Knowing where your food comes from sounds easy. Orange juice comes from oranges - end of story. That's not true. Understanding the processing of our foods gives us better perspective of what we are putting into our bodies.
Oranges are a one season crop - they are prolific in the winter in the Southern states. That means one harvest for juice manufacturers. However, the demand for orange juice is year round.
The solution was easy - juice all the oranges, place them in large vats, suck all the air out and wait for the supply to dwindle before filling up more containers. The problem with this is the juice lost it's flavor with the air. Well that, coupled with the American public's need for consistency.
You see, not all oranges taste the same. Some are sweet, some are a little tart. Each vat would have it's unique combination of oranges but that's not good for a company - they need each bottle to taste the same.
Enter flavoring. After sucking all the life out of the juice, the companies add flavoring to the orange juice to make it taste like their orange juice should. That makes for a consistent product. The really tricky part - they don't have to label the flavoring on the package. Due to the type of flavoring they use, the FDA does not require it to be disclosed.
I learned this a few weeks ago from an article on secret ingredients in our food that we don't know are there. Every time I learn a new trick that manufacturers use on us to make the food less expensive to make it confirms my need to eat more natural and to produce my own food.
So I juiced oranges this weekend. I have, now, just over a gallon of orange juice in my fridge.
Back in January, I bought a box of tangerines from bountiful baskets. The cost was $15 for about 40 pounds of oranges (if I remember correctly). It was a great deal and I thought it would give my teenager a healthy snack. Well, we didn't count on getting more oranges and citrus from the baskets over the next three baskets. Pretty soon, I have a huge bowl of oranges/tangerines on my counter and over half a box of tangerines on my porch. We were getting sick of them. I ate an orange a day for most of February and the pile never seemed to go down.
I borrowed a juicer from my mother and went to work.
Before I cut up the oranges for juicing, I zested about 20 of them, giving me about 1 quart of large zest pieces. I saved about another quart of peels (2 quart sized bags full of large peels) to put in the garbage disposal or for potpourri. Then I juiced. The hardest part in juicing oranges is peeling them. All in all, it took me about an hour.
I made orange tapioca. It didn't come out perfect but it was fun and I'll try it again tonight to see if I can make a shareable recipe. However, I did learn something - cheap canned orange juice tastes a lot like homemade orange juice. Which got me wondering - are they actually 100% natural with no added flavors? That just might be true. That flavor we associate with cheap orange juice might actually be the true flavor of orange juice. I may have to contact Western Family and ask them.
I will say - I won't be buying any orange juice in the bottle or carton any more. It's time to learn to appreciate the fruit as nature intended.
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fruit. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Fruit preparation
Fruit comes in four basic ways - fresh, dried, canned, and frozen. More often than not, we eat fruit as it comes or treat it like an ingredient. It's not a bad thing but it does start to limit our preparation. Because fruits are sweet they often become a dessert but they can become a rather nice addition to a side dish or even a main dish.
Fruit can easily be turned into a sauce to accent meat. In the past, I have cooked cherries or blackberries whole in a pot until they were tender (add a fine layer of water on the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking until the fruit releases it's own juice) then run through a food mill to create a sauce. Sometimes I add a thickener like cornstarch but I find it takes away from the flavor. I season with cinnamon or Indian spices. More often than not I serve fruit sauces with pork or chicken but they can easily be used on fish or beef. Lamb is another choice that often is paired with fruit but it's not affordable in my area.
Dried fruit is easily tossed into stir fries and vegetables. Dried cranberries are wonderful with cooked carrots.
As I sit here, I realize that cooking with fruit is difficult to talk about. Not because it's taboo but because the words are just not there. Fruit has more water than most vegetables so you don't steam them. I don't saute then as a rule and roasting is not something I think about.
Roasted apples are amazing but they seem like work - why? I don't know. I have poached pears once but I wanted this post to be about making fruit as something other than a dessert.
We've eaten a fair amount of fruit this week but we too, feel into that trap. I ate apples and blackberries with my oatmeal but grapes, oranges and more apples were just eaten fresh. We love fresh fruit but I wanted to learn to be creative with them. I love eating at ethnic restaurants and getting lamb roasted with plums or fruit stuffed pork. However, they are not dishes I make at home. Which makes this post more and more difficult.
I am at fault for turning fruit into dessert. But I want to visit the more savory side of fruit. I may just have to get back to you on that one. It gives me something to work towards.
Tomorrow I am going to talk about preservation techniques and pickling. Pickling fruit is one technique I did pick up this past year but I haven't found really good ways to use the fruit pickles aside from just eating them, which is really nice.
Fruit can easily be turned into a sauce to accent meat. In the past, I have cooked cherries or blackberries whole in a pot until they were tender (add a fine layer of water on the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking until the fruit releases it's own juice) then run through a food mill to create a sauce. Sometimes I add a thickener like cornstarch but I find it takes away from the flavor. I season with cinnamon or Indian spices. More often than not I serve fruit sauces with pork or chicken but they can easily be used on fish or beef. Lamb is another choice that often is paired with fruit but it's not affordable in my area.
Dried fruit is easily tossed into stir fries and vegetables. Dried cranberries are wonderful with cooked carrots.
As I sit here, I realize that cooking with fruit is difficult to talk about. Not because it's taboo but because the words are just not there. Fruit has more water than most vegetables so you don't steam them. I don't saute then as a rule and roasting is not something I think about.
Roasted apples are amazing but they seem like work - why? I don't know. I have poached pears once but I wanted this post to be about making fruit as something other than a dessert.
We've eaten a fair amount of fruit this week but we too, feel into that trap. I ate apples and blackberries with my oatmeal but grapes, oranges and more apples were just eaten fresh. We love fresh fruit but I wanted to learn to be creative with them. I love eating at ethnic restaurants and getting lamb roasted with plums or fruit stuffed pork. However, they are not dishes I make at home. Which makes this post more and more difficult.
I am at fault for turning fruit into dessert. But I want to visit the more savory side of fruit. I may just have to get back to you on that one. It gives me something to work towards.
Tomorrow I am going to talk about preservation techniques and pickling. Pickling fruit is one technique I did pick up this past year but I haven't found really good ways to use the fruit pickles aside from just eating them, which is really nice.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Fruit
Fruit gets a bad reputation because it's sweet and often used in desserts. The truth is fruit is part of a balanced diet. I will note here that the definition of a fruit/vegetable is speculative. There is no 100% criteria for determining what is a fruit and what is a vegetable so you may find that your viewpoint is different from mine. Controversial foods include avocados and tomatoes.
I'm sticking with the more traditional view - apples, pears, peaches, grapes, bananas, etc.
The interesting thing about fruit is the variety of color. There are some vegetables that hit the various spectrum but fruit has more. It's that spectrum that we need to concern ourselves with more than the number of fruits and vegetables we eat.
If you have not heard of eating the spectrum, it's also been called eating the rainbow. The colors are red, white/green, blue/purple, yellow/orange, yellow/green, according to my favorite chart. The idea is to eat 2-3 items in each color each week for the most balanced diet. However, if you eat in season this becomes more difficult especially for those in the North, like me.
Strangely, we opt to eat fruit raw more so than any other food. There's something wonderful about fresh fruit but that doesn't mean it won't make a nice warm addition to a meal.
I like to add fresh fruit to oatmeal for my morning meal. On the weekend, I take the time to make the oatmeal on the stove instead of instant. This is easy - 3 1/2 cups milk to 2 cups oatmeal. Heat the milk on the stove over med-high heat stirring constantly. Add the oatmeal and cook until tender and most of the milk is absorbed. I like pouring in molasses to give the oatmeal a sweet flavor but no extra sugar. We serve with a little milk to cool the surface (I often reduce the milk to 3 cups for cooking so I can add extra to the top) and fresh fruit. If I'm serving apples then I top with cinnamon. If I serve with berries, I top with a teaspoon of sugar to cut the tartness of the berries. You can add the fruit to the pot while cooking but I prefer them fresh.
Add fruit to dinner by tossing in some with your dish. Rice is great with dried cranberries and some nuts. Slice apples over your pork dish while baking.
There are several ways to cook/prepare fruit and I will go over some of those as this week progresses.
I'm sticking with the more traditional view - apples, pears, peaches, grapes, bananas, etc.
The interesting thing about fruit is the variety of color. There are some vegetables that hit the various spectrum but fruit has more. It's that spectrum that we need to concern ourselves with more than the number of fruits and vegetables we eat.
If you have not heard of eating the spectrum, it's also been called eating the rainbow. The colors are red, white/green, blue/purple, yellow/orange, yellow/green, according to my favorite chart. The idea is to eat 2-3 items in each color each week for the most balanced diet. However, if you eat in season this becomes more difficult especially for those in the North, like me.
Strangely, we opt to eat fruit raw more so than any other food. There's something wonderful about fresh fruit but that doesn't mean it won't make a nice warm addition to a meal.
I like to add fresh fruit to oatmeal for my morning meal. On the weekend, I take the time to make the oatmeal on the stove instead of instant. This is easy - 3 1/2 cups milk to 2 cups oatmeal. Heat the milk on the stove over med-high heat stirring constantly. Add the oatmeal and cook until tender and most of the milk is absorbed. I like pouring in molasses to give the oatmeal a sweet flavor but no extra sugar. We serve with a little milk to cool the surface (I often reduce the milk to 3 cups for cooking so I can add extra to the top) and fresh fruit. If I'm serving apples then I top with cinnamon. If I serve with berries, I top with a teaspoon of sugar to cut the tartness of the berries. You can add the fruit to the pot while cooking but I prefer them fresh.
Add fruit to dinner by tossing in some with your dish. Rice is great with dried cranberries and some nuts. Slice apples over your pork dish while baking.
There are several ways to cook/prepare fruit and I will go over some of those as this week progresses.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Applesauce cake
I'm sitting here eating cheese, crackers and pickled pears playing on the computer when I remembered I still hadn't posted today's recipe. Last weekend I decided to make a cake with just fruit - no sugar, no oil. I ended up skipping the eggs too. The only fat that comes from the cake is in the Walnuts and the sugar is all fruit based. It's not an overly sweet cake and has that slightly gritty texture of pears. It's rather dense and not very flavorful. That would seem like a poor description for a cake but what I found is this cake is the perfect base to showcase a great topping. Hot out of the oven we served it with a little bailey's irish cream and a few chocolate chips. Today I ate it with a "frosting" of all natural chocolate peanut butter. Add a little rum when the cake first comes out of the oven to help preserve the cake and extend it's shelf life. I put a little cocoa powder in the cake, I'm not sure how much flavor it lends. Feel free to add spices such as ginger and cinnamon to make it more gingerbread like (might be the next version).
Applesauce Cake
3 cups applesauce
6 cups apple or pear juice boiled down to 4 cups
3 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas baking powder
2 TB dark rum (or vanilla extract)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Extra Rum, optional
Mix apple sauce and juice. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Add extract or rum and walnuts. Mix until incorporated. Pour into greased 9x13 pan (we used a cooking spray). Bake at 350 for 60 to 75 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The cake is so moist that the toothpick will not be completely clean. Drizzle over rum (or other alcohol). Serve hot or cold.
Applesauce Cake
3 cups applesauce
6 cups apple or pear juice boiled down to 4 cups
3 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teas baking soda
1/2 teas baking powder
2 TB dark rum (or vanilla extract)
1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Extra Rum, optional
Mix apple sauce and juice. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Add extract or rum and walnuts. Mix until incorporated. Pour into greased 9x13 pan (we used a cooking spray). Bake at 350 for 60 to 75 minutes until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. The cake is so moist that the toothpick will not be completely clean. Drizzle over rum (or other alcohol). Serve hot or cold.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Easy Granola
I got this recipe from Food in Jars but I've once again altered the recipe. I was so impressed with the idea of using fruit butter to make granola that I had to try it. The family loves it and my son had to share it with everyone he could. I'm not a granola fan but this was great. We eat it dry but I did try it with milk. I didn't mind it (we've switch powdered milk brands and I don't like the taste).
I doubled this recipe and it took nearly an hour to get it to dry out. You can double it but spread it out really thin using 2 baking sheets if necessary. I had mine too thick. We did break it up and re-cook it on two baking sheets and it came out beautifully. I added a small package of dried cranberries which might have been slightly over a cup of berries.
Easy Granola
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups nuts and/or seeds
1 cup fruit butter
Dried fruit, optional
Mix together. Lay out on a baking sheet. Bake at 325, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is dry. Add dried fruit.
I doubled this recipe and it took nearly an hour to get it to dry out. You can double it but spread it out really thin using 2 baking sheets if necessary. I had mine too thick. We did break it up and re-cook it on two baking sheets and it came out beautifully. I added a small package of dried cranberries which might have been slightly over a cup of berries.
Easy Granola
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups nuts and/or seeds
1 cup fruit butter
Dried fruit, optional
Mix together. Lay out on a baking sheet. Bake at 325, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is dry. Add dried fruit.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Apple Butter
This week my recipes are two part. I made apple butter several weeks ago and made it into granola this past weekend. The apple butter can be made with apples or pears (I will be sharing some pear butter recipes later this month as well). I sauced the apples and then measured it for the apple butter. This stores well in the fridge or cans beautifully.
Apple Butter
12 cups apple sauce/puree
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp gd cinnamon
1/2 tsp gd cloves
In a large stainless steel pot combine all ingredients. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it's shape on a spoon.
If canning, prep jars, lids and rings. Pour hot butter into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Boil in water bath for 10 minutes (adjust for elevation).
Apple Butter
12 cups apple sauce/puree
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp gd cinnamon
1/2 tsp gd cloves
In a large stainless steel pot combine all ingredients. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds it's shape on a spoon.
If canning, prep jars, lids and rings. Pour hot butter into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Boil in water bath for 10 minutes (adjust for elevation).
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Turkish Delights - Blackberry Jellies
Between here and the mountains is a small town called Cashmere in Washington. It's not a significant sort of place except for one thing - Aplets and Cotlets. Aplets and Cotlets are a mass produced sort of Turkish Delight. They are amazing candies and quite popular in Washington. I hear they have some popularity all over but in Washington they are famous. We stop at Cashmere to enjoy the factory and the gift shop every couple of years or so.
One year I wanted to learn how to make them at home. Several failed attempts later, I pretty much gave up on the idea. Then last Christmas I came across a recipe for something called Blackberry Jellies. These were different but had so much potential. I undercooked them and created a really tasty jelly for sandwiches. I decided to try again this past weekend and they were perfect. The recipe is not difficult, it requires patience. I, apparently, lacked that patience last Christmas. The candies are wonderful. I haven't taken the time to dredge them in sugar so they are really sticky but I plan on trying them dredged in powdered sugar to see how they compare to Aplets and Cotlets. I, also, plan on trying an apple version (with and without walnuts) to see if I can, indeed, replicate the candy.
I didn't start with frozen blackberries. When we go blackberry picking, I run the berries through my food mill to remove all the seeds and anything else because the berries are often too soft and mushy by the time we return home. I freeze this juice and used that to make this candy. It takes 2 cups of fruit puree so I used 2 cups juice and will use 2 cups apple sauce when I make an apple version.
This recipe has you dredge with granulated sugar, Turkish Delights uses powdered sugar - either will work.
Blackberry Fruit Jellies
1 bag(s) frozen blackberries
2 teaspoon(s) powdered pectin
2 3/4 cup(s) sugar, divided, plus additional for coating
1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice or lime juice
Puree fruit and 1/2 cup water in blender until smooth; strain out seeds.
Place 2 cups puree in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Thoroughly mix pectin and 1/4 cup sugar, whisk into fruit puree, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 1/4 cups sugar and cook mixture until it reaches 225 degrees F, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon or lime juice; cook 30 seconds more. Pour into a lightly oiled 9" x 13" baking pan, sprinkle sugar on top, and allow to set, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares, or use a lightly oiled cookie cutter to make other shapes. Dredge in sugar and dry on a cooling rack overnight. Scraps can be remelted and reset. Store in a box or paper bag at room temperature for up to two weeks.
One year I wanted to learn how to make them at home. Several failed attempts later, I pretty much gave up on the idea. Then last Christmas I came across a recipe for something called Blackberry Jellies. These were different but had so much potential. I undercooked them and created a really tasty jelly for sandwiches. I decided to try again this past weekend and they were perfect. The recipe is not difficult, it requires patience. I, apparently, lacked that patience last Christmas. The candies are wonderful. I haven't taken the time to dredge them in sugar so they are really sticky but I plan on trying them dredged in powdered sugar to see how they compare to Aplets and Cotlets. I, also, plan on trying an apple version (with and without walnuts) to see if I can, indeed, replicate the candy.
I didn't start with frozen blackberries. When we go blackberry picking, I run the berries through my food mill to remove all the seeds and anything else because the berries are often too soft and mushy by the time we return home. I freeze this juice and used that to make this candy. It takes 2 cups of fruit puree so I used 2 cups juice and will use 2 cups apple sauce when I make an apple version.
This recipe has you dredge with granulated sugar, Turkish Delights uses powdered sugar - either will work.
Blackberry Fruit Jellies
1 bag(s) frozen blackberries
2 teaspoon(s) powdered pectin
2 3/4 cup(s) sugar, divided, plus additional for coating
1 tablespoon(s) lemon juice or lime juice
Puree fruit and 1/2 cup water in blender until smooth; strain out seeds.
Place 2 cups puree in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Thoroughly mix pectin and 1/4 cup sugar, whisk into fruit puree, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 1/4 cups sugar and cook mixture until it reaches 225 degrees F, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon or lime juice; cook 30 seconds more. Pour into a lightly oiled 9" x 13" baking pan, sprinkle sugar on top, and allow to set, about 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares, or use a lightly oiled cookie cutter to make other shapes. Dredge in sugar and dry on a cooling rack overnight. Scraps can be remelted and reset. Store in a box or paper bag at room temperature for up to two weeks.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Peaches and Cornbread
This wasn't a perfect experiment but it used the last of my peaches making it difficult to try it again. The taste was really good but the cooking was difficult. However, I thought I'd share the idea for those who want to continue experimenting. I believe my biggest problem was using the entire batch of cornbread, cutting it in half would have saved a lot of headache.
I've shared cornbread recipes before so I won't give you the instructions here - I just used the recipe on the back of the cornmeal bag.
Peaches and cornbread
1 batch of cornbread batter (use recipe on back of cornmeal but double sugar and use 1 stick butter)
Peaches - about 2 pounds frozen
1 cup sugar
2 teas cinnamon
Melt stick of butter in a casserole dish (I used a 9" round dish). Swish butter around pan and pour remaining in cornbread batter. Layer peaches over butter, sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon. Mix in bowl.
Spoon 1/2 of cornbread batter on peaches (full batter was far too much). Bake at 350 for up to an hour.
(I baked this at 450 and it nearly burnt the outside and left the inside doughy so a lower temperature would have faired better.)
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
I know that I usually hold off my experiments until I have them nearly perfected but this recipe was really tasty once I removed the top half of the cornbread. The cornbread absorbs a good deal of peach juice which makes it moist and tasty but the peaches were still moist. This was not a good fruit year here in Washington so there wasn't extra peaches. I may try this with canned fruit and share again. However I loved the idea behind this experiment. Cornbread can easily be made gluten-free and accented the peaches perfectly.
I've shared cornbread recipes before so I won't give you the instructions here - I just used the recipe on the back of the cornmeal bag.
Peaches and cornbread
1 batch of cornbread batter (use recipe on back of cornmeal but double sugar and use 1 stick butter)
Peaches - about 2 pounds frozen
1 cup sugar
2 teas cinnamon
Melt stick of butter in a casserole dish (I used a 9" round dish). Swish butter around pan and pour remaining in cornbread batter. Layer peaches over butter, sprinkle on sugar and cinnamon. Mix in bowl.
Spoon 1/2 of cornbread batter on peaches (full batter was far too much). Bake at 350 for up to an hour.
(I baked this at 450 and it nearly burnt the outside and left the inside doughy so a lower temperature would have faired better.)
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
I know that I usually hold off my experiments until I have them nearly perfected but this recipe was really tasty once I removed the top half of the cornbread. The cornbread absorbs a good deal of peach juice which makes it moist and tasty but the peaches were still moist. This was not a good fruit year here in Washington so there wasn't extra peaches. I may try this with canned fruit and share again. However I loved the idea behind this experiment. Cornbread can easily be made gluten-free and accented the peaches perfectly.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Berry Pudding Cake
We went blackberry picking this weekend. Normally we come home with gallons of berries that have turned into soup because they are so juicy and it's rather hot when we pick. Those berries are often run through a jelly bag to get out any debris and I use it for jelly or berry flavored desserts but I never get to make berry filled desserts. This time the picking was really slim and the berries a little drier so what I came home with actually resembled berries. With so many recipes to choose from I opted to try a berry cobbler called Berry Pudding Cake. It's a sweet contrast to the more tart berries. The cake was rather tasty but didn't come out as pudding-like as I thought it would. It could be because the berries were drier but I think I liked it just a touch drier than I expected because it was easier to eat. I will share that any berries with flour on them that do not get covered with batter will most likely still have flour on them when you take the dessert out of the oven. It didn't ruin the cake by any stretch but I thought it took away from the beauty of the berries peeking through the cake. I wish I had taken a picture to share with you. You can use any berries but I recommend adding more sugar if you use tarter berries. My family thought this could have been a little sweeter but no real complaints. We served it with Cool Whip because I happen to find a tub in my freezer.
Berry Pudding Cake
4 cups berries - Spread in greased 9x9 pan.
2-3 TB sugar
2 TB flour
Combine and sprinkle over berries.
1/3-1/2 cup sugar
3 tb butter, soft
1 egg
¼ teas vanilla
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla.
Add:
1 cup flour
1 teas baking power
1/3 cup milk.
Beat well and drop by spoonfuls over fruit and spread evenly. Bake in 350 oven for 30-40 minutes.
Berry Pudding Cake
4 cups berries - Spread in greased 9x9 pan.
2-3 TB sugar
2 TB flour
Combine and sprinkle over berries.
1/3-1/2 cup sugar
3 tb butter, soft
1 egg
¼ teas vanilla
Cream butter and sugar. Mix in egg and vanilla.
Add:
1 cup flour
1 teas baking power
1/3 cup milk.
Beat well and drop by spoonfuls over fruit and spread evenly. Bake in 350 oven for 30-40 minutes.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Cinnamon Pears
I'm still waiting for things to get ready for canning. I'm dreaming of jams and syrups. I may just have to go buy some fruit to start. Hopefully we'll be getting some blackberries soon. I'll let you know as I will probably share blackberry recipes.
This cinnamon pear recipe is the best canned pears I have ever eaten. It's the sort of canned good that makes you sad when you eat the last one and so happy when you find one hidden in the back of the pantry. It's really easy and one of the first recipes I used when I learned how to can. The flavor is a sweet spicy sort of fruit that feels like a dessert.
I think I should probably do a canning tutorial for those who aren't experienced canners (I don't mean experienced like a master canner - just someone who's done more than once).
Canning is actually fairly easy and the recipes I share can be done by anyone with success.
I'm also a lazy canner so I rarely actually peel the fruit. If you don't want to - that's not a problem just make sure the skin is firm and unblemished. It does make a different textured product but that's not a bad thing.
You can, also, substitute apples for the pears.
Cinnamon Pears
2 qt water
1 package red hot candies
4 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 quart peeled and sliced pears
Combine 1st 6 ingredients in large pan. Bring to boil. Add pears and cook until tender. Fill jars and seal while hot. Process in bath 15 minutes.
This cinnamon pear recipe is the best canned pears I have ever eaten. It's the sort of canned good that makes you sad when you eat the last one and so happy when you find one hidden in the back of the pantry. It's really easy and one of the first recipes I used when I learned how to can. The flavor is a sweet spicy sort of fruit that feels like a dessert.
I think I should probably do a canning tutorial for those who aren't experienced canners (I don't mean experienced like a master canner - just someone who's done more than once).
Canning is actually fairly easy and the recipes I share can be done by anyone with success.
I'm also a lazy canner so I rarely actually peel the fruit. If you don't want to - that's not a problem just make sure the skin is firm and unblemished. It does make a different textured product but that's not a bad thing.
You can, also, substitute apples for the pears.
Cinnamon Pears
2 qt water
1 package red hot candies
4 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 quart peeled and sliced pears
Combine 1st 6 ingredients in large pan. Bring to boil. Add pears and cook until tender. Fill jars and seal while hot. Process in bath 15 minutes.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Cobbler vs Crisp
I don't make fruit pies because I am not very good with crusts but I make a lot of crisps. I often confuse crisp and cobbler because they are similar but they are not the same.
They both start out the same - a fruit concoction with a topping but it's the toppings that make them different.
Crisps have an oatmeal based topping while cobblers are more biscuit or bread based. In fact I have seen cobbler recipes use canned biscuits.
To make a crisp (which to me it the easiest of the two) - I take the fruit of my choice. If it's fresh/frozen fruit then I layer it in the bottom of a greased casserole dish, sprinkle with white or brown sugar (based on the sweetness of the fruit) and top with a mixture of 1 stick butter, 1 cup brown sugar and about 2 cups oatmeal. I don't really measure but mix them together until I get a somewhat dry "batter" (similar in texture to cookie dough) which I plop on the fruit. Sometimes I flatten parts of the dough into pancakes and use them to top the fruit, just depends on my mood. If you use canned fruit then don't sprinkle with sugar and depending on the amount of syrup, you may want to slightly drain. You should have a decent amount of syrup but not soup.
I don't have a great cobbler recipe, yet but that what the experiment time is for. We start our pie experiments either Sunday or Monday so be on the lookout for lots of fun recipes coming this way.
They both start out the same - a fruit concoction with a topping but it's the toppings that make them different.
Crisps have an oatmeal based topping while cobblers are more biscuit or bread based. In fact I have seen cobbler recipes use canned biscuits.
To make a crisp (which to me it the easiest of the two) - I take the fruit of my choice. If it's fresh/frozen fruit then I layer it in the bottom of a greased casserole dish, sprinkle with white or brown sugar (based on the sweetness of the fruit) and top with a mixture of 1 stick butter, 1 cup brown sugar and about 2 cups oatmeal. I don't really measure but mix them together until I get a somewhat dry "batter" (similar in texture to cookie dough) which I plop on the fruit. Sometimes I flatten parts of the dough into pancakes and use them to top the fruit, just depends on my mood. If you use canned fruit then don't sprinkle with sugar and depending on the amount of syrup, you may want to slightly drain. You should have a decent amount of syrup but not soup.
I don't have a great cobbler recipe, yet but that what the experiment time is for. We start our pie experiments either Sunday or Monday so be on the lookout for lots of fun recipes coming this way.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Strawberry Salad
At this time of year, strawberries and cucumbers go on sale. It's a great time to make this simple salad. Quite often I use a pound of strawberries and 2 cucumbers but any amount will do.
Strawberry Salad
Peel a cucumber and slice very thinly. Sprinkle with a little salt and place between 2 plates with a weight on top for an hour or so, pouring off liquid at intervals. Cut an equal amount of strawberries into slices. Grind some black pepper over them and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Mix cucumbers and strawberries just before serving.
Strawberry Salad
Peel a cucumber and slice very thinly. Sprinkle with a little salt and place between 2 plates with a weight on top for an hour or so, pouring off liquid at intervals. Cut an equal amount of strawberries into slices. Grind some black pepper over them and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar. Mix cucumbers and strawberries just before serving.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Fruit Pizza
I pulled this recipe out and am going to have it at my sister-in-law's baby shower this weekend. Normally we make this "pizza" in a large round cookie sheet so it resembles a pizza but we're going to make it into individual pizzas so that it's easier to handle. The pizza can get soggy if the assembled too far ahead of time but it still tastes good. I like to center a pineapple ring with a maraschino cherry in the center and then do rings of mandarin oranges, kiwi fruit and strawberries. You can add what ever fruit you like. I bet this would be fantastic with fresh cherries, blueberries and oranges. MMMM - makes me want some now.
Fruit Pizza
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tarter
2 packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Sliced fruit: strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, pineapple rings
Cream 1st two sugars with butter and oil, add next 5 ingredients, mix well. Divide onto 2 greased pizza pans, bake at 350 until brown, cool. Cream remaining ingredients together - except the fruit. Spread on cooled crust. Top with fruit.
Fruit Pizza
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tbs. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tarter
2 packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Sliced fruit: strawberries, kiwi, mandarin oranges, pineapple rings
Cream 1st two sugars with butter and oil, add next 5 ingredients, mix well. Divide onto 2 greased pizza pans, bake at 350 until brown, cool. Cream remaining ingredients together - except the fruit. Spread on cooled crust. Top with fruit.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Starfruit
Starfruit can have 3 points up to 6 points, making the fruit look like a star. In the US 5 points is most common amongst the starfruit. They start out green and ripen from yellow to orange. They have a thick-ish edible skin.
Starfruit are fun and really mild in flavor. To me, they taste like fruit-hinted water. They have a flesh similar to melon, crisp and wet but have a core that reminds me of an apple or pear. The core is softer and edible that other fruits but take care to remove the seeds. Around the seeds can be a slightly tough "shell" like in apples but it too is edible.
Children might like the fruit's shape and find it's mild flavor appealing. It really has little flavor so it's all about visual appeal for this fruit.
Pick a darker yellow or orange but avoid spotty fruit or dark brown blemishes. I did notice that they can mold but the mold seems to stay on the peel so it can easily be cut around.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Kiwi Fruit
Lately we've been eating a lot of kiwi fruit and I have noticed it's been on sale at the stores (we've been getting the kiwi with our Bountiful Baskets). I like Kiwi but it's not everyone's fruit and it's a little intimidating to look at. They are little oval shaped fruits covered in a brown fuzz (a cross between peaches and coconuts).
The skins are not edible, making the fruit even less appealing to those not into peeling their food. I have a friend who cuts off one end and eats the flesh out with a spoon, similar to eating a soft boiled egg. I haven't been able to talk myself into trying it that way. I like eating the fruit while reading a book after lunch so the spoon method just seems to be too attention consuming.
At one end of the Kiwi is a hard knob that must be removed with the peel. I cut each end off and then peel with the knife or a peeler.
Kiwi's are rich in nutrients. For their little size, they hold a lot of potassium, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Their seeds are a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids but you need to break into them (so no slurping the seeds, must chew). I like the seeds, they have a fun crunch.
The taste of the kiwi is a little sweet and a little tart. The more ripe, the sweeter but they are never really all that sweet. They are quite juicy so you get all that good water with them.
To pick a good kiwi - it should not be soft but should give slightly when pressed. The "fur" should be a uniform brown and should not be dark. The skin should also look firm with no wrinkles. Wrinkles indicate that the kiwi is starting to over-ripen. This is okay for home eating but I wouldn't purchase a kiwi in this condition.
In preparing for this post, I discovered that Kiwi Fruit comes from China. I didn't know that but I am sure they are now grown in the US. There is some research that shows that Kiwi's might be used for medicinal purposes but there is no evidence supporting it 100% yet. I think it's still a good food to add to your diet. It tastes like the best parts of summer but it's still gloomy outside.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Poached Pears
We ended up with some pears that were not very tasty for eating but wanted to consume them anyway. I had always heard about poached pears but never tried them. I looked at a recipe and it seems that poached pears contain alcohol that you light on fire. Being that we had special guests who did not drink alcohol and were eating in my father's apartment I thought it was best to create an alternate recipe. My recipe uses Watkins Mandarin Orange Seasoning and Dip Mix which is still available through Watkins but I think one can substitute orange jello powder. Personally, I love the Mandarin Orange Mix and use it to make a salad dressing I found on the Watkins website ages ago (I am not sure the recipe is still there). This turned out to be really easy and tasted great. Everyone loved them.
Poached Pears
6 ripe pears
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 TB mandarin orange mix (Watkins)
1 tsp Chinese five spice blend
Bring water to boil. Add sugar and let boil until the water has boiled to half or there about. Add mandarin orange mix and Chinese Five spice. Cut pears in half and remove core. Lay pears in 11x13 baking dish, cut side up. Pour syrup over pears. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Poached Pears
6 ripe pears
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 TB mandarin orange mix (Watkins)
1 tsp Chinese five spice blend
Bring water to boil. Add sugar and let boil until the water has boiled to half or there about. Add mandarin orange mix and Chinese Five spice. Cut pears in half and remove core. Lay pears in 11x13 baking dish, cut side up. Pour syrup over pears. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Smoothies
Growing up "smoothies" were a standard breakfast except in those days we referred to them as breakfast milkshakes. They are still a treat we like on hot summer mornings or really any time we want something cold and fruity.
There is no real recipe for our smoothies since they are catered to each drinker.
Start with frozen fruit. Our favorite has always been bananas. I have a freezer full of bananas. What I do is - when a banana has gotten to that point I know no one will eat it, I throw it in the freezer (peel and all). For me there's a lot of convinience in this. When I need to use a frozen banana, I run it under hot water for no more than 30 seconds and peel. I may need to use a butter knife to scrape all the stuff off but it doesn't take very long. Other family members, peel the banana and set it on cookie sheets to freeze and then pile them in freezer bags. My method has no freezer burnt bananas but it does mean a lot of slippery bananas falling out of the freezer when we over fill it. Either method works - it just depends on you.
You can also use any other frozen fruit. My grandmother would make them with frozen strawberries. The problem with strawberries is they are not always sweet and can make a pretty sour shake. I have used mixed berries, peaches and others but banana is what we seem to come back to.
We have a "bullet" type blender which makes everything in one serving. So I use 1-2 bananas, depending on their size and cover them with milk. Blend until smooth, you may have to stop now and again and add a little more milk to keep it smooth. Easy peasy - you have a basic smoothie. We like to add peanut butter and chocolate syrup to our banana smoothie but you can really add anything, including fresh fruit (with frozen fruit).
What I like best about this particular method is there is no added water - no ice chunks, nor is there any ice cream. The fruit acts as ice so if there are chunks - it's kind of nice. I like working my way through a piece of soft frozen banana, more than I like hitting a piece of ice. I, also, like that I have complete control of the nutrients, full serving of fruit and milk. And the best part is if they do melt, it's not a watered down version of the drink.
There is no real recipe for our smoothies since they are catered to each drinker.
Start with frozen fruit. Our favorite has always been bananas. I have a freezer full of bananas. What I do is - when a banana has gotten to that point I know no one will eat it, I throw it in the freezer (peel and all). For me there's a lot of convinience in this. When I need to use a frozen banana, I run it under hot water for no more than 30 seconds and peel. I may need to use a butter knife to scrape all the stuff off but it doesn't take very long. Other family members, peel the banana and set it on cookie sheets to freeze and then pile them in freezer bags. My method has no freezer burnt bananas but it does mean a lot of slippery bananas falling out of the freezer when we over fill it. Either method works - it just depends on you.
You can also use any other frozen fruit. My grandmother would make them with frozen strawberries. The problem with strawberries is they are not always sweet and can make a pretty sour shake. I have used mixed berries, peaches and others but banana is what we seem to come back to.
We have a "bullet" type blender which makes everything in one serving. So I use 1-2 bananas, depending on their size and cover them with milk. Blend until smooth, you may have to stop now and again and add a little more milk to keep it smooth. Easy peasy - you have a basic smoothie. We like to add peanut butter and chocolate syrup to our banana smoothie but you can really add anything, including fresh fruit (with frozen fruit).
What I like best about this particular method is there is no added water - no ice chunks, nor is there any ice cream. The fruit acts as ice so if there are chunks - it's kind of nice. I like working my way through a piece of soft frozen banana, more than I like hitting a piece of ice. I, also, like that I have complete control of the nutrients, full serving of fruit and milk. And the best part is if they do melt, it's not a watered down version of the drink.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Fruit Salad
I was craving fruit but the selection at the store was so poor that I ended up in the canned fruit aisle. My family has traditionally made a fruit salad with mixed canned fruit, cool whip, cottage cheese and jello. I have always hated mixed canned fruit and no one was especially excited about this salad for dinner. However, I really like the mix of fruit with the cool whip and cottage cheese.
My son and I stood in the canned fruit aisle trying to find something that would ease my fruit craving. We opted to buy pineapple which we all love and then we found something else - locally grown, no sugar added canned cherries. It was a shocker. The can of cherries was a little spendy at $3.50 but I figured it was less than what I would spend on fresh cherries. The ingredients were cherries, water and cherry juice so I figured it was worth it. We got some fresh bananas to round it out and made the family salad.
Here's how it went
2 cans chopped pineapple, drained
1 can cherries, drained
4 bananas, sliced into coins
1 container of cool whip
1 container of cottage cheese (both the "normal" sizes)
orange jello
Mix together the fruit. Fold in the thawed cool whip and cottage cheese. Sprinkle on about 1/3 of the package of jello to add flavor (or to taste). Chill and serve.
I saved the juices, mixed them together for the dinner drink.
My son and I stood in the canned fruit aisle trying to find something that would ease my fruit craving. We opted to buy pineapple which we all love and then we found something else - locally grown, no sugar added canned cherries. It was a shocker. The can of cherries was a little spendy at $3.50 but I figured it was less than what I would spend on fresh cherries. The ingredients were cherries, water and cherry juice so I figured it was worth it. We got some fresh bananas to round it out and made the family salad.
Here's how it went
2 cans chopped pineapple, drained
1 can cherries, drained
4 bananas, sliced into coins
1 container of cool whip
1 container of cottage cheese (both the "normal" sizes)
orange jello
Mix together the fruit. Fold in the thawed cool whip and cottage cheese. Sprinkle on about 1/3 of the package of jello to add flavor (or to taste). Chill and serve.
I saved the juices, mixed them together for the dinner drink.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Fruit Cobbler
Well, after a long hiatus and a brief gluten breakdown, it's my goal to get back in the swing of things. Maybe I can keep this up this time.
This past weekend I was a baking fool. I had a box of blueberries that needed to be made into something. Originially I was going to make muffins since the family was eating muffins like crazy but I was running low on muffin ingredients and opted to try fruit cobbler for the first time (we are a fruit crisp family). The recipe calls for a gf glour mix. I used a basic rice flour mix and it wasn't as good as it should have been but I promised the recipe so here it is - from Special Diets for Special Kids.
Fruit Cobbler
5 cups fruit
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tb gf flour
1 Tb Lemon juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
--
1 egg
1/2 cup gf flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tb margarine, melted
1/2 tsp baking powder
Mix together fruit with the next five ingredients. Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish. Mix together topping ingredients and spoon onto fruit, covering as much as possible. Put on cookie sheet to prevent spills and place in a 375 degree oven. Bake 45-50 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
This past weekend I was a baking fool. I had a box of blueberries that needed to be made into something. Originially I was going to make muffins since the family was eating muffins like crazy but I was running low on muffin ingredients and opted to try fruit cobbler for the first time (we are a fruit crisp family). The recipe calls for a gf glour mix. I used a basic rice flour mix and it wasn't as good as it should have been but I promised the recipe so here it is - from Special Diets for Special Kids.
Fruit Cobbler
5 cups fruit
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tb gf flour
1 Tb Lemon juice
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
--
1 egg
1/2 cup gf flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tb margarine, melted
1/2 tsp baking powder
Mix together fruit with the next five ingredients. Pour into a 2 qt casserole dish. Mix together topping ingredients and spoon onto fruit, covering as much as possible. Put on cookie sheet to prevent spills and place in a 375 degree oven. Bake 45-50 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Lime Pickles
I got this recipe from Nigella Lawson's cookbook. It is a great seasoning. Don't let the fear of pickled foods stop you from trying this. The limes are "pickled" in oil infused with tumeric and cumin.
Lime Pickles
10 limes
4 1/2 cups pickling salt
2 1/4 cup cheap olive oil (I use canola for everything)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 dried red chili peppers, crushed (I actually omit this since we don't like it spicy)
Cut limes into eighths. Layer them in a 12x8 glass pan. Cover with salt and freeze overnight (or longer which happens). Thaw, put in colander and rinse thoroughly. I save the salt and put it in a bag in the freezer for future needs. Put into jars. Add spices to oil and pour over limes. Cover limes with oil completely or they will mold. Put in dark place for 3 weeks. The longer you save them the more tender they will be.
I check mine regularly to make sure they have enough oil. If the 2 1/4 cups oil is not enough, divide the seasoned oil amongst the jars and top off with unseasoned oil. When I use the limes and oil I always add more oil to make sure it's covering.
Yesterday, I used some of the oil and limes to make lunch.
I poured some of the oil in a deep skillet and heated it while I cut up raw steak into strips. I fried the steak in the oil while I prepped the remaining ingredients. I chopped an onion and about 5 of the lime pickles. I removed the steak and added some nucoa to regrease the pan. I fried the onions and limes until the onions were tender. I then added some leftover rice to the pan (enough to serve 3). I served the rice with a little soy sauce to balance the tartness of the limes and it was so good.
Lime Pickles
10 limes
4 1/2 cups pickling salt
2 1/4 cup cheap olive oil (I use canola for everything)
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
3 dried red chili peppers, crushed (I actually omit this since we don't like it spicy)
Cut limes into eighths. Layer them in a 12x8 glass pan. Cover with salt and freeze overnight (or longer which happens). Thaw, put in colander and rinse thoroughly. I save the salt and put it in a bag in the freezer for future needs. Put into jars. Add spices to oil and pour over limes. Cover limes with oil completely or they will mold. Put in dark place for 3 weeks. The longer you save them the more tender they will be.
I check mine regularly to make sure they have enough oil. If the 2 1/4 cups oil is not enough, divide the seasoned oil amongst the jars and top off with unseasoned oil. When I use the limes and oil I always add more oil to make sure it's covering.
Yesterday, I used some of the oil and limes to make lunch.
I poured some of the oil in a deep skillet and heated it while I cut up raw steak into strips. I fried the steak in the oil while I prepped the remaining ingredients. I chopped an onion and about 5 of the lime pickles. I removed the steak and added some nucoa to regrease the pan. I fried the onions and limes until the onions were tender. I then added some leftover rice to the pan (enough to serve 3). I served the rice with a little soy sauce to balance the tartness of the limes and it was so good.
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