Spiced Brandy Peach Jam

Tillamook Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Peach Jam and Blueberries

As summer draws to a close, most of my jam has been made. So far this year I have made strawberry, marionberry, raspberry, and blueberry jams. My job is not yet done, however, for it is now peach season and peach jam is one of our absolute favorites!

Unlike the berry jams, which are all about the flavor of the particular berry being used, my peach jam recipe adds in layers of flavor that work to bring out and highlight the peach flavor. Brandy is exceptional for this purpose, as are spices like cinnamon and allspice. It is important not to overspice the jam as you do not want to cover the taste of the peaches. I also will often use a little bit less pectin than normal so that the jam does not firm up too much. I've found this jam to also make a wonderful sauce for pork or chicken, or to be served over ice cream. Leaving it just a little on the runny side, thick but not too thick, gives the jam an ideal consistency. 

As with most of my jam recipes, there is no predetermined amount of fruit being used. For this batch I had about a half case of peaches, which I allowed to fully ripen. This is important! As the fruit ripens, it develops it's own sugars and becomes sweeter. Allow them to ripen as much as you can, even if you have to cut away parts of a few peaches or even toss a couple out. The sweetness is worth it and allows you to make the jam without adding too much extra sugar.

I begin by taking my largest stock pot and combining in it:

approz. 20-24 ripe peaches (15 c or so), peeled, pitted and chopped

3 c granulated sugar

2 c brown sugar

1 c brandy

1 T cinnamon

2 t ground allspice

1/2 t nutmeg

1/2 t ground clove

2 whole vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped out

When halving the vanilla beans, scrape the seeds or they won't all come out. Then add the seeds and the pods to the jam. Bring the combined ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring regularly. Allow the jam to cook for 10-15 minutes to burn off some of the alcohol and give the flavors time to combine. If you feel at this point that the jam is too chunky, you may use a potato masher to mash some of the peach chunks into a smaller size. For this job, I usually use my immersion blender and pulse the jam so as not to overdo it. I like the finished jam to have some chunks left in it. NOTE: If you use an immersion blender, remove the vanilla bean pods first! Believe me, the last thing you want is to have to fish  chunks of tough pod out of your jam! This is generally a good time to remove the vanilla pods anyway, even if you are using a potato masher. Allow the pods to cool a bit and give them one last scraping to remove any leftover seeds and add them to the jam. Discard the pods.

Increase the heat on the stove to high and add in:

4-5 T low or no sugar pectin

Use your own judgement on the best amount to use, based on the amount of fruit used and desired thickness. On this particular batch, I used 4 T and it worked just fine. Stir the jam constantly at a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes, then remove the jam from the heat. Ladle the jam into your jars and process them for 10-15 minutes each. Allow them to cool and you're done! With this batch, I ended up with about 10-1/2 pints of jam. You can also jar them in smaller half pint jars and give them as gifts for the holidays. The spicy flavor of this condiment goes well with any number of holiday dishes and homemade jam makes a wonderful gift!

Cheers!

Easy Sunday Night Marinara Sauce

The holidays are nearly upon us again and things are beginning to get hectic. It's been tough to find the time to cook, much less write about it afterwards! Today, I am baking more holiday cookies and snacks to be given as gifts. I'm starting the day with Orange Spice Oatmeal Cookies (see last week's post) and am following that with Ginger Snaps (see A Perfect Day for Gingersnaps) and Candied Pecans (see Thursday's Spread - The Aftermath). As it turns out, we have some friends that will be dropping by this evening and I'll be adding dinner to that list. What to do?

With all the mess I had going in the kitchen I wanted something I could put together easily and quickly, preferably something I could cook on the stove since the oven would be in use. I figured a marinara sauce would be best and easiest.

For this recipe, I am not getting all fancy with fresh tomatoes or anything, I'm pretty much sticking to the pantry staples. I sometimes add olives and/or bell peppers to this recipe but today I'm keeping it to what I have on hand.

Start by taking a large pot and sautéing:

1/4 c olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

When onion begins to sweat, add:

1-1/2 c sliced crimini mushrooms

Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms begin to brown. Add:

4 cloves garlic, minced

Stir together for about 1 minute and add:

2 c water

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 6 oz. cans tomato paste

Stir well until tomato paste is well incorporated. Add in:

2 bay leaves

1 T sugar

2 t salt

2 t oregano leaves (2 T if fresh)

1 t basil (1 T if fresh)

1 t thyme (1 T if fresh)

1 t parsley (1 T if fresh)

1 t fresh ground black pepper

Bring sauce to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook for at least one hour. If you choose to take the sauce away from Marinara and toward a Bolognese, you can add meat at this point. At about the time you're going to start the water for the pasta, add in:

1/2 c dry red wine

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (if needed to thicken)

Continue to simmer until pasta is done. Serve with Parmesan and garlic bread.

Sunday night dinner made easy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a plate of spaghetti to eat!

Cheers!

For the Love of Squash

I've become fascinated with squash. There was a time when, like everyone else my age, I hated squash. No squash would ever pass these lips, I declared, no matter what sweet yummy stuff might accompany it. Squash was squash and it all sucked! Period!

Then I grew up. Squash is now quickly becoming one of my favorite vegetables if for no other reason than there are so many unique varieties, each one different in flavor and texture. I also seem to be fascinated by the bowl-like shape of the squash, and find myself compelled to use them as serving dishes. This was the case again tonight after I brought one of the many heirloom squashes we have in the basement upstairs. It was shaped sort of like a flat pumpkin and was kind of blueish green in color with an orange colored meat. I thought I would cut it in half at its equator and that would give me two shallow dishes. But what was I going to put in them?

I've made stuffings for squash, I've served soup in them, what next? My answer was quick in coming - PASTA! After all, why not? I wouldn't hesitate to serve pasta topped with squash, why not squash topped with pasta and a nice cream sauce? It sounded perfect to me! I promptly popped open The Flavor Bible and looked up "winter squash." I decided not to take the sweet route with maple syrup or brown sugar, opting instead for a more savory flavor with thyme, garlic, cumin and such.

I began by halving the squash as previously mentioned, along its equator. I scraped out the seeds and membrane and set aside some of this. I then applied:
4 T butter
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t cumin powder
to the squash halves. I poked each several times with a fork and baked it at 350° for about 35-40 minutes, until the flesh was tender. I removed the squash from the oven and set it aside, covered in foil.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over low heat, I melted:
1/2 c butter
Once the butter had melted, I added:
1 c squash membrane, large pieces cut up
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 t kosher salt
fresh ground nutmeg
I sauteed these ingredients for about 20 minutes. I then drained the ingredients with a fine mesh strainer, pressing down on the squash with the back of a wooden spoon to get all the butter out.and back into the pan. You should press through a little squash through the strainer, this is okay. Add:
2 T flour
Stir well and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in:
1/4 c chicken stock
Stir to completely combine with the roux. Slowly add:
2 c milk
1/2 t kosher salt
dash of white pepper
Stirring frequently over medium heat, warm sauce just to a gentle simmer. Adjust seasonings as necessary. Add:
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t fresh grated nutmeg
In a small pot, boil water and cook angel hair pasta. When pasta is finished serve inside cooked squash, topped with sauce and fresh ground nutmeg.

The end result was good, the squash having a very nice, almost pumpkiny taste. The sauce was thick and creamy with the taste of the thyme and cheese being dominant. The dish was delicious but had plenty of room for further experimentation. This particular recipe is vegetarian - one could certainly add meat, or even other veggies. Chili peppers would spice it up quite a bit as well.

Play! Create! It's why God made so many ingredients!

The Flavor Bible: A Review

One of the most exciting cooking books to come out in a very long time is Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg's joint effort The Flavor Bible (Hachett Books, 2008). This book is an absolute must have for the creative cook's kitchen!

The Flavor Bible is essentially an encyclopedia of ingredients and flavors; herbs, spices, meats, vegetables, grains, etc. Everything you can think of is listed alphabetically in these pages. With each entry is a list of other flavors and ingredients that pair well with that item. For example, let's say that I have almonds in my pantry and am trying to figure out what to do with them. I look up "Almonds" in The Flavor Bible and I find a lengthy list of things that work well with almonds. Some are obvious, of course, like chocolate, vanilla, and honey. Then come seasonings and flavors I hadn't thought of, like rosemary, plums, Italian sauces, and such. I also find recommended flavor combinations, like "almonds + chocolate + coconut" or "almonds + green anise + figs".

It's amazing how quickly this book became an indispensable part of my kitchen library! It's now the first book I pick up when I start planning a new recipe, or am trying to figure out something new and inventive to do with leftovers. The book has gotten me to consider flavor combinations that I might have overlooked if I were sticking to recipes tried and true.

The Flavor Bible took authors Page and Dornenburg eight years to put together. They drew upon the wisdom and experience of some of the country's most renowned palates, dozens of chefs whose knowledge gave this book the depth required to make it a truly effective tool for the modern cook. In addition to being an outstanding guide for ingredients, it contains helpful tips, dish ideas, recipes, antidotes and more. It is well worth the price and a fantastic gift for anyone you know who loves to cook!

Orange Cranberry Sauce

I remember Thanksgivings when I was a kid. My mom would open up a can of cranberry sauce and my brothers and I would watch as it would wiggle its was out of the can and PLOP into the serving dish. It would be in the perfect mold of a can, including the rings around the middle. Nothing could look less appetizing and when I was young I did not like cranberry sauce. Of course, I had never actually tried it but I knew as all children know these things that if I were to put that jelly stuff on my turkey it would surely ruin it.

As a teenager, I decided to give it a try and discovered to my shock and amazement that I actually liked cranberry sauce. I tried a couple different types, including a homemade chutney that wasn't very good and decided that I liked the canned the best. 

I continued eating canned cranberry sauce for many years, I'm ashamed to admit. Fortunately, I finally had enough sense to get over the idea that fresh cranberry sauce was a bad thing and make my own. I've never opened another can of cranberry sauce and I never will.

Two of the flavors that I feel really bring out the best characteristics of fresh cranberries are clove and orange. At first I used orange marmalade but found I got a better flavor from grated orange peel. Tonight when I made some of this sauce, I decided to add a vanilla bean for no other reason than that I had one on hand. The taste was wonderful, the vanilla adding a nice tone to the sauce. I'm listing in the recipe below as an optional ingredient as it's not something I usually add though it is certainly worth trying. If you don't have vanilla bean, you can always try extract.

To start the sauce, combine in a saucepan:

1 c water

1 c sugar

Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring the water to a boil. Add:

1 12oz package of fresh cranberries

1 T grated orange peel

1/2 t ground clove

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (optional)

When water begins to boil again, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing the berries against the side of the pan with your spoon. Remove vanilla pods (if using) from sauce when finished, scraping out vanilla paste and adding it to the sauce. Pour into a bowl and allow to completely cool. Cover and refrigerate until it is served.

That's all there is to it! The orange and clove in this sauce are enough to win over anyone who claims to not like cranberry sauce, guaranteed! I can't tell you how many times over the years I've won converts. You will too - try it and see!

Cheers!