Back from Beyond

It’s been a while, hasn’t it. I realize I will never be one of those people who photograph and blog daily. Weekly, monthly even, would be nice though.

Last year was full of canning projects — some good, some not-so-good, and some fantastic! We just finished off the last jar of chesterberry jam… I’ll be making a double batch of that this year. Chesterberries are basically thornless blackberries. They are enormous, delicious, and make a jam that disappears rapidly.

Another favorite from last year was a Cara Cara Chili Marmalade. I made a few different types of marmalade, but it was the only one that a) people ate, and b) people ate all of. If I can find some Cara Cara oranges, I might make some more this month. I burned out a bit on canning last year (let’s just say my cupboard was full), so I’m going to try to pace myself in 2012.

The pickles, by the way, were a family favorite.  There will be more pickles this year.

Cara Cara Chili Marmalade (via Local Kitchen)

INGREDIENTS

2 and 1/4 lbs Cara Cara (or navel) oranges (about 4 medium)
1/2 cup (4 oz) lemon juice (or juice & zest from 2 medium lemons)
9 small dried red chiles (1/8 oz), stemmed and roughly chopped
filtered water (see Options)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup tequila (optional)
1 and 3/4 lbs (3 and 3/4 cups) sugar (organic evaporated cane juice)

METHODS

Day 1. Scrub oranges well. Slice about 1/8-inch off of stem and blossom ends (discard). Slice oranges in quarters, remove the middle, pithy seam, then slice each quarter in half (or in thirds, if very large) lengthwise. Slice each section cross-wise into thin strips, transferring fruit to a large measuring cup as you go (I measured a total of 6 and 1/2 cups orange slices) and trying to capture all of the juice.
Transfer orange slices, juice and lemon juice (+ zest if using) to a wide stockpot or preserving pan. Add an equal volume of filtered water (6 and 1/2 cups orange slices + 1/2 cup lemon juice = 7 cups added water). Add chiles and salt, cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add tequila (if using), cover, and allow to cool at room temperature. Store the covered stockpot in the refrigerator overnight (or transfer to a bowl and cover).
Day 2. Bring fruit mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat (heat slowly if bringing an enameled cast iron pot from refrigerator). Simmer 10 minutes. Cover, allow to come to room temperature, then store refrigerated overnight.
Day 3. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
Bring fruit mixture to a boil over high heat. Add sugar, stirring until it dissolves. Allow to boil vigorously, stirring minimally, until the marmalade reaches the set point: 220 degrees F on an accurate thermometer (or 8 degrees above the temperature of boiling water); this may take anywhere from 30 – 60 minutes (mine took about 60 minutes, although I added 2 extra cups of water and the tequila in the later stage of cooking). Remove from heat and allow marmalade to cool slightly for 2 – 3 minutes. Skim foam, push down fruit pieces, and ladle hot marmalade into hot jars to 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yields about 6 and 1/2 cups.

Attempts at Canning — Part I

Tomorrow, there will be pickles.  Or something along those lines.  Pictures, and recipe, to follow — depending on the level of success.

Martha’s Sugar Cookies

Soft cookie dough loses its shape when moved; to retain crisp cut edges, refrigerate dough until firm before baking.

Note: This recipe is adapted from “The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook” (Oxmoor House, 2003.)

Makes 2 dozen.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons brandy, or milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar; mix until light and fluffy. With mixer running, add egg, brandy, and vanilla; mix until well combined. With the mixer on low, slowly add reserved flour mixture. Mix until just combined.
2. Transfer dough to a work surface. Shape into 2 discs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats or parchment paper; set aside.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, and transfer to prepared baking sheets, leaving an inch in between. Leftover dough can be rolled and cut once more. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes; do not allow to brown. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
5. Decorate, as desired.  (Optional)

Sugar Cookies I

I don’t like the title “No Fail Sugar Cookies”, as there is always room for mistake(s).  I make mistakes all the time… in baking, and (cough) in other areas.  There is an endless supply of recipes out there for sugar cookies and icing.  Everyone has their own additions and omissions that make their recipe the *best*.  Time will help you (and me) to test, tweak, and develop our own “No Fail” sugar cookie recipe… and even then, there is room for error.  The good news is, we’re talking about cookies.

• 6 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2 cups butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract or desired flavoring (I prefer almond or lemon)
• 1 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix dry ingredients and add a little at a time to butter mixture. Mix until flour is completely incorporated and the dough comes together.

Chill for 1 to 2 hours (see Hint below)

Roll to desired thickness and cut into desired shapes. At this point, I put the cookie sheet/cut cookies back into the fridge for 15 minutes, just so they are cold going in to the oven.  Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn brown around the edges. This recipe can make up to 5-dozen 3” cookies.

HINT: Rolling Out Dough Without the Mess — Rather than wait for your cookie dough to chill, take the freshly made dough and place a glob between two sheets of parchment paper.  Roll it out to the desired thickness then place the dough and paper on a cookie sheet and pop it into the refrigerator. Continue rolling out your dough between sheets of paper until you have used it all. By the time you are finished, the first batch will be completely chilled and ready to cut. Reroll leftover dough and repeat the process! An added bonus is that you are not adding any additional flour to your cookies.

***

You can also paint your cookies before baking them. Make an edible food paint out of an egg yolk mixed with a few drops of food coloring and paint the cookies with a clean paintbrush. The paint will dry while baking and give the cookie a colorful, glazed appearance.  — Mimi Cummins

***

Frosting vs. Icing

There is a big difference between frosting and icing. Frosting is thick and holds shapes like rosettes and shells like those you see piped around the edges of a birthday cake. It remains soft to the touch and has a creamy texture, and most people think it tastes better because of the creamy buttery flavor. Icing, on the other hand, is a thinner, more liquid substance, and as it dries it thins out, becomes very smooth across the surface of your cookie, and hardens. This is the icing to use for the most beautiful, professional results.  — Mimi Cummins

***

This flavorful, smooth, slightly translucent, shiny glaze is great for decorating sugar cookies or drizzling over other desserts.

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, almond, lemon, or other extract
food color, if desired

Combine powdered sugar, water, 1 tablespoon butter, corn syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in small mixer bowl; mix until powdered sugar is moistened. Beat at medium speed until smooth, adding additional water if necessary, to reach desired glazing consistency. Tint with food color, if desired.

I know corn syrup is the devil, but it adds a nice shine to the finished product.

***

Royal Icing

Makes 2 1/3 cups

• 1 box confectioners’ sugar (1 pound)
• 5 tablespoons meringue powder, or 2 large egg whites

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar and meringue powder. Mixing on low speed, add a scant 1/2 cup water. For a thinner consistency, usually used for flooding, add more water. A thicker consistency is generally used for outlining and adding details. Mix until icing holds a ribbonlike trail on the surface of the mixture for 5 seconds when you raise the paddle.

***

You can also dip your baked cookies into melted chocolate.  Dip, shake off extra chocolate, and then dry on waxed paper.

Cookie Time

Daring Kitchen has reminded me that it is Fall & cookie time.  Time to start thinking about the holidays (starting with Halloween) and edible gifts of the season.

Officially moved.  Boxes are not yet unpacked, but the kitchen is set up & baking has commenced.

Hummingbird cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.  Oregon is great, so far.  Not sure if I will pursue 3Stems here, but I’ll keep baking while I figure it all out.

Here is an image from the Oregon coast.  It is indeed lovely.

*Intermission*

Taking a brief break while we relocate.  We will be back in September, 2010!

Bread Machine – Yorkshire Teacakes

“Handbread”  — a hand shaped loaf made without a pan.  Serve these split and buttered, either warm from the oven or toasted.

• Scant 1 1/4 C. milk
• 4 C. unbleached white bread flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 Tb. sugar
• 3 Tb. lard or butter
• 1 tsp. rapid-rise active dry yeast
• 1/4 C. currants
• 1/3 C. golden raisins
• Milk, for glazing

1. Pour milk into bread machine pan.
2. Sprinkle in flour, covering milk completely.  Add salt, sugar, lard/butter, placing them in separate corners of the bread machine pan.  Make a shallow indentation in the center of the flour (without touching liquid) and add yeast.
3. Set machine to the dough setting; use basic raisin dough setting if available.  Press Start.  Add currants and raisins either when the machine beeps, or 5 minutes before the end of the kneading period.
4. Lightly grease two baking sheets.  When dough cycle is complete, remove the dough and place it on lightly floured surface.  Punch down gently.
5. Divide dough into eight or ten portions, depending on desired size.  Shape into balls.  Flatten each ball into a disk about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Place disks on prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.  Cover with oiled plastic wrap and set aside in warm place for 30-45 minutes or until they are almost doubled in size.  Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400F.
7. Brush tops of teacakes with milk.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden.  Turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly.
8. To serve, split open while still warm and spread with butter.  Or let cool, then split and toast them before adding butter.

Makes 8-10 Teacakes

– from Bread Machine cookbook by Jennie Shapter

I’m just a bread machine, and I won’t work for nobody but you…

Bread muh-sheen! Bread is beautiful. I was at a friend’s house this morning, and I snagged four bread machine cookbooks from her ever-growing collection. I tried to pick one book, but the pictures in ALL of the books screamed *bake me*… so here I am with four books full of bread.

My husband is diabetic, and he loves fresh bread… so I probably won’t be doing a lot of baking. However, it is always fun to look and plan… and I can always give the finished product away or feed it quickly to our teenage son.

Recipes, and hopefully some photos, to come soon.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage

Gotta love Bon Appétit…

yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings

These dumplings have a light texture, thanks to the addition of fresh ricotta cheese. Drain the ricotta in a sieve for two hours before starting the recipe.

• 2 1-pound red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), rinsed, patted dry, pierced all over with fork
• 1 12-ounce container fresh ricotta cheese, drained in sieve 2 hours 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 3/4 cups (about) all purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus whole leaves for garnish

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes on plate; microwave on high until tender, about 5 minutes per side. Cut in half and cool. Scrape sweet potato flesh into medium bowl and mash; transfer 3 cups to large bowl. Add ricotta cheese; blend well. Add Parmesan cheese, brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg; mash to blend. Mix in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto floured surface; divide into 6 equal pieces. Rolling between palms and floured work surface, form each piece into 20-inch-long rope (about 1 inch in diameter), sprinkling with flour as needed if sticky. Cut each rope into 20 pieces. Roll each piece over tines of fork to indent. Transfer to baking sheet.
Bring large pot of water to boil; add 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil. Working in batches, boil gnocchi until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to clean rimmed baking sheet. Cool completely. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until butter solids are brown and have toasty aroma, swirling pan occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add chopped sage (mixture will bubble up). Turn off heat. Season sage butter generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer half of sage butter to large skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half of gnocchi. Sauté until gnocchi are heated through, about 6 minutes. Empty skillet onto rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining sage butter and gnocchi.

Divide gnocchi and sauce among shallow bowls. Garnish with sage leaves.

*I used less butter and it worked fine/tasted great. I used less than half the butter, browned it, and added some olive oil. The browned butter flavor really can’t be replaced, but the animal fat content can be offset with olive oil.