Champagne Blush Jelly

  This is my final canning project of the 2010 season. I saved this jelly as my final project because the recipe sounded amazing. Raspberries are my favorite fruit and champagne is wonderful. I wanted this final canning project to be relaxing. No mindless chopping or peeling of vegetables. I also wanted my final project to be something sweet. I made the raspberry juice fresh from raspberries that I froze when the raspberries were in peak season since bottled raspberry juice is expensive, and I did not want any additives in my jelly.

The results were awesome. The jelly is sweet yet a little tart like a raspberry. The color of the jelly is pretty deep red color. I loved this project. It is the perfect ending to the canning season.   Ingredients for Champagne Blush Jelly modified from Blue Book Guide to Canning p 80

40 ounces frozen raspberries
1 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
1 package-powder pectin
4 cups sugar
1 ¼ cups Champagne

Directions

Place frozen raspberries in a large pot and heat on medium for 10 minutes or until all the raspberries have burst open and the pot contains a lot of raspberry juice. Strain the juice and raspberries through a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth overnight in the refrigerator. Do not push the raspberries through the strainer because your jelly will be cloudy if you do. Measure 2 cups of raspberry juice plus one cup of water in a large saucepot. Stir in powder pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Return to rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in champagne. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.   http://creatingnirvanatoday.blogspot.com/2010/11/champagne-blush-jelly.html

Pineapple Jelly

 I unexpected started my canning early this year when I went to the grocery store and saw that pineapples were $0.20 a pineapple on manager’s special. I stock up on pineapple since most people were not very interested in buying very ripe pineapples. We ate a lot of them fresh, but we ended up canning some into jelly and some I canned as cut pineapple since I cannot even buy canned pineapple that cheap in the grocery store.


The pineapple jelly that I made was basic and simple since I wanted the flavor of the pineapple to shine through. The kids love this simple jelly. It is sweet and tastes like sweetened pineapple juice. For the recipe I modified a recipe that I found on-line. The recipe was for mint-pineapple jam uses canned crushed pineapple and mint. I omitted the mint and water; I took my chopped pineapple and blended it for a few seconds. I got a very fine pineapple puree that gave my jam the texture of a jelly. It was perfect. My jelly came out with the perfect texture. It is soft and spreadable and tastes great with a nice piece of rye bread. The yellow color is also a wonderful treat. This pretty jelly would make a nice gift with a loaf of homemade bread.  Ingredients for pineapple jelly (yield 9 half pint jars) modified from Canning-recipes.com

2.5 cups pineapple puree
¼ cup lemon juice
7 ½ cups sugar
3 ounces liquid pectin (1 pouch)

Directions

1. Place the pineapple puree, lemon juice, and sugar in a large stockpot. Heat on high heat while stirring constantly until the solution is at a hard boil. Boil for 1 minute.

2. Remove the pot from the heat and add the pectin. Skim off the bubbles. Pour the solution into hot, sterile canning jars. Leave ¼” headspace. Seal and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.  http://creatingnirvanatoday.blogspot.com/2011/03/pineapple-jelly.html

  Pavlova is traditionally a large meringue topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. The meringue is crispy on the outside and slightly marshmallowy (but not gooey) on the inside.

Lemon curd isn't traditional, and neither is a small individual meringue shell. Still, I thought it would be cute to have little egg shaped desserts for Easter. I like using the yolks in the same dish that I use the whites, and lemon curd is amazing stuff.

If you've never had lemon curd, try imagining that a lemon went to a luxurious spa, got a sugar scrub, was rubbed down with body butter, slipped on the silkiest, sexiest lingerie, and then proceeded to give you the best... um... dessert sauce... you've ever had. That's what lemon curd tastes like.

Meringue is crisp, very sweet, and dissolves in your mouth. It plays well with the soft whipped cream and intensely flavorful sweet-tart-buttery lemon curd.

I don't recommend serving your pavlovas with chives or parsley, but it was the only green edible stuff that I found growing in our herb garden so far. I don't have any lemon mint or I'd have used that as garnish instead.


Ingredients needed:

eggs
white sugar
butter
lemons
cream
powdered sugar
vanilla   Step 1Whip the Meringue  I used four egg whites for the meringue in the picture. I recommend using six, though. I used a swiss meringue technique here because it's more stable.


6 egg whites
1 1/2 C white sugar


Separate the eggs and save the yolks for the lemon curd. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over simmering water and whisk constantly until the egg whites are warm to the touch and all the sugar is dissolved. Gently cooking the whites slightly with the sugar as it melts keeps the whites from being over beaten later and saves the need for cream of tartar.

Once the egg whites are warm, whip the mixture with the balloon whisk until it's smooth, glossy, and holds peaks. I added a splash of (homemade) vanilla extract at the end, but you don't need to  Step 2 Pipe and Bake    Scoop the swiss meringue into a large zip top bag. Snip a VERY tiny corner from the bag; you can always make it larger later.


I tried using nonstick aluminum foil to make egg shaped molds, but it was more hassle than it's worth.

Turn your oven to 175 degrees F and pipe oval shapes on a pan lined with parchment paper. Trace the outline of the egg shape to slowly build up some walls. If you build them too high, they'll collapse. If this happens, scoop the meringue back into the bag and try again.

Bake them for a couple hours, then turn off the oven and let them sit in it overnight. They need to dry out.  Step 3Make Lemon Curd    This is the last of the steps that can and should be done ahead of time. Whipped cream shouldn't sit, even in the fridge, because it'll separate. It would also make the meringues soggy if it sat on them for awhile.


6 egg yolks
4 large lemons
1 C sugar
1 stick butter


Use a microplane grater to shave off just the zest of the lemon. Don't get any pith in there (the white stuff) or it'll taste bitter. Don't skip this step and simply use lemon juice from the store; the zest is where the spectacular lemon flavor and scent hides. Dump the zest into the bowl of a food processor with the sugar. Pulse it a few times to thoroughly mix them. The resulting sugar should be pale yellow and slightly clumpy, due to the moisture.

Dump the lemon sugar with the egg yolks into a metal bowl and whisk until the egg yolks become pale and smoother. The mixture will become more liquid as you whisk.

Take your naked lemons and roll them on a hard surface under your palm. This makes it easier to squeeze the juice out of them. Cut them in half and squeeze them into a container; use a small sieve if you don't want to fish lemon seeds out of your juice. Measure a half cup of this juice and whisk it into the yolk mixture.

Place the metal bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk until your arm falls off. Use your other arm to keep whisking at least until the temperature reaches 170 degrees F. Once the lemon mixture sufficiently coats the back of a spoon, take the bowl off the heat.

Cut the butter into little pieces and whisk it in, a little at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, the lemon curd should've thickened more. Press plastic wrap onto the surface to keep a skin from forming, or spoon it directly into a zip top bag, squeezing out the air bubbles, so you can pipe it later. Store it in the fridge.


Okay, you can taste some, but don't eat it all. You need it for the desserts  Step 4Whip the Cream     Stop sampling the lemon curd! You still want to have some extra after the pavlovas are done; trust me.


I don't know how much whipped cream you want. I didn't measure. Let's just guess:

2 C heavy whipping cream
2 T powdered sugar


Whip the cream with the sugar until it almost forms stiff peaks. Don't overwhip or you'll have butter and whey. Taste the whipped cream to see if you like the sweetness level. Remember that the meringues are very sweet. Some people don't sweeten the whipped cream on pavlovas at all  Step 5Assemble and Serve    This should be done RIGHT before you serve these. Otherwise, the meringues will get soggy from the cream.


Spoon some whipped cream into a meringue. Squeeze a dollop of lemon curd to resemble an egg yolk. If you want to smooth the egg yolk a bit, just wet your (clean) finger first and touch up by hand.



If you have leftover whipped cream and lemon curd, for heaven's sake, DON'T TELL ANYONE. Mix them together carefully - don't deflate the whipped cream. Line a container with plastic wrap, press the lemon cream mixture into the container, and freeze it. When the guests are long gone, maybe the next day or so, pull out your frozen lemon mousse from the freezer, unmold it, peel away the plastic wrap, and eat it all by yourself.

No, I don't have pictures of the small frozen lemon mousse. Once you taste your own, you'll know why.

Thanks for reading!  http://www.instructables.com/id/Lemon-Curd-Pavlovas/

Microwave Lemon Curd

  Lemon curd is a thick, creamy mixture of lemon juice and zest, sugar, eggs, and butter that can be spooned over ice cream, added to a tart or pie, or used in a fresh fruit trifle (delicious!). Though it's not that hard to make it on the stovetop, this microwave version means you're just five minutes away from lemony goodness.

Get microwaving folks! A 3-month PRO Membership will go to the first person to try this out and post photos below!

You'll Need. . .
Software:

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• zest of 4 lemons
• 1/2 cup butter

Hardware:

• A microwave
• Microwave safe bowl
• Whisk
• Zester, grater, or microplane
• Measuring cup

How To

1. Place butter in bowl and microwave for approximately 45 seconds (until melted)
2. Wash lemons and zest them into the butter
3. Juice lemons into measuring cup until you have 1 cup of juice, add to the butter and zest
4. Add eggs and sugar to butter and lemon juice and mix to combine well
5. Microwave on high for one minute
6. Remove from microwave and whisk
7. Repeat, microwaving for one minute at a time and whisking after each time until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon (depending on the microwave, this will take 3 to 5 minutes)
8. Transfer to a storage container and keep refrigerated until ready to use (lasts approximately 2 weeks)  http://www.instructables.com/id/Microwave-Lemon-Curd/

How to Make Lemon Curd

  Some of you may ask “what is lemon curd?” The best thing since sliced bread, I say. Let me explain a little about the joy of lemon curd and how delectable it is, plus entice you to want to try this wonderful creation. I first had lemon curd about 10 years ago while I was into making wedding cakes, and because I like all things lemon I fell in love with it. I need to express to you that homemade lemon curd is incredible. Lemon curd was a tradition in the the 19th and 20th century for spreading on scones and crumpets at afternoon tea (very British). Lemon curd was also used in pies, pastries and cakes. Lemon curd is similar to pie filling but the texture is smoother and the flavor more intense. Pie filling is thickened with flour or cornstarch while lemon curd uses egg yolks and natural pectin in the zest and juice of the lemon. The secret to the smooth texture in lemon curd is butter unlike the commercial pie fillings.

While researching about the origin of lemon curd, I couldn’t help but look up the different varieties of lemons and the origin of the lemon, it was so very interesting. It is undetermined what the original origin of the lemon is but scientist suggest they have been grown for over 2,500 years in northeast India. At first they were grown for ornamental use and it wasn’t until the 10th century that they became cultivated for consumption. Lemons were brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus and the Spanish conquest continued there spread but primarily as ornamental plants and for medicine. Finally, lemons began growing in California in the 1750′s and then in Florida in the 1800′s. The lemons that we buy in the store today are usually of 2 different types the Eureka and Lisbon lemon. I was surprised to learn that there are so many different varieties of lemons like the Avalon, Bearss, Buddas Hand or Citron, Bush Lemon, Dorshapo and Meyer, which is not really a true lemon, its a hybrid of lemon and mandarian orange.

Well, enough of the history lesson on lemons let’s talk about how to make the curd. I used a fellow blog friend Smithbites recipe for my curd. My friend at Bunkycooks teaches a great way to preserve lemons as well as this other great tutorial I found at Bake Cupcakes, I’m thinking of trying that next.

I know what your thinking now, what will you make with 4 jars of lemon curd? Well, you could give one jar away to a fellow foodie who will appreicate it. Another jar could be used to make my lemon cream crostata (tasty). Don’t forget to use one for spread on some yummy scones, waffles, pancakes or toast. Last but not least why not just eat the final jar. What ever you decide to do, make the most of the citrus season by using these beautiful nutrient rich fruits we are so blessed to enjoy.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients:

1 large bag of lemons (about 8- 10 med-large)
1 cup of juice from the lemons
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 whole eggs
6 egg yolks
6 T. of un-salted butter
zest of 3 lemons
4 pint jars
4 lids
water bath canner or steamer 

Step 1Directions

 

Step 1: Prepare jars by washing with hot soapy water or dish wash them and dry with clean towel. Get canner ready and lids out.

Step 2: Zest the 3 lemons and set zest aside. Cut lemons in half and juice to get one cup or 8 oz.

Step 3: In a double boiler whisk together the eggs,yolks,sugar and lemon juice. Fill the boiler pot with a few inches of water and let water come to boil then turn to simmer but let the water boil slightly.

Step 4: Put the lemon mixture over the boiler and with a whisk keep the mixture moving until a thermometor reaches 170 degrees or about 20 min. The mixture will foam and become thick too.

Step 5: Take the curd off the heat and stir in butter and zest until all is combined.

Step 6: Fill the jars using a wide mouth canning funnel to keep the curd off the lip of the jars. Using the hot water from the water bath put the lids in to soften the plastic that will end up sealing your jars. While the lids are getting soft wipe the lip of the each jar with a clean paper towel. Drain lids from the water and put on the jars. Screw on the top lid but not too tight.

Step 7: I use a steam canner which is a cinch and takes very little water to get going. Get the water boiling in either type of canner you have and process cans for 5 min. following manufactures directions on the your specific canner.

Step 8: When processing time is up lift the cans out with canning lifter and set on a kitchen towel to set for at least 24 hours. Then sit back and look at what you accomplished and smile  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Lemon-Curd/

Killer Canning, or How to Choose Safe Canning Recipes and Avoid Poisoning Anyone

 Home canning is all the rage. Eating locally is in, and doing so year-round pretty much requires some kind of food preservation. No one’s freezer space is unlimited, and home canning is a great way to preserve the harvest. It seems every food blogger is canning and offering recipes for the foods she’s canned.
Unfortunately I’m seeing a large number of unsafe canning recipes posted on various food, recipe, and local eating blogs, and we aren’t talking about just the kind of unsafe canning that gives you a few days of gastrointestinal misery. We’re talking serious neurotoxins, botulism, paralysis, and death.
Here are a few key bits of knowledge, useful whether you’re canning yourself or are the recipient of a home-canned gift.
Canning Fruits. In general, canned fruits are safe. Almost all fruits (exceptions include bananas, figs, and tomatoes) are high-acid, which means both that spoilage is less likely and that any spoilage is likely to be evident — you’ll see mold, or the jar when opened will have an off smell, or the seal will be broken. This is why so much home canning is about jams, jellies, marmalades, and other fruit spreads. HIgh-acid fruits are all safe to can in a boiling-water bath using a wide variety of recipes.
Canning Vegetables. This is where the serious food-safety issue comes in. All vegetables are low-acid foods and are unsafe to can in a boiling water bath unless sufficient high-acid ingredients, generally in the form of vinegar, bottled lemon juice, or citric acid, are added. The proportion of high-acid to low-acid ingredients must not be altered from that specified in the recipe. The problem is that often an experienced-cook-but-inexperienced-canner picks up a canning recipe and assumes her cooking experience can be used to improve and adapt the canning recipe. It can’t.
Tested Recipes for Canning Vegetables. Unlike cooking recipes, which the cook can adapt to her own tastes — increasing the proportion of one ingredient, omitting another entirely, using an unspecified technique such as sauteeing the veggies — the canning of vegetables should be done using a tested recipe (that is, a recipe that has been tested by the USDA — or the equivalent, in other countries — and found to be safe for home canning) with no changes in the proportion of high-acid to low-acid foods. To be sure the recipe you are using is a tested recipe, use a trusted resource such as the Ball Blue Book (use a new edition, as canning recommendations have changed over the years), the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving , the Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving, or the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
When you discover a delicious-sounding boiling-water bath canning recipe online and think you’d like to try it, ask the person providing the recipe where he got it. (Most foodies are happy to talk about the source of their recipes and won’t take this as an insult if you ask in a way that indicates curiosity rather than mistrust.) If he did not get the recipe from a trusted source, or if he adapted it in any way that changes the proportion of vegetables-to-acids, or if he added oils, fats, or animal products, don’t use the recipe. Find another similar recipe from a trusted source and use that instead. The same goes for gifts of home canned vegetables, including combination recipes such as salsas, sauces, chutneys, and relishes. I cannot stress this enough. When canned vegetables go bad, one likely culprit is botulinum, which is the neurotoxin that causes botulism: if it doesn’t kill you, it can leave you paralyzed. It is a seriously nasty bacteria and nothing to fool around with. Worse yet, unlike mold, you can’t see, smell, or taste botulinum. The seal on the jar may not even be broken.
With the sharp increase in canning by inexperienced canners, we are likely also to see an increase in home canning-related food poisonings. Done properly, home canning is very safe and a great way to preserve the harvest so you can eat locally all year around. But do take the necessary steps to make sure you know what you’re doing.
The National Center for Home Food Preservation is a great resource for home canners, new and experienced alike. The recipes posted there are all USDA-tested and approved, and they have a ton of information for home canners — even a complete home-canning course you can download in pdf form.
Your county extension service is an excellent resource for information about canning. Many are offering canning classes geared to new canners.
Another great resource for canners is the Harvest Forum on GardenWeb. You can search the forum archives to find answers to many questions

Source: Eat Drink Better (http://s.tt/12Adt)   http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/07/29/killer-canning/

Concord Grape Jam Tart

  http://www.marthastewart.com/355342/concord-grape-jam-tart?czone=food%2Fproduce-guide-cnt%2Fproduce-guide-fall