Fig & Rhubarb Jam

Fig and rhubarb jam. Oh, the magic of a quick Pinterest search. It sounded too good to be true. It certainly looked good. And after trying out the recipe and tasting, it was decided that this is a keeper, definitely one to make again, one to make more of.  I actually prefer this to plain fig jam (!)

Rhubarb added neccessary tang to the brown turkeys, and they in turn added depth to the rhubarb. Honey highlights these two flavors without overpowering, and lemon juice tempers the sweetness.

The color of this jam is a gorgeous deep cherry-red. Tasty, tangy, slightly chunky, it's just about perfect.
Originally from the delightful Log Cabin Cooking, this is one of the easiest canning recipes I've ever tried.

Fig & Rhubarb Jam

2 lbs. figs, quartered,
 and 2 large stalks rhubarb, chopped - 1200 grams fruit in all

600 grams sugar

130 grams honey

Juice of 4 lemons, 1 cup or so

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil.  Turn off heat, let cool, cover, and let sit over night. Once it has set,
Simmer the mixture, stirring often with wooden spoon, over medium-low heat until no longer foaming and thickened, about 15 minutes.
Ladle into hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims, seal, and
process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. 
Makes 5 half-pints.  

Originally from Log Cabin Cooking via Pinterest

the place where the blackberries grow...

well, one of them, anyway.

Fire & Ice Ginger. Lychee. Smoothie.

Lychees are fragrant, weird-looking, ancient (think ginko), delicious little tropical fruits.  Their knobby mauve skins, covered with slightly pointy bumps, belie the treasure within. The underside of the skin is a shock of hot pink. Once peeled, the single shiny brown seed barely shows through the juicy, translucent fruit.
They have a flavor all their own. Somewhat bitter, lightly sweet, very floral. Their texture is like that of a firm  grape.   

Lychees and ginger were meant to be combined - the spicy ginger is tempered by the lychee, while the floral flavor of the lychee is enhanced by the ginger bite.  

This smoothie is rather like coconut water and horchata; it's milky, in a good, plant-based way, and it's completely beyond refreshing. Not to mention, addicting.

  This is sweet, but not too much, and not too little, with a nice, smooth, balanced flavor.

I feel so awake after drinking it, and without any caffeine! It's my new favorite morning pick-me-up.     

Ginger-Lychee Smoothie

30 (or so) peeled, seeded lychees

1 knob ginger root, roughly 1x1-inch

1 cup ice cubes

Grate ginger over lychees. Add lychees and grated ginger to a powerful blender. Blend until smooth.

Add the ice and blend until no large ice chips remain.  Strain if desired - the little bits of ginger add a flavorful kick, but make for a slightly chunky drink  - and down, ASAP.  

Hwy's 18 & 38

Pics from last weekend - the annual Xeriscape Tour in Big Bear: 

...The drive up:

...some of the gardens & nurseries on the tour:

...The drive down:



Mango-Tahini Smoothie

So smooth, so icy, so refreshing. Make this right now - you won't be sorry.

Inspired by January 2013 Whole Living as well as this incredibly hot day.  

Mango-Tahini Smoothie

2 mangos, skins & pits removed (reserve all juice that collects)
1 scant TBSP. tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 cup ice cubes

Add to a powerful blender the mango chunks and pulse briefly several times to puree, stopping and shaking the contents, if neeeded, to settle the bigger pieces to the bottom where the blade is. Once pureed,
add the tahini; pulse once or twice until combined.  Add the ice & blend til the mix is finely icy throughout.
Pour into glasses if, if you feel like sharing, and try not to gulp too fast- enjoy the flavor!

Fouth-of-July + Pie

Family can be a royal pain, as I was reminded this fourth of July.
Cranky, obnoxious, rude, the works. There were plenty of fireworks before the ones up in the air were blasting.
 Somehow, my dysfunctional family manages to stick together, through thick and thin. I was reminded, too, of the resilience of the family unit in general.

It was nothing a bit of pie couldn't fix.
Especially plum-strawberry-blackberry pie, with a minemum of crust (They don't like crust. But I happen to be something of a crust lover. This is the measure of my devotion.).




[

[assembly]Clockwise from top left: ingredients;
the filling before being mixed; after a brush with
egg white & a sprinkle of sugar, the folded pie
is ready for the oven; filling the pie.

  


This pie is killer-good; the mix of fruits makes for a phenomenal flavor bomb, the crust is crisp and delightfully (in my eye) wavy....rustic and simple and tasty. 




Strawberry-Plum-Blackberry Pie

2 cups quartered Santa Rosa Plums
2 cups halved strawberries + 1 2/3 cups more, whole
1/3 cup blackberries

Put plums and halved strawberries in a bowl. Put whole strawberries & blackberries in another bowl. Add the

Juice of half a lemon,
a scant cup sugar,
& 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch.

Mash with a fork coarsely, making sure that starch is fully dissolved and no chunks of it remain before adding the following; the plums & remaining strawberries, and a scant

3/4 cup more sugar. 

Stir to combine. Pre-heat oven to 400F. Make the crust:

Combine 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in
1 stick cold butter which has been cut into small cubes.
Mixture will resemble coarse crumbs.
Combine

1 egg yolk,
1/4 cup ice water,
and 2 tsp. vanilla.

Beat with fork til combined, then drizzle over crumbs. Stir it all with a  fork until dough forms large clumps.  Dough should hold together when a small handfull is pressed.  Form into a disk.  On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to an approximately 13"-circle.   Roll dough over rolling pin to transport to a deep-dish 9" pie plate.  Unroll, center the dough, and press into the pie plate.  Sprinkle with

1/3 cup almond meal.  Using a slotted spoon, scoop filling into crust. Add about 1/2 cup of the liquid from the fruit mixture (all of it is too much).  Fold edges of dough over the filling, crimping as you go. Brush edges with

1 beaten egg white, then sprinkle with
1/8 cup sugar all around.

Bake at 400F for 35 minutes, cover loosely with foil, and bake 20-25 minutes more. Let cool about 4 hours or until somewhat set. 


loosely adapted from EveryDay with Rachel Ray

Be sure to use the leftover juice from the filling... topped with some sparkling mineral water, it makes one hell of a drink!







Apricot Nectar

How to make the best apricot nectar:

Instead of those monster, monotone supermarket ones, use petite, melting, bicolored beauties. Real apricots. This is much more easily-done if you grow your own - or you happen to have generous neighbors.  

  A perfectly ripe apricot will not split easily, it will squish before it does, the perfumed juice dripping allover hands. 

They are precious, each fruit treasured; their season is short and in the blink of an eye they are gone for another whole year.

The smell of the apricot halves cooking down is absolute heaven; tasting the finished nectar is even better. This recipe captures the essence of apricots, a sweet distillation of the dry days and warm nights needed for the proper growth of the fruit.

Ethereal on the palate and an immense pleasure just to gaze at, it is the very color of the morning sun.

I suggest this nectar tempered with an equal measure of ice and water combined as a refreshing drink.

It is also perfect as a base for amazing barbecue sauce. Enjoy! 

Apricot Nectar

4 lbs apricots, halved & pitted (10 cups)
3 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
6 TBSP lemon juice - juice of two lemons

  Combine apricots & water in a large saucepan, cover, and simmer over medium-low for 10-15 minutes, until apricots are soft and breaking down. Then,
puree with an immersion blender.  Strain through sieve back into pot.
Add sugar & lemon juice.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often.
Ladle into pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace.  Cap, and
process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes 4 1/2 pints

originally from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Some recipes are so good that they need repeating. Like these Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies, for example.   They are especially perfect for Father's Day, at least around here, but they're good for barbecues or potlucks or anyplace you need to take them; they're quite portable (and they will last two weeks if wrapped in waxed paper and then sealed in a zip-lock bag. They'd also be ideal for the Fourth of July - chocolate chips are just so...Americana. 

   Enjoy. 



Spiked Iced Coffee

Let me put it this way: I'm thoroughly obsessed.
With iced coffee, that is.
There is just something about iced coffee that, at times, can have such a restorative effect. I don't know how exactly it works, but it does.
Maybe it's not that great for you, but at the time, I was willing to risk it.
It all started on one of our frickin'-hot Southern California days, one of those days
where just breathing is labor-intensive. Sitting in the drive-thru, pumping gas - it all seemed unbearable and everyone seemed miserable. There's a certain concentrated slowness to everyday functions at that point.
Hills covered in straw-colored, long-dead grasses hissed as the hot, dusty breeze rankled.  

Then,

 beckoning from not far off, a bake shop. Seems unlikely, given the heat.  But.  But.

It was not a baked treat we were after. No, it was something icy-cold to drink.

Mango Lassi and Iced Coffee were downed with immense refreshment, a feeling of calm coming over me as a sweet coolness prevailed.  I have not been able to stop thinking of that Mango Lassi... soon as I find a recipe, I am SO making one.  But I did get the iced coffee down. (It wasn't originally spiked, but that never hurts. I needed a hazelnut boost, and Frangelico delivered.  But by all means, use a hazelnut syrup for a non-spiked version.) Here's the recipe:

Brew up a batch of extra-strong coffee, using equal parts French Roast and Hazelnut. 

Once brewed, stir in 1 to 2 Tablespoons, to taste, of brown or maple sugar into every cupful of coffee, and a tablespoon of hazelnut liquer or syrup if desired. 

Let cool 15 minutes or so.  Stir in a handful of ice cubes, stirring until fully dissolved. The coffee should be well-chilled at this point.  Pour this mixture over a glass of ice. Serve, kick back, and enjoy. 

  

Simple Kale Salad

It's about time I got in on the kale bandwagon. Or, rather, it's about time I posted something kale-y.

Seriously, I love kale, raw or cooked, in everything. In this case, it's raw, in a very tasty salad, and the other ingredients aim to enhance rather than cover up the greens.

 This salad is similar to those I've sampled from Mother's Markets (I can get happily lost in one of those), but tangier.  And unlike theirs, this has fresh grapes, not raisins, and (the best part) it doesn't cost $9+ a pound.

Those grapes were unfortunately conventional, so I rinsed them four times in warm water, until the water was no longer cloudy, to remove as much chemical residue as possible.  They tasted much better for it.





The key to a good raw kale salad? Don't ask me, but making sure the leaves are torn in small, bite-size pieces really makes a difference. This is the only time-consuming part of the recipe. To make

Simple Kale Salad:

Tear 2 large leaves of kale into quite-small pieces

Top them with 2 Tablespoons avocado oil and

the juice of half a lemon; toss to coat. Add

one handful red grapes, sliced in half (around one cup of halves). Toss again to combine.

Top with 1/3 cup salted, roasted sunflower seeds and lots of 

lemon pepper & salt. 

Toss once more & serve!

Best eaten the day it's made, the salad will keep a day or two in the fridge,

but it will not look as vibrant as it could.  

Hibiscus Flower Tea

It's easy to see why the edible hibiscus is sometimes referred to as roselle.

Tart and tangy, with the most beautiful, deep, rosy hue... it makes a delicious and quenching tea.



To make hibiscus tea, measure one tablespoon of dried hibiscus flowers for every cup of water. To make sun tea, place water and roselles into a clear jar with a lid. Place in a sunny spot to steep for a few hours, until color has deepened.  Another way to brew the tea is to heat water and roselles mixed to a boil, and let cool.  Either way you brew, drink the tea hot or cold, but do store in fridge overnight to develop a more robust flavor. I prefer cold/room temp and unsweetened.
I am in agreement with Fany Gerson, of the lovely Paletas: steeping overnight does seem to extract more flavor from the dried buds. If steeping overnight, leave dried buds and then strain when ready to drink.