Plum and White Nectarine Jam

made some today :) will be selling it at balmain markets at some time this year!
and probably starting an etsy shop

tastes delicious! and i made it in the same way as the plum and white nectarine jam i made recently

a mulberry tree!!

exciting news!
recently i discovered two old mulberry trees growing outside my lounge room window! (by just discovered i mean only just connected the large green leaved trees that i knew were there were mulberry trees because they are fruiting)
and this is very exciting!
so far i have made mulberry and white chocolate muffins using stephanie alexanders recipe for muffins from her bible - 'a cooks companion' - and will be making mulberry jam as soon as i collect about 1 kg of berries
yay!


recipe - mulberry and white chocolate muffins
220g self-raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk (i used soy)
1 egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
a big handful of white chocolate bits
1 cup mulberries

with an over preheat to 180 combine all you wet ingredients (except berries) and whisk lightly to combine . Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (sifting if you feel energetic) and make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients and berries and stir lightly until just combined. put muffin mix into muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top
YUM
image via giniann.wordpress.com

Mint, Sage and Rosemary - Herb Jelly

i finally made my jelly! it turned out so pretty! i havent tasted it yet properly, but i will soon. i am thinking of using it mainly with roast meat, like duck would go really well with sage, and am also thinking of using it like a glaze, especially the rosemary, on a roast lamb. oh, and some of the mint jelly is destined as gift to my boyfriends family :)

it was really fun. and a bit intimidating - but thats how first times usually are

i adapted a recipe from Sue Ruchels book - Windfalls

for this recipe you can pretty much substitute any herbs you like!

Basic Herb Jelly Recipe

2kg apples, halved

water to cover

1-1 and 1/2 cups of white vinegar

3/4 cup of sugar per cup of fruit extract
2 cups of herbs (of your choice

1. place apples in a large pot and cover with water.
2. boil until the apples are soft, but try not to let them get mushy
3. add between 1 and 1 and a half cups of vinegar depending on the sweetness of your apples
4. strain the cooked apples through a jelly bag (you can use muslin strung up between the legs of an upturned stool - this step may take hours - up to overnight depending on your patience) into a very large bowl
5. measure the resulting liquid and add the appropriate
amount of sugar and stir on low heat until dissolved
6. bring to a hard boil until it reaches set - it will go a golden colour and bubble up quite high, so be prepeared with a large pot
7. add the herbs about 5 minutes before bottling so the heat helps to extract the flavour

i was a bit worried during the cooking that my apple extract was cloudy, but it cooked really clear. i was so excited when it became clearer and clearer and more golden as i cooked

jammy cupcake adventures!

last weekend i was having a baking kind of day, so me and my sister decided to make some experimental jam drop cupcakes!
we used a normal butter cake recipe and nice rasberry jam (sadly, i didnt make it, but im sure when rasberry season comes around i will!). we also made some chocolate jammy cupcakes in the same way but with a tablespoon or so of cocoa in the batter...
they turned out very tasty

Jam Drop Cupcakes

250g Butter
250g castor sugar
4 eggs
250g self raising flour
vanilla
rasberry jam (or whatever jam takes your fancy!)

cream the butter, sugar and vanilla
add the eggs and beat in one at a time
add flour and mix until combined
drop a tablespoon full into cupcake cases
make an indent and spoon about one teaspoon of jam into the top of the cakes

cook in a moderate oven for 15 minutes
mmmmmm tasty

Piccalilly...

a photo of my piccalilly! looks tasty huh
just needs some nice ham...
Piccalilly recipe

Piccalilly

this is a great recipe for piccalilly, makes about 12 x 450g jars (thanks Rick Stein)

INGREDIENTS
450g Salt
4½ Litres Boiling Water
2 medium Cauliflowers Broken Into Small Florets
450g Pickling Onions Peeled And Halved - or quartered if they are a bit bigger
450g Topped And Tailed Runner Beans (Sides Peeled Away And Cut Diagonally Into 2cm Pieces)
½ large Halved Lengthways Cucumber (Seeds Removed And Then Into 1cm Chunks)
225g Topped And Tailed Zucchini (Cut Into 1cm Chunks)
275g Caster Sugar
1½ Litres Distilled Malt Vinegar (Plus Extra 5 Tbsp)
2 Crushed Garlic Cloves
½ Grated Nutmeg
½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
50g Plain Flour
25g Powder Mustard
25g Tumeric Powder
15g Ground Ginger
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Method
1. Mix the salt with the boiling water.
2. Leave to cool, divide between two large bowls and add the cauliflower and onions to one bowl and the runner beans, cucumber and courgettes to the other.
3. Cover with a plate to keep the vegetables submerged and leave for 12-24 hours.
4. Drain the vegetables and rinse them well, still keeping them separate.
5. Put the sugar, garlic and 1.5 litres (2 pints 13fl oz) of vinegar into a large pan.
6. Bring to the boil, add the cauliflower, onions, allspice and nutmeg and cook for just three minutes.
7. Add the beans and the cucumber and cook for a further 4-5 minutes - you want the vegetables to be just cooked, still a bit crunchy
8. Lift out of the vinegar with a large spider or sieve into a large bowl and set aside.
9. Mix the flour, mustard, turmeric and ginger powder with the rest of the vinegar and enough water to make a smooth paste.
10. Add a little of the hot vinegar mixture, stir into the rest left in the pan and bring to the boil, stirring.
11. Simmer for 10 minutes.
12. Stir the sauce into the vegetables, spoon into warm sterilised jars and seal with vinegar proof lids

Awesome Lime Marmalade

1 kg limes
1.5 litres water
1.75 kg sugar

Wash the limes, fresh firm limes are best, and slice as thinly as you can. Soak the limes in a non reactive bowl with the water overnight.
Transfer the limes and water to a large saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer gently, covered, until the lime skins are very soft (for about 1 hour). When the lime skins become soft take off the heat and add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
Once the sugar has dissolved (you may need to put back on the heat, but dont boil before it dissolves!) bring the mixture to the boil, and boil rapidly for about 20 minutes. the marmalade will froth a lot. once the mixture stops frothing start testing for set! The best way to test whether the marmalade is set is the crinkle test - drop some marmalade onto a cold plate and allow to cool (you can put it in the freezer for a minute or so). push the edge of the cooled marmalade and if it crinkles the marmalade is ready to bottle! scoop into sterilised jars and seal
Ta Da! lime marmalade!

note: pectin (which makes the jam set and is naturally found in fruit) can break down if the marmalade is boiled too much after the setting point is reached.