Raspberry parade - jam(ish)

One of the first things I thought of making with my raspberries was jam, and I'd actually just copied down a recipe for raspberry and rose jam from Grandma S's latest copy of the BBC Good Food Magazine. I didn't really want to make too much as we don't get through it very quickly but I had so many berries that I ended up making enough to go with a 1kg bag of jam sugar - about 1.4kg or so. I made it when jam-making expert Cai came round for dinner last Sunday, and must have severely tested my hostessing credentials by hopping up and down at intervals through dinner with a chilled saucer for her to assess how close it was to setting. The trouble was that it started to get close and then it gave up completely and went really runny again. I don't know why this happened - did I heat it too quickly? too slowly? did I annoy it by not offering it dinner? Whatever the reason, I now have eight jars of very runny, and rather overly sweet jam. Cai and Lauren kindly took two jars away with them and I'm considering making it a compulsory leaving gift for anyone else who comes round.


One of the reasons I'd wanted to make this jam was because of the rose flavouring, but when I got my bottle out I remembered that I'd bought rose syrup not rose water. I didn't want to add too much more in the way of sugar, so I used less than the recipe called for, which is rather a shame as the flavour wasn't very noticeable. So, not the best use of the berries, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to strain off some of the liquid and use it in baking - in Cai's chocolate nutella cake, for instance, or a Bakewell slice. Perhaps it's not so bad after all :)

Raspberry and rose jam (from Good Food Magazine, August 2010)
This is the full quantity - I made two thirds
1.8 kg raspberries
1.5 kg jam sugar
2-3 Tbsp rose water

Night before: layer berries and sugar together in a very large bowl, then cover and leave at room temperature.
Next day: give it a stir and set aside until you're ready. Put a small saucer in the freezer
Tip berries, juices and any undissolved sugar into a large wide based pan, and stir in the rosewater. Start over a low heat until the sugar has all dissolved, then bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Turn off the heat and spoon a little on to the saucer. When it's cool, push with your finger. If it wrinkles it's at the setting points. If not, return to the heat and boil in 2-3 minute stages until it reaches the wrinkle stage.
Skim off any scum and leave for 15 minus, then pour into sterilised jars. Keeps in a cool dark place for at least 6 months. Refrigerate once opened

Makes 8 jars

Persimmon chutney delight

How well I remember the first time I met a persimmon. We were in Fremantle market near Perth a few years ago. I had drawn us over to the fruit and veg stands, where lots of the traders had examples of their wares for tasting. I was a bit suspicious when one held out a slice of what looked like very firm tomato - I thought I was quite well-up on exotic fruits from years of celebrating the Jewish harvest festival as a child, but I didn't recognise this. I tried it anyway - and was sold. This was no tomato (though I love tomatoes). Instead it was a supremely sweet-yet-firm nugget of delight, and it was a persimmon. When we got home I realised that you can get them in the supermarkets here, but for at least half their season they are imported from South Africa. For the other half, however, they come from Israel, and I'm prepared to extend my definition of European that far (Eurovision, people - they're in Eurovision). So for those few months I gorge on these little delights, and try not to think about how much sugar I must be ingesting. A few weeks ago I outdid even myself, however, as I bought a whole bag for a pound from Coventry market, and even I don't allow myself to eat that many in quick succession. They were starting to look a bit sorry for themselves after a week or so, and I decided I'd better find another use for them.*


I've been engaged in a long-term project to clear and defrost the freezer so I didn't want to bake any breads or cookies that would end up in there. Instead I was inspired by two very nice fruit chutneys I've eaten over the last few weeks, and found this recipe instead. The reviews were very useful, so I made the following changes:
I halved everything EXCEPT the fruit. I had so much of it, and wanted it to be really fruity, so I used four or possibly even five smallish very ripe persimmons.
I used much less than half of the vinegar as comments said that it was very vinegary. I wanted quite a loose chutney so I added a little bit more water towards the end, and mine was neither too vinegary nor too dry.
I used half cider vinegar and half white wine vinegar because I didn't have enough cider vinegar.


The resulting chutney had a good spicy kick to it, though you could dial the heat up or down according to preferences. I filled one average sized jar from my batch, which was just right. I have a bit of a tendency to hoard chutneys, and now that I hardly eat cheese I don't use it very much! I'm looking forward to trying this one with salads and bread though, and I might even let The Scientist try it. If he buys me some more persimmons.


A couple more pertinent persimmon facts: there are two types of persimmon, one of which is wonderful, but the other of which is astringent and disgusting. There is no mistaking whether you have the right one! The right one is small and tomato shaped, although it also depends on how ripe they are. The other is bigger and more bulbous (see a handy illustrated guide from another persimmon lover here). Secondly, persimmons are also called sharon fruits, but I think persimmon is prettier. Thirdly, my aunt told me you shouldn't eat more than one per day, but I have no idea why. Fourthly, if you cut the top off and put one in the freezer for a few hours, they make a delicious little sorbet you can eat with a spoon. Versatile AND pretty, eh? But I can't show you how pretty because I'd eaten all the others by the time I made the chutney :)

* why didn't The Scientist help me out? Well, to be honest, I don't even know if he likes them as they are so firmly designated as mine. He could try one if he wanted, honest. Well, as long as I had at least six more in the bowl.

Foraging for blackberry jam

Blackberries are such a generous fruit. They just explode out of hedgerows and bushes everywhere at this time of year, gleaming lusciously and begging to be picked - for free! I can't understand why blackberry bushes aren't mobbed by foragers, but I'm glad they're not. I was so pleased to find that we had lots of them near us when we moved, as we left a glorious crop behind us when we left Sussex. I've been popping out whenever I need a break from work, and have quite a lot in the freezer already. This time I decided to turn my new pickings into some jam.

The 'ruby-red river'

I've tried making jams before with a reasonable amount of success, but this is a very very easy recipe I tried for the first time last year. It's from Nigella's How to be a Domestic Goddess, and she calls it 'Hands-free raspberry jam' - although I admit that I wasn't quite that much of a jam superstar as to not use my hands entirely. You heat equal quantities of fruit and sugar in the oven in two separate bowls, pour the sugar on to the fruit, and watch as they melt together into a 'ruby-red river' as Nigella says. Of course my version used blackberries instead of raspberries, but the principle was the same. When I made it last year though I found that equal quantities of fruit and sugar were far too sweet. This time instead of 250g of each I used closer to 350g of berries and 200g or even a little less of the sugar - and it's still more than sweet enough. I also smushed the berries and sugar up together a bit more this time, as the last lot was either very berry-ish, or very liquidy according to what spoonful you got. My quantities filled a standard pot plus a small pot and made me feel very domesticated and ready for autumn. The wonders of summer fruits and veggies may be coming to an end, but I'm prepared. TWO pots. That will see me through the cruel winter.

I know - it looks ghostly doesn't it? I couldn't get the lighting right, but I quite like its mysteriousness

Very very easy blackberry jam (adapted from Nigella)

Makes TWO pots - TWO

About 350g blackberries
About 250g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4
Put the fruit and sugar into two separate bowls or ovenproof dishes - I used a casserole dish and its lid. Put the bowls into the oven for 20-25 mins. Take them out carefully and pour the sugar over the berries. The fruit will meld and melt into the sugar, but mash it up a bit with a wooden spoon if you want a more even mix of fruit and sugary liquid. Pour into cleaned jars. Fasten and leave to cool before keeping in the fridge.

100th post, and a cake to celebrate

This is my 100th post - I can't quite believe it. I'm not sure whether to be pleased or embarrassed to have inflicted so many words on anyone who reads this. Either way I moved swiftly on from self-reflection to selecting a cake to make in celebration. I've been really good about only baking when I have an immediate outlet recently - and the freezer does not count as an outlet, sadly. I've had a yen to make a swiss roll for absolutely ages, but with no outlet, no roll. Tonight, however, we're going for dinner at Vicki and Paul's house, and I thought probably they wouldn't mind if I turned up with a dessert :)



There are several reasons I've been wanting to make a swiss roll. Firstly, they are absurdly easy and taste extremely nice. Secondly, they look fun. Thirdly, Munchkin Granny went through a phase of making them for us when we were little so they have nice memories attached to them (she had a chocolate version and a plain one). Fourthly, you can jazz them up to the heavens with fruit and cream, or you can keep them simple. Fifthly (and most importantly), I wanted to use up the last of my heavenly rhubarb and vanilla jam before it headed off to the great preserves cupboard in the sky.

I used a fatless whisked sponge cake recipe for my cake just because that was the one I'd found most recently, but you can just as successfully use your favourite Victoria sponge cake recipe and bake it in a Swiss roll tin. I actually meant to add chopped strawberries to the jammy filling as well,but clean forgot until the cake was all rolled up. I tried out baking the cake on my reusable silicone baking sheet thing (part of my obsession with not using disposable items if I can avoid it) and it was very easy to peel off. Unfortunately you still need another sheet to invert the cake onto, but I will work at making that stage environmentally friendly too next time.

I haven't tried the cake yet as I thought turning up with a partially-eaten cake was a bit less classy. Happily though, one of the stages in the recipe involves trimming the cake, and The Scientist reported that the trimmings were very good. I was too busy licking the jam spoon. Happy 100th post, Munchkin Mail!

Jammy swiss roll (from Martha Day's Complete Baking)

Serves 6-8
3 eggs
115g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
75g plain flour, sifted
1 tbsp boiling water
6 tbsps jam (the original recipe was for peach, but I used rhubarb this time and I'm sure any
other would work beautifully too. Mind you, I haven't tasted it yet]
icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to Gas 6/200 C. Grease a 12x8 Swiss roll tin and line with non stick baking paper. Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until thick and mousse like (when the whisk is lifted, a trail should remain on the surface of the mixture for 15 seconds [I have to admit that I didn't get it quite to this stage, though probably beat for about 5 mins. It was still quite thick though, and turned out fine]

Carefully fold in the flour with a large metal spoon, then add the boiling water in the same way.

Spoon into the prepared tin, spread evenly to the edges and bake for about 10-12 mins until the cake springs back when lightly pressed.

Spread a sheet of greaseproof paper on a flat surface, sprinkle it with caster sugar, then invert the cake on top. Peel off the paper.

Neatly trim the edges of the cake [and feed to appreciative boyfriend]. Make a cut two-third of the way through the cake, about 1cm from the short edge nearest you [presumably this makes it easier to start rolling]

Spread the cake with the jam and roll up quickly from the partially cut edge. Hold in position for a minute, making sure the join is underneath [I forgot - no ill consequences]. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Vanilla flavoured heaven

I always think it’s sad that the phrase ‘vanilla flavoured’ is used to describe something that’s a bit bland and ordinary. I love the scent and flavour of vanilla; it’s right up there with cinnamon and rising bread in my top three baking scents. This is why today’s lunch was vanilla-flavoured heaven and I plan to repeat it EVERY day this week!

Despite my love of vanilla I have never until now cooked with real vanilla beans. I suppose I’m just a cheapskate. But I found a ‘two for one’ deal at Julian Graves a few weeks ago and stocked up. I hadn’t decided what to use them for yet, but then I saw that Master Baker’s theme ingredient for the month was vanilla, so that gave me a bit of a nudge. The Scientist has requested a dessert break for a little while after all the baking I’ve done recently, and I have imposed a no-freezer ban (apart from one tiny exception which I will write about soon, and it doesn’t count because it’s banana bread and that is above all rules). So cake and biscuits were out. Leafing through a Donna Hay book in Sainsbury’s the other week, however, I stumbled on an easy-sounding recipe for rhubarb and vanilla jam, and when I searched around for it later I found that Arfi at HomeMadeS (a New Zealand blogger with an absolute gift for photography, though she’s extremely modest about it) had made it and posted the recipe. I had rhubarb from the Leeds farmers’ market to use up, and decided that was the way my vanilla flavoured post would go, complete with real vanilla pods.

But this is me, and I rarely go for the simple option. After making the jam (which smelt delicious) I started to have thoughts of a vanilla bread for it to go on. I was initially thinking of an enriched challah-type bread, but then found a recipe for what looked more like a regular type of bread but with added vanilla. I looked up vanilla in the index of my copy of Elizabeth David’s English Bread and Yeast Cookery, which stated uncategorically that it is an abhorrent idea as a bread ingredient. I was undeterred – she is, after all, only a baking guru, and besides, I wasn’t mixing vanilla with other spices which seemed to be what she objected to.

The bread was straightforward, and the dough rose beautifully in the sun. It came out of the oven looking lovely and soft and golden, and when it was cut you could see the vanilla seeds flecked through it (the originally recipe called for vanilla flavouring, but I had used half the quantity of that, and scraped in half a vanilla pod). I was ravenous for lunch by the time it was ready, but couldn’t decide what to put on it that wouldn’t hide its delicate flavour. Finally I went with whimsy and had it buttered with goat’s cheese, fig chutney and watercress. It was divine: the best lunch ever. I had to do a little lunch dance as I ate it. I had another piece with the rhubarb jam on it and that was wonderful too. The jam was very sweet – I might cut back on the sugar another time, but had a lovely vanilla flavour to it, and nice big gollops of rhubarb. It isn’t quite as green as the photo makes it look, but certainly greener than I expected! If that’s a vanilla flavoured lunch, though, I’ll take it every time. Thank you, Master Baker, for setting this particular ball rolling.

Heavenly rhubarb and vanilla jam (Donna Hay, and made by Arfi)

250g (8 ¾ oz) rhubarb, trimmed and chopped, 1 cup caster (superfine) sugar, 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste), 2 Tbs water

Place the rhubarb, sugar, vanilla and water in a saucepan over a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Spoon the jam into a sterilised 1-cup (8 fl oz) capacity glass jar and seal. Makes 1 cup (8 fl oz). This jam can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Ambrosial vanilla bread (from epicurean.com)

Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups warm water
1 pkg dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp vanilla extract [I used about 1 tbsp and then scraped in the seeds from half a vanilla pod]
1/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
3 3/4 to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

Stir water and yeast together in large mixing bowl and let stand for a minute to dissolve. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, dry milk and 2 cups of the flour. Beat briskly for 2 minutes. Add enough more flour to make a soft, manageable dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead a minute or two. Let rest 10 minutes.

Resume kneading, adding just enough flour to keep dough from becoming sticky, until it is smooth and elastic. Place in large greased bowl, cover, and let rise until double in bulk.

Punch down and shape into a loaf. Place in a greased 9x5x3 loaf pan, cover, and let rise to the top of the pan. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 50 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool on a rack.

Apparently cats are unimpressed by jam