jars and cap immediately

notes:
*     i used very reasonably priced fresh tasmanian raspberries..frozen berries could be used but i prefer not to use those available at the supermarket because they're imported
**   i like a tangy jam but for those who like their jam sweeter increase sugar quantity to 550-600
*** i needed 2 medium sized homegrown pomegranates to attain this amount of juice

now i want to make scones to have with my jam..with a whisker of cream too of course!

this post submitted to punk domestics

apricot petite fours with lard pastry

i've noticed quite a few recipes lately where lard rather than butter is used in pastry making so i decided to make some to see what it's like..i didn't want to use commercially produced lard so i enquired at my local butcher and he very kindly gave me a jar of lard that he'd rendered himself to use in prosciutto making..before making the lard pastry i looked into lard's qualities and i found that relative to butter it is nutritionally superior..even though i learned this i was still a bit tentative and squeamish about it but despite feeling this way i used it to make both a savoury and a sweet recipe..even though i was very skeptical about using it in a sweet recipe, interestingly, this is where i felt it really shone..the pastry was lighter, flakier and crisper than when made with butter and it stayed that way for longer..

apricot petite fours with lard pastry

tea with hazel

ingredients pastry tarts

150 gms plain flour
75 gms lard
pinch salt
2 teaspoons (tsp) lemon juice
ice cold filtered water
apricot jam

ingredients kirsch creme patisserie

300 mls organic unhomogenised milk
3 egg yolks
50 gms sugar
20 gms plain flour
20 gms cornflour
1/2 vanilla pod
3 tsp kirsch

extras

glace apricots (see here for recipe)
apricot glaze (made by reducing the sugar syrup used to glace the apricots)

method pastry tarts

~ place flour, lard and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs
~ add lemon juice and, using the pulse function, add water incrementally until the dough just begins to cohere
~ remove mixture to a lightly dusted bench and knead gently until it forms a ball
~ wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour prior to use
~ roll pastry to approximately 2mm thick and cut 12 circles with a 7 cm cutter
~ press pastry gently into paper case lined muffin tray with medium size holes (5cm base)
~ prick bases of pastry cases a few times and place foil bean parcels* in each
~ blind bake at 210 deg c for 12 minutes, remove from oven and take out bean parcels, and then place a small teaspoon of apricot jam in each pastry case
~ reduce the oven temperature to 200 deg c bake for a further 10 minutes or until the pastry is lightly browned and the jam has melted
~ remove from oven and leave to cool for about 30 minutes before removing tarts from paper cases

method kirsch creme patisserie

~ split the vanilla bean and place it in a saucepan with the milk and heat until almost boiling and then remove from heat
~ remove vanilla bean and scrape seeds into hot milk
~ mix sugar with egg yolks, sift in flours, and mix well
~ add a little of the hot milk to egg mix and mix well
~ continue adding milk slowly to egg mix while mixing until incorporated
~ sieve mixture back into saucepan and cook until thick
~ remove from heat and mix in kirsch
~ transfer creme patisserie to a bowl, cover surface with cling film, and leave to cool

petite four assembly

~ place a large teaspoon of kirsch creme patisserie in each apricot tart case
~ top with a glace apricot cut side down and pour a teaspoon of apricot glaze on top
~ place each petite four in a fresh paper case

note: * to blind bake the tarts place 2 teaspoons of beans in 8 cm x 8 cm squares of foil and twist the top to create little parcels

would you consider using lard in pastry or biscuit making instead of butter?

glace apricot recipe

it's becoming a lot harder to buy good quality locally grown glace fruit these days and by good quality i mean fruit that's glaced with sugar only and not with the addition of gelatine..i can only think of one retailer in melbourne, and it's been a while since i've been there, who stocks a wide range of it in bulk, although it might be available at the larger markets but i don't get to any of them any more..a long time ago i used to treat myself at christmas and buy a small plastic container of ditter's glaced fruit but i haven't seen their fruit in years..mind you, it's pretty time consuming to make as i've discovered, so maybe that's why it's not available as much anymore..anyway, i only ever really liked the apricot, fig and orange pieces from the ditter's selection and so now that i know how, i can make my own.. 

  

glace apricot recipe

adapted from here

ingredients

3.5 kgs firm organic apricots 

2 tablespoons ascorbic acid powder

1 litre filtered water

sugar

filtered water

method

day 1

~ in a large non reactive bowl mix ascorbic acid with 1 litre of water 

~ cut apricots in half, remove stones and any blemishes, and place the cut halves in the acidulated water (to prevent oxidation)

~ steam the apricot halves (in one layer) in batches for 3 minutes only and place the halves in a large non reactive bowl

~ make a sugar syrup using 720 gms sugar and 1 litre water and pour the hot syrup over the apricots

~ once cooled place a piece of baking paper over the surface of the apricots (to prevent oxidation) and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel

days 2 to 5 (repeat each day for 4 days)

~ pour the syrup covering the apricots into a saucepan, add 240 gms sugar, stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, bring to the boil and then pour over apricots

~ cover with baking paper and tea towel 

day 6 and day 8 (repeat twice)

~ pour the syrup covering the apricots into a saucepan, add 360 gms sugar, stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved, bring to the boil, add apricots to the syrup and simmer for 4-5 minutes

~ pour syrup and apricots into a large bowl and cover with baking paper and towel

~ leave for 2 days

day 9

~ drain syrup from the apricots and place them in a single layer on a cake rack over a piece of baking paper, and leave to drain
~ place the apricots on dehydrator trays (or on cake cooling racks in the oven) and dry at 100 deg c for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the syrup has a glossy set
~ once cooled store in layers between baking paper in a cardboard box or store in glass with the lid loose to avoid mould..

serving suggestions

~ glace apricots can be drizzled with a little of the syrup and served as a greek 'spoon sweet'  with a greek coffee and a glass of cold water
~ serve a little syrup and glace apricot with cake, creme caramel, ice cream or yoghurt
~ dip in chocolate
~ use as decoration on cakes and cupcakes


have you ever made or bought glace fruit and, if so, how do you like use it?

post publication note

i've done some further reading about the glace fruit industry in australia and discovered, sadly, that simarloo, the largest producer of australian grown glace fruit, closed its business about 3 years ago

this post submitted to punk domestics

organic apricot preserving

on thursday a friend of mine and i drove to harcourt, 121 kms from melbourne, to pick up 5 kgs of organic apricots that i'd ordered from mt alexander's fruit garden..now that might seem a long way to go for a few apricots but i just love a country drive especially when it involves buying produce..even when i go with no buying plan i nearly always manage to find something for sale either at a road side stall or at a farm or house..for instance in the past i've bought strawberries, free range eggs, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, honey and flowers just to name a few..the other day i saw horse poo for sale by the side of the road at $0.50/bag but i resisted buying any because i didn't want to risk contaminating the 10 kgs of organic flour i was planning on buying from red beard bakery in trentham on the way home..i usually manage to find something free too..depending on the season it might be apples, chestnuts, banana passionfruit, blackberries or pinecones..

i ended up buying 10 kgs of apricots instead of just the 5 kgs because i couldn't resist and i got carried away..some people are like that with handbags..not me..i don't even own one..i also bought two different varieties..rival and goldrich..now they weren't cheap at $5/kilo for seconds but i didn't even consider the cost..i just felt grateful and happy to be able to buy such beautiful organic fruit straight from the grower..

it was 33 deg c yesterday and just in case i wasn't hot enough in my unairconditioned house, with the rival variety, i made 5 jars of apricot jam and i bottled eight jars of apricots using my fowler's vacola..i took the box of goldrich apricots out of the fridge this morning and stared at them blankly..in the end i began the process of making three and a half kilos of them into glace apricots and with the remainder i made another 6 jars of jam..i've made plenty of apricot jam before but this time i used stephanie alexander's apricot jam recipe from a cook's companion and the jam is just how i like it with a nice balance of sweet and tart..i'd never bottled apricots before and nor had i ever attempted making glace apricots..i can't tell you how either of them turned out though because i haven't tried the bottled apricots yet, although they look fine, and the glace apricots won't be ready for another 10 days..

organic rival apricots

glace goldrich apricots in process

rival bottled apricots

rival apricot jam

semolina kaiser roll, unsalted myrtleford butter and goldrich apricot jam

have you been doing any preserving recently? if so, what have you been making? and i hope you're having an enjoyable weekend..x

sourdough stollen with homemade marzipan

even though i love christmas baking some years i just don't get much done but this year i've made puddings ( a friend of mine and i always make these together), christmas cake, fruit mince and mince pies, shortbread and stollen..in the past i've made yeasted stollen but this year i wanted to try making a sourdough version..even though i loved the process of making the stollen i wasn't sure if it would be a success or not..at each stage i was filled with a bit of trepidation and lots of questions..questions such as..will it rise? will these flavours work? have i put it too much/too little of (insert ingredient)? should i have added some spice? will the dough be chewy or heavy? have i over/undercooked it? but after waiting for it to (nearly) cool i tentatively cut a piece..ahh..sigh of relief and happiness..it looked like it should..and..it tasted like it should too..ahh.. 

sourdough stollen with homemade marzipan
tea with hazel
makes 2

ingredients dough (first ferment)

250 gms sourdough starter (100% hydration)
250 gms organic white bread flour
125 mls full cream milk

ingredients dough (second ferment)

625 gms first ferment dough
250 gms plain flour
115 gms softened butter cut into small cubes
75 gms castor sugar
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon (tsp) salt
1 egg
75 gms sultanas
75 gms currants
50 gms dried cranberries*
50 gms mixed peel (i used homemade)
100 mls dark rum


ingredients marzipan

150 gms almond meal
100 gms pure icing sugar
100 gms castor sugar
1 egg white (50 gms)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp brandy
1/2 tsp vanilla

extra

beaten egg
30 gms butter melted
castor sugar
icing sugar

day 1

method dough first ferment

~ in the bowl of a stand mixer mix the ingredients
~ cover with buttered cling film and leave overnight

dried fruit marinade

~ mix sultanas, currants, cranberries and peel with rum
~ cover with cling film and leave overnight

day 2

method marzipan

~ beat the egg white with the almond extract, brandy and vanilla

~ add to the almond meal, castor sugar and icing sugar and mix to form a paste

~ shape into 2 logs approximately 3 to 3 1/2 cms in diameter and 20 cms long, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate until needed

method dough second ferment

~ to the first ferment dough add flour, butter, castor sugar, lemon rind, salt and egg and mix until ingredients form a ball
~  rest for 10 minutes and mix again briefly
~ remove the bowl from stand mixer, cover with cling film and leave for 1 hour
~ drain the dried fruit
~ knead the drained dried fruit into dough then cover the dough and leave to prove for 2-3 hours
~ divide the dough in two and roll each piece into an oblong approximately 20 x 25 cms
~ brush the dough with melted butter
~ place the marzipan, adjusting the length to fit if necessary, just off centre of the dough, fold the dough over the marzipan and gently press the dough to seal
~ place on a baking paper lined baking sheet, loosely covered, to prove for about 2 hours until doubled in volume or when a finger pressed into the dough leaves an impression
~ brush stollen with egg
~ heat oven to 250 deg c, place stollen in oven, immediately reduce heat to 180 bake deg c and bake with steam for the first 20 minutes and then without steam for a further for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked (cover with foil if the top of the dough is browning too much)
~ brush the top of the hot stollen with melted butter and sprinkle with castor sugar
~ remove excess castor sugar and dust generously with icing sugar

note: * i would have preferred to use dried sour cherries but i was unable to find any locally

this post submitted to yeast spotting

using up egg white

coconut chocolate macaroons
with decorative adaptations

go here for david lebovitzs' recipe

makes approximately 24

ingredients

4 egg whites 

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut

1 tablespoon (tbs) honey

1/4 cup of plain flour

1/2 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla

1/4 tsp salt 

30 gms dark chocolate

candied orange peel

method

~ place egg white, coconut, sugar, honey, flour and salt in a large shallow pan and cook over low to moderate heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to just scorch on the bottom of the pan

~ remove from the heat and stir in vanilla

~ leave to cool

~ shape into walnut sized balls and cook at 180 deg c for about 20 minutes or until browned

~ melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water

~ once the macaroons are cooled drop a half tsp of chocolate on the top of each macaroon and then top with a small baton of candied orange peel

if you like to use up egg whites too what do you make with them?

i'm just mad about saffron bread

it was time to use some of the precious spanish saffron i'd been given..i'd hung onto it for so long it was in danger of becoming a relic..but would i be able to do it justice?

i'm just mad about saffron bread 

ingredients

450 gms organic white flour
50 gms organic wholemeal flour
300 mls organic unhomogenised full cream milk
2 tablespoons (tbs) castor sugar
1/4 cup sultanas
1 tbs very finely diced organic lemon peel (i used my own)
1 tbs very finely diced organic orange peel (i used my own)
6 tbs dark rum
approx 10 saffron threads
1 teaspoon (tsp) yeast
2 tsp murray river salt
filtered water (if needed)
extra 1 tbs milk

method

~ bring the milk to the boil, take off the heat, add saffron threads and leave until cool
~ bring the rum to the boil in a small saucepan, take off the heat, add sultanas, leave until cool, drain the sultanas and set the rum aside
~ mix the flour with the yeast, castor sugar, cooled saffron thread milk, rum, and extra water, if needed, to make a shaggy dough
~ leave to autolyse for 20 minutes or so, add salt, mix briefly, rest for 10-15 minutes and then mix again briefly
~ remove the bowl from the stand mixer, cover with a damp tea towel and leave until doubled in size
~ turn the dough onto a flour dusted bench and gently knead in the peels and sultanas
~ leave to rest covered for about 30 minutes, knead once more, and then shape to fit a large greased bread tin
~ cover and set aside until doubled or when a finger pressed in the dough leaves an impression
~ brush the top of the dough with extra milk, bake with steam at 230 deg c for 20 minutes, cover the loaf with brown paper, lower oven temperature to 200 deg c and continue to cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until done

mellow yellow!

do you find some edible gifts so special that you put off using them or save them for a special occasion?

quince paste

my neighbour checked with me a while back to find out if i wanted her quince crop once they were ripe..last week they were looking yellow enough so we duly picked them..unfortunately some were rotting quite badly at the stem end and most were riddled with codling maggot tracts but to my neighbour's surprise i was undeterred..i put them in a bowl to enjoy the scent permeating my house for a few days while i decided what i'd do with them..in the end i chose to make quince paste..i was keen to try making it again since the first and last time i made it was decades ago and i vaguely remember it not being a great success..

carefully arranged so the rotten bits are hidden from view

i made this loaf (with linseeds, chia and sesame seeds), yesterday
 especially to have with the quince paste

quince paste, la luna holy goat cheese and home made bread
straight from the oven

quince paste

tea with hazel

ingredients

organic quinces 

sugar
lemon juice

method

~ cut and core quinces leaving skin on and removing all bruised, rotting and codling maggot infested flesh and place pieces in acidulated water
~ drain water and place quince pieces in a shallow baking tray, cover with foil, and bake at 190 deg c for 1 1/2 hours or until tender
~ put the pieces through a mouli
~ measure the resulting pulp and place in a large saucepan
~ for every cup of puree add 3/4 cup of sugar and the juice of 1/2 small lemon to the pan
~ heat the pan slowly until the sugar has melted and then increase heat to medium
~ stir regularly until the mixture is deep amber and the spoon leaves a trail at the bottom of the saucepan
~ spoon the paste into a shallow baking paper lined tray and put aside for 24 hours to set
~ cut into pieces and store in an airtight container or wrap in baking paper strips and store in cellophane bags

notes:

~ i baked my quince pieces rather than boiling them as is usually done on the premise that the added water needed for boiling would extend the paste cooking time
~ i used a diffuser under the saucepan to prevent scorching and so that i didn't have to stir the pot quite
as often
~ cooking time varies considerably but my quince paste took about 1 1/2 hours..it can take 4 hours or so
~ for a sweeter product add a cup of sugar to each cup of puree
~ the few quinces i had made 24 pieces of paste and, not including the gas and electricity, cost $0.03c/piece

next time i see my former neighbours (who planted the quince tree
about 3 years ago) i will give them some quince paste from 'their' tree

verdict:

i'm so glad i had another attempt at making quince paste because it was such a satisfying experience..i loved the smell permeating my kitchen as i watched the magical process as the paste slowly changed colour from pale creamy yellow/brown to red amber..and i was so happy that it worked out well and that it tastes great..not too sweet with a bit of a tang..now it's almost hard to imagine that the paste was made from rotting and codling maggot tract ridden fruit..

why would you bother?

this is a phrase that my son in law uses when he sees or hears of someone doing something he thinks is a waste of time..it's a bit ironic really because he bothers a lot..he bothers welding bits of scrap metal together to make works of art and furniture..he bothers constructing a quirky metal frame on the flat roof of part of a building and then elevating an old canoe high up onto it and then using it as a planter..he bothers air brushing dozens of life sized wood cutout people..he bothers collecting and storing a huge amount of stuff for work related projects..he bothers project managing the internal construction and outfitting of  various bars and clubs in melbourne where he uses no working drawings or plans but works entirely from his imagination and memory..and he bothers having exhibitions..

'why would you bother' is now firmly entrenched in my children's and my vernacular and it's aways guaranteed a laugh..yesterday when i picked my second and last crop of elderberry umbels for the season with a view to making elderberry jelly i imagined my son in law looking at the seven umbels and saying 'why would you bother?' and those living in lands where they grow like weeds might think the same..but, people, it's not the same deal here in australia..elderberries don't grow everywhere..

there's a bit of irony in where i first discovered them..it wasn't in the uk where i once lived or other parts of europe that i've visited where i know they grow..the first place i found them was 10 years ago in daylesford, in north west victoria, while on a bush walk where i noticed 5-6 trees growing wild along with a few neglected vines..exotic fruit growing in among australian bush might seem a bit odd but the area was once part of the era of the heady gold rush..

i didn't know what the fruit was when i picked the first umbels but i felt sure they were something edible so i took them home and looked the tree and fruit up in my trusty and well used book on fruit trees..when i found out they were indeed edible i boiled the few berries i had with a bit of sugar, strained the juice and had it on yoghurt..after tasting the syrup i planned on visiting again but i never did get back there (it was an 8 hour walk) so then i thought of growing one..four or five years ago when i was planting out my new garden the only place i could find an elderberry was through digger's garden club but i've noticed they're now more widely available..

sourdough semolina and yoghurt roll with elderberry jelly

why would you bother?

because waiting 10 years between tasting the delicious cooked berries again is a long time..and because the colour is truly gorgeous..it would have been even darker and i think the flavour richer had i not used a granny smith apple along with the berries..hopefully next year i will have a bigger crop and i won't have to dilute the jelly with pomes..that's assuming the birds that carole away in it all day don't realise the berries are edible too..

frugal by choice

3 left over egg whites

3 dozen crunchy almond macaroons with amaretto

one $14 box of tomatoes

12 jars of tomato puree

1 large jar of dried tomatoes in olive oil

several glasses of tomato juice (a by product of preparing the tomatoes)
 served with chilli flakes, pepper, salt and worscestershire sauce

about 2 kilos of plums picked from an abandoned orchard and a few apples picked from trees growing by the side of the road

3 jars of plum/apple jelly

 plum 'ice cream' made by processing plum/apple pulp from jelly making
with a frozen banana and drizzled with honey

a quick sweet made with sweetened pureed plum/apple pulp and
 a vanilla egg custard with a sprinkle of cinnamon

it's worth it

they drove north west into the open landscape and were surprised by how dry it was

it didn't rain in january they said 

the blackberry bushes growing close to where she used to live were parched

leaves berries and canes all withering helplessly 

she remembered somewhere else

close to the railway bridge over riddell's creek

a huge oak lovingly arching its massive branches

offering solace from that heartless celestial orb

nestled into the shoulder of the railway embankment

there're only a few small blackberries they said

they picked fingers stained scratched and bleeding

it's worth it they said

from wikipedia

blackberry and elderberry jelly

tea with hazel

ingredients

blackberries and elderberries* (a fork easily removes elderberries from their stalks)

filtered water

sugar

lemons

method

~ wash berries well, pick off any remaining stalks, and drain well

~ place berries in a large saucepan and just cover with water

~ bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the berries are soft

~ once they are soft mash the berries with a potato masher

~ pour the berries and juice into a jelly bag or muslin lined colander placed over a large bowl

~ place in the fridge once cooled and leave to drain for 24 hours (for a clear jelly don't squeeze the bag) 

~ measure the juice and for every 600 mls use 450 gms sugar and the juice, pips and pulp of one lemon

~ wrap the lemon pips and pulp in muslin and tie securely

~ put the berry juice, sugar, lemon juice and muslin sachet in a large saucepan and put on to heat

~ heat gently stirring until the sugar granules dissolve

~ increase heat and boil vigorously until the jelly reaches a good set**

~ pour into sterilised jars***

notes: *   this year, for the first time since i planted my elderberry, i have managed to pick a few umbrels but alone they were not enough to make a jelly so i added them to the blackberry jelly

           **/*** go here for information on jam/jelly set, sterilisation and other useful jam making tips

a lot of effort for only one 750 ml jar of jelly
but it's worth it!

ginger syrup

question: hmm..what would be a good non alcoholic, cooling, thirst quenching, curry compatible drink to have before and/or with dinner..
answer: i know..how about a home made ginger syrup with soda water, lemon juice and some bitters in there for fun..

ginger syrup recipe

recipe adapted from here

chop it

2 cups fresh ginger

blitz it 
the ginger



boil it
~bring the ginger, 2 cups sugar and 6 cups water to the boil and then lower heat to medium and boil for about an hour until it has reduced by about half



strain it
~through muslin squeezing to get all the goodness out

bottle it
~when it's cool and then refrigerate
~use within 2 weeks

 

drink it
~put crushed ice in a glass
~add about 60 mls of ginger syrup or to taste
~top up with soda water
~add lemon juice to taste
~a dash of angostura bitters
~and a lemon slice and mint sprig to garnish (my son's idea)

note: the syrup would make a great cocktail base too by adding 30 mls of vodka (my children's idea) to the above drink and using less soda water or go here for a great recipe i know i'm looking forward to trying..although i'd add soda water rather than the ginger ale..


cheers dears..:)

tomato preserves..three ways..

i planted several roma tomato plants last year in anticipation of preserving my own tomatoes this year but all of my tomatoes, including the romas, failed to produce a decent crop..next spring i am going to plant  them in a southerly position where they will receive plenty of eastern and western sunshine but where they'll be protected from the dry, harsh northernly wind and sun..hopefully i will then be harvesting tomatoes again..my northerly garden seems to produce great winter vegetables but it's just far too hot for many summer vegetables..

so, because i haven't had my own and since i've wanted to do some preserving, i've bought tomatoes for that purpose..32 kilos to be exact..and i've made three styles of preserved tomatoes..

1.

16 bottles of fowler's vacola tomato puree preserves-i wanted to do more today but it's predicted to be 38 deg c here today and so i will do more next week when it's cooler

dehydrating tomatoes

2.

semi dried tomatoes with garlic slivers, parsley, olive oil and salt-these tomatoes require refrigeration and will only last a week

3.

fully dehydrated tomatoes with added home grown chilli flakes
 and covered in extra virgin olive oil-no refrigeration required

i'm doing another batch of fully dried tomatoes today and so because they take at least 18 hours to dry i'd better get going..

happy weekend everyone..x

molly's marmalade

i love the bitter sour perfumed flavour of cumquat so i planted one in my new garden two years ago and last autumn i made my first cumquat jelly..i decided to make jelly because, even though i love the flavour of cumquat, i've never really liked the consistency of the cumquat marmalade i've made..unlike the more dense rind of other citrus the skin on cumquat is soft and so it's difficult to cut it into lovely thin batons..so i've tended to end up with an inconsistently lumpy marmalade that i haven't enjoyed very much..

i am a bit of an op shopper in case you hadn't realised and at the same time as i made my cumquat jelly i noticed jars of delicious looking cumquat marmalade in my local op shop..it turned out that it had been made by molly, a volunteer, whom i know and really like..she is 82 years old and walks to and from the op shop daily with the assistance of a walking frame because she has chronic leg pain..despite the pain, however, molly is always smiling and friendly..

molly

anyway i bought one of molly's jars of marmalade, even though i had my own jelly, and because it was so delicious i had to go back for another jar a few days later..she was chuffed when i told her how much i had enjoyed her marmalade because she hadn't considered herself much of a jam maker..it was then that is asked her how she made it and she offered to write the recipe out for me..i made a batch that afternoon and i can happily tell you that i considered it a success..the secret to it's success, i think, is that the fruit is minced..although i have to say i've never liked using this method with other citrus fruit..

      molly's cumquat marmalade

• 1 kg cumquats (weight after de-seeding)
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 kgs sugar
• juice 2 lemons

• first de-seed cumquats (this is rather slow and laborious) and tie the seeds in muslin (molly didn't do this)
• mince the cumquats (i used a food processor)
• put minced cumquats and muslin bag in a large pan, pour over water, and leave to soak overnight
• the next day boil until the fruit is soft (approximately 1/2 hour)
• remove muslin bag and add the sugar and lemon juice
• once the sugar is dissolved boil rapidly for approximately 1/2 hour or until set

my 'molly' marmalade  

it's a lovely vibrant orange colour

my thanks go to molly who kindly gave me permission to take her photograph and write her cumquat marmalade recipe in this post..