That Girls Jam

Tasty homemade fig preserves.

A recent trip to NYC for my BFF’s milestone birthday left me with lots of food inspirations. A food pairing that left me speechless! Semolina roll with currents and fennel seed…wow so tasty! It got me thinking of course.
A recent trip to one of my fruit stands this week, I was surprised to find some Zante Champagne grapes. I said to myself it’s meant to be. So Zante fennel compote was born.

My new obsession this summer…Black Velvet Apricots!
They are a mix between a plum and an apricot. They are fuzzy like an apricot on the outside, but skin tart like a plum. The flesh is juicy like a plum but sweet like an apricot. In my opinion it is the best of both worlds if you ask me. The flavor is what sold me to be honest. Not easy to find as it is a hybrid variety. It’s pricy, but worth every penny. Perfect for jam making!
One small batch of jam came out of my kitchen over the weekend. I was playing around with a recipe. Black Velvet Apricots with fresh mayor lemon juice and rosemary infused water. I’ll call it…Sweet Tart Jam!

By special request... MANGOS!
Sexy Mango Jam. Mango’s with fresh squeezed lime juice and lime zest with hint of cayenne pepper.
Thank you Marie Eide for your inspiration of fruit selection this month, it has been a joy and a pleasure to come up with something unique to present you with.

"There's a force
that shapes us into humans,
binds us together all life long.
We call it Love..." --David Suzuki
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4pc7x4tas&feature=relmfu

Recreating Eden - The Lost Pears 2006. Following her father's footsteps, Isabella Dalla Ragione scours the local countryside in search of lost varieties of pears, apples, plums and figs in o...

With the holidays ending and the New Year beginning I have not had much time to make jam. I have been in the kitchen making baked goods and toffee for all my friends and family for the holidays. I have also discovered a great recipe for homemade granola bars, which are a big hit.
Lately I have been craving to make some fall jams and I have been very interested in using the seasonal pears. Last night the time was right! I made a test batch of lovely poached pears with cherry juice infused with mulling spices such as star anise, clove, dried orange peel and cinnamon sick’s.

It is always nice to know what is in season before heading to your local grocer. Take a look at the Northern California harvest calendar. Enjoy and happy shopping!

http://www.pcfma.com/pdf/Eat_in_season.pdf

Plums have so much to offer on their own with their thin tangy skin and there juicy sweet flesh. Me being me I could not stop there, as I wanted some richer complexity and deeper color for my jam. My resolution was dried hibiscus flowers. Their deep rich burgundy color was perfect not to mention the wonderful aroma they provide. My intuitions were right…the jam turned out amazing. After jarring I scraped the barrel of the pot and smothered the remaining hot piping jam all over a rich ginger cookie and indulged. Delish!

Sour cherries have inspired my creativity this week. Recently I found a Middle Eastern market near my office and had a lot of fun exploring new found foods. This led to my purchase to some amazing sour cherries. I thought to myself what would go well with cherries and what came to mind were roses. I decided that instead of making jam I would make candied cherries with a rose essence. So I went to my lab/kitchen and began my journey. You would not believe the lovely smell of roses and cherries that were coming from my kitchen. It was like romance

Alice talks about being “in that artist place” meaning… in terms of capturing the moments of when someone has the moment in time of creating and letting it shine regardless of background and training. A true artist gets that view point and tries to help provide that opportunity to others when given.

The Real Triumph of Alice Waters by John Birdsall At Chez Panisse’s 40th anniversary, her greatest legacy isn’t local salad, it’s elevating the amateur imagination

Life is about versatilities…someone special enlightened me on a summer spin on jam. With the weather heating up it’s always nice to have something cold and refreshing, so the next time you want a fruity drink pull out your favorite jam. Strange huh well recipe goes as follows…
2 tablespoons of Jam
1 cup of ice (crushed is preferred)
1 cup of water/Pellegrino or Prosecco (sparkling wine)
Directions
Add 2 tablespoons of jam to the bottom of your glass. Then add ice and water and stir until fruit is mixed and cold.
Enjoy!