Raspberry Jalapeno Jam, or Why Canning is Awesome

Canning is awesome. It is also making a huge comeback (did it ever disappear? I mean, I guess not, but now it is hip). In fairness I have always been on board, my mom has been canning things for years, but I think there was a generation or two out there who kind of lost the art and trust me- it is an art. I have wanted to can for a long time, but it is an intimidating task. There are a lot of steps to can properly. There is also the fear of the big B (botulism) or just plain ruining a batch of something you spent hours making. So here’s the thing, maybe next summer I’ll be ready to teach you about canning but for now, I’m going to tell you about the places I am learning from. If you have ever canned, thought about canning, or read blogs in general there is a good chance you have heard of the blog Food In Jars. It is incredible. Not only is it a great resource for how to but also recipes and links galore. Another resource I have been using heavily is the book Put ‘em Up. It is a fantastic comprehensive guide to all kinds of preserving. It is laid out well and includes illustrations, tips, and delightful recipes.

Today was my first canning experience on my own. I chose a 90 degree day here in Denver because I’m smart and I plan ahead. Wait, what? Here is the thing about canning, It’s a task it’s kind of labor intensive and if you have a small kitchen it will probably get really hot and steamy (and not in a good way). Frankly, it’s really easy to put off. My point is- don’t put it off. The rewards are amazing. Being able to give someone something you canned all by yourself is kind of an awesome experience. Learning how to preserve the flavors of summer in a jar that costs less than a dollar and doing it for ½ the price of what it would cost to buy those things out of season. Totally. Worth. It.

After reading Food In Jars a few days ago I couldn’t pass up this recipe, and I’m glad I didn’t because it was incredible.

Raspberry Jalapeno Jam

beautiful fresh raspberries

yay canning!

That’s right people. It’s as good as it sounds. For this part of the recipe I’m going to direct you to the source, then I’m going to tell you how I used that delicious jam to make the best summer meal ever. Which was…

Grilled pork chops with Raspberry Jalapeno Jam served with goat cheese and arugula smashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 bone in pork chops

Salt and pepper to season

2 Tablespoons Raspberry Jalapeno Jam

4-5 medium sized red skin potatoes (or other waxy variety)

4 oz goat cheese

1 Tablespoon (or so) olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large handful of arugula

Method:

Liberally salt and pepper the pork chops up to 2 hours in advance, chill until ready to grill. Grill the pork chops over medium high heat until they reach an internal temp of 145 degrees*. Let rest under foil while you mash the potatoes.

Boil a pot of water and season with salt (remember, if you don’t salt the water your potatoes will be bland no matter how much salt you add after cooking). If the potatoes are small leave them whole, if not cut them in ½. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the potatoes and put in a large bowl, add the goat cheese, and olive oil. Mash with a potato masher or a fork until the goat cheese is incorporated and the potatoes are all mashed and slightly creamy- you may need more olive oil or even a small splash of milk if you like. Add salt and pepper to taste (about ½ tsp each). Fold in arugula and serve warm.

Top each pork chop with a tablespoon of raspberry jalapeno jam and serve with a spoonful of the mashed potatoes.

A few notes:

* USDA recommends cooking pork to a minimum internal temperature of 145, resting it under foil will raise that temperature slightly. This is the best temperature for moist pork chops, but it might be a little pink for some so please cook it to whatever temperature you feel comfortable.

- Goat cheese is really delightful with the raspberry jalapeno jam but you could substitute cream cheese if goat cheese isn’t your thing.

- Speaking of which, this would be delicious with just goat cheese on crackers. It would really be a great addition to any cheese plate.

- I joined a CSA this summer. It is a great way to eat local produce and support a local farm. I am also truly looking forward to the challenge of my weekly baskets and figuring out how to eat or preserve everything! I’m diving right in kids, get on board!

-Sue

Rhubarb Raspberry Yogurt Muffins

if you don't like these, you probably hate kittens and sunshine too.

Play by Play Baking Muffin Baking Analysis.

10:25am: Aloud, to self, “Rhubarb is weird.  It  looks like celery, but it smells like candy.”

10:28am: Aloud, to self, “Stupid Ina Garten with her stupid ‘spoon the flour into the measuring cup’.”

10:32am: Aloud, to self, “These raspberries kind of fell apart when I stirred them into the batter.  I hope they don’t turn into a raspberry colored swampy mess in there.”

10:33am: (standing on a chair, in a nightgown [yes I have nightgowns, because I am becoming my mother] digging in the baking cupboard) “*$#!@@#!  I swore I had cupcake papers in here.”

10:34am: (sounds of copious amounts of Pam being sprayed onto a nonstick muffin pan)

10:35am: Aloud, to self: “This is the most delicious muffin batter on planet earth.  Good thing I don’t believe in salmonella because there’s a raw egg in here, and I’m about to eat a bunch of the batter anyway.”

10:47am: Loudly, to self: “These are also the most beautiful muffins on planet earth.  I can’t believe how attractive these are.  I really hope they don’t stick to the pan and become a sloppy, mutilated berry juice stained failure.”

11:03am: Via Gchat, to Sue: “Dude I just made the greatest muffins on planet earth.  I’m going to sell the recipe to Starbucks and make a jillion dollars and then we can go on a world food tour.”

These muffins are light, airy and really fruity.  They’re not overly sweet, which makes that brown sugar topping extra important.  You could easily sweeten these up by making a powdered sugar glaze, but it would cover up the pretty berries and also I try not to eat a ton of sugar in the morning, and probably so should we all.  The most interesting thing about these muffins is that because the raspberries and rhubarb aren’t baked together into a mush (a la strawberry rhubarb pie) you can really taste the distinct fruit flavors.  Rhubarb is mostly tart, almost lemony, and the raspberries taste really, really sweet.  The yogurt helps the batter stand up to the heavy fruit, and complements it nicely instead of being overpowered by the berry flavor.  Also don’t skip tossing the fruit in the flour, if you do, it’ll likely sink to the bottom of the batter and make a gloppy mess.

Raspberry Rhubarb Yogurt Muffins

2 cups plus 2 tbsp flour (2tbsp are for sprinkling on the fruit so it doesn’t sink to the bottom of the muffins)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt

3/4 cup rhubarb, chopped (I cut the ends off mine, then cut it once lengthwise, then chopped it into about a half inch dice, see below)

1 cup raspberries (fresh is preferable, but if you use frozen, just keep them frozen until you put them in the batter)

1/4 cup brown sugar (for sprinkling on the tops)

like this. see? rhubarb is weird.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and put cupcake papers in your muffin tin (if you have them, if you don’t, be liberal with the Pam and everything will turn out okay).  Put the raspberries and rhubarb in a small bowl with the 2 tsp of flour and toss them gently until the fruit is all covered.  In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil and butter until smooth.  Add in the egg, yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined.  In a separate bowl, mix together the 2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet about a third at a time until JUST combined.  Don’t overmix.  Very gently, fold in the fruit.  Put about 1/4 cup of batter into each muffin paper and sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

i wanted to show you how full to make them, but i forgot until after they were in the oven.

Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

If you wanted to make these and then take pictures of yours too, because they are so so pretty, I wouldn’t blame you.

- Cat

Summer Cocktails

After a long day at work, I was ready for a cocktail. Since it was approximately 95 degrees, I thought some fresh fruit would be a nice addition. So after a trip to the grocery store, and the liquor store….this is what I came up with:

1. Pimm’s No. 1 Cup

This is a classic cocktail, I can take no credit for it. Pimm’s is actually a gin based liquor but for those of you non gin drinkers (like myself) it doesn’t taste like your classic green bottle gin. This is a special blend of spices that, rumor has it, only two people in the world know. Cool, crisp, citrus-herbal tangy deliciousness.

1 1/2 oz Pimm’s No. 1 Cup

cucumber slices

lemon slices

Lemon-Lime soda (or ginger-ale, or lemonade)

Muddle two slices of lemon and two slices of cucumber in the bottom of a glass, add ice and Pimm’s, top with Sprite.

2. Cantaloupe Cooler

This one actually is my own creation- don’t give me too much credit, it’s not horribly creative, but it is good! This is the time of year where cantaloupes (and all melons) are coming into season. I, for one, am excited. So excited I added some vodka:

1 1/2 oz vodka

1/2 cup cantaloupe puree

limes

soda water or sprite

salt/sugar mix

Start by pureeing the cantaloupe. I started with 1/2 which was enough for 4 drinks. I cubed and and pureed it in my food processor until it was smooth. Mix equal parts of kosher salt and sugar on a small plate, for rimming the glass. Slide a wedge of lime around the rim to moisten (never use water for this, it just melts whatever you are rimming the glass with) I thought the sugar/salt was genius, since salt is said to bring out the sweetness in cantaloupe, but feel free to just use sugar. Once you have rimmed the glass fill with ice, vodka, and 1/2 cup cantaloupe puree. Top with soda or sprite and a squeeze of lime. Stir to mix. This could also be served shaken and up.

3. Raspberry Jalapeño Mash

MMMmm I loved this one, but I also love the mix of spicy, sweet, tangy. This one is not for those who are afraid of spice (the boyfriend wasn’t a huge fan of this one, which meant I had to drink two…which will also explain the picture quality…) You can dial up or down the spice depending on how many jalapeño slices you add but I would urge you not to seed them. Without the heat, (which comes mostly from the seeds) the drink doesn’t really work.

1 1/2 oz vodka (or white rum would work)

3 slices of jalapeño

4 raspberries

2 tsp agave nectar (or honey)

Lemon-Lime soda

Muddle the slices of jalapeño and raspberries in the bottom of a glass. Add agave nectar, then ice, vodka, and Sprite. Stir to mix.

it got dark, sorry.

A few notes:

I put 1 1/2 oz of liquor in all of these cocktails because it’s the standard pour. But lets be honest, like most bars, my  pour was closer to 2 oz. Somewhere less than 1/2 full once you’ve added ice, and you should be good.

Don’t have a muddler? Use the end of a wooden spoon. Another note on muddling: when you muddle things like vegetables or fruits- go to town, muddle the crap out of them to release the juice and the flavors. However, when you muddle things like herbs be more gentle, you want to bruise them to release the oils, not mutilate them. I also think muddled drinks are best served with straws so you can continue to poke and mix at the delicious things on the bottom of the glass.

-Sue