Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam with Earl Grey from Food in Jars

I had never seriously considered making my own jam before met Marissa McClellan author of the wonderful blog Food in Jars, and upcoming cookbook from Running Press with the same name. I designed the book, and it was one of those projects that really made an impact on me. After reading the manuscript it was impossible not to want to attempt some sort of preserving. When we did the photo shoot I couldn't resist sampling a bit of every jam, jelly, marmalade, pickles, and all of the other amazingly good stuff in the book. And after watching Marissa do a demo on how to make her Strawberry-Vanilla Jam, I was pretty sure I could do it too. 
So, it being springtime, what better choice than rhubarb? There are two rhubarb jam recipes in the book, and one for jelly. I went with the Vanilla-Rhubarb Jam with Earl Grey because I can never get enough vanilla, and it's so, so good. It was fairly easy to make and now that I've made it, I can't imagine not making more of it. Try it and see! For more resources, check out www.foodinjars.com.

VANILLA-RHUBARB JAM WITH EARL GREY from Food in Jars

Makes 4 (1-pint/500 ml) jars

8 cups chopped rhubarb
(about 3 pounds/1.4 kg rhubarb stalks)
4 cups/800 g granulated sugar
1 cup/240 ml double-strength brewed Earl Grey tea
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch salt
1 (3-ounce/85 ml) packet liquid pectin

Prepare a boiling water bath and 4 regular-mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars
according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan,
cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
In a large, nonreactive pot, combine the rhubarb, sugar, and tea and bring
to a boil. Add the vanilla bean and seeds, lemon juice, and salt to the pot
and let the mixture bubble gently over medium-high heat for 15 to 20
minutes, stirring regularly, until the rhubarb has broken down.
Add the packet of liquid pectin and increase the heat to high, to bring the
jam up to a rolling boil. Let the jam boil vigorously for 3 to 4 minutes,
stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning.
Remove the pot from the heat and ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe
the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for
10 minutes.

DIY Vanilla Extract & Rose Raspberry Sandwich Cookies

I find myself constantly buying vanilla extract- those tiny, expensive bottles go so quickly and it seems I'm always down to the last drops at the worst possible moment.  So I figured why not make my own? It does take ages, but it's easy as pie and cost-effective in the long run. All you do is stick 2 vanilla beans in a pint jar and fill it with vodka. Then you wait for a few months, shaking it every week or so. I'll put more photos up once it's further along and has developed some color. It'll be useful for things like the sandwich cookies above. The cookies are terribly delicious and addictive; buttery and sweet and filled with rose-raspberry buttercream- need I say more?

DIY VANILLA EXTRACT

2 vanilla beans

1 pint of vodka

Split each vanilla bean in half with a sharp knife but leave a tiny bit connected at the end. Put the vanilla beans in a mason jar and fill with the vodka; then just shake every once in a while and store in a dark, cool place for 3 months or longer. It's supposed to last for years.  

ROSE RASPBERRY SANDWICH COOKIES 

COOKIES 
1 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

 

ROSE RASPBERRY BUTTERCREAM 
3 cups confectioners sugar

1/3 cup butter softened

1/4 cup raspberries

1 teaspoon rose flower water

1 tablespoon milk 

Combine the butter, sugar, and egg in a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add the milk and vanilla and continue to mix well. Then add flour and baking powder and beat until well mixed. Divide dough into three balls, wrap each in plastic food wrap and flatten slightly. Refrigerate them until they're firm about 2 to 3 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 400. 

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-third at a time until it's approximately 1/4-inch thick. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated! Make cutouts with 3-inch cookie cutters, or the rim of a glass works well if you don't have the right cookie cutter. Place your circles about an inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 6 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Combine the confectioners sugar, butter, raspberries, rose flower water and milk in a mixing bowl. Beat at low speed until it's totally smooth and creamy. Frost one half of the cooled cookies and place the remaining unfrosted ones on top. 

 

Try not to eat too many. Don't say you weren't warned. 

Whole-Wheat, Pecan & Sesame Waffles

A generous friend recently loaned me her waffle iron and I've become a bit obsessed with coming up with the perfect waffle. Since I don't want everything I put on this blog (or in my body) to fall into the dessert category, I played with healthier ingredients. I swapped the white flour for whole wheat, used grapeseed oil instead of butter, added toasted pecans and sesame seeds, and some almond flour to make it more nutritious and filling. 

They're divine when topped with some fresh fruit and drizzled with honey, perfect for sunday brunch!

 

WHOLE-WHEAT, PECAN & SESAME WAFFLES

two eggs
one and 2/3 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup almond flour
one and 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
one tablespoon sugar
four teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
one teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1 orange

one cup toasted pecans broken into small pieces

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Makes 6 waffles

Preheat your waffle iron; beat the eggs in large bowl, add the flour, almond flour, milk, grapeseed oil, sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla, and orange zest, beating the mixture until smooth. Then fold in the nuts and sesame seeds.
When the waffle iron is ready, pour the mix onto the griddle and let them cook until golden brown. Serve hot, and preferably with honey and fruit.

My Favorite Brownie

Everyone has their own opinion on what constitutes the perfect brownie. This one is my favorite. it's no frills with a texture perfectly balanced between cakey and fudgy and is buttery and chocolatey and oh-so good. 

 

3 ounces (3 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate

9 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup flour

3 tbsp baking cocoa

Preheat the oven to 350F and butter an 8-inch square baking dish.  

Melt the butter and chocolate together, stir and let cool for a few minutes.

Beat vanilla, eggs, sugar, and salt, then add chocolate/butter mixture and beat until combined. Add flour and cocoa and salt, mix well. Bake 35-40 mins and let cool. Enjoy!

 

 

Some Valentine's Love

 

Happy early Valentine's day... I haven't had much of a chance to cook anything this weekend, I've been buried in far less fun endeavors. Which is why it was so great when my dear friend Leyra showed up at my door with a box of her homemade cupcakes. I couldn't resist snapping a few shots before giving into temptation. Topping them off with Trader Joe's gummy hearts was pure genius. 

Here's hoping everyone gets all the love and sugar they deserve this week!

Food for the Winter Blues

CITRUSY OLIVE OIL CAKE

It's time for the winter doldrums again. Blah January- my least favorite month, February's generally not much better.. I'm counting the days until April as I do every year. In the meantime I'm trying to stay positive -and I think the right foods can help. For me, it's about finding a balance between the comforting carbs I crave and trying to eat more healthfully. This Citrusy Olive Oil Cake is actually a lot healthier than it tastes. The combination of blood orange, tangerine, and Meyer lemon juices and zest gives the cake a lovely perfume and taste. Plus, no butter, no oil- it's practically health food.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Zest 2 blood oranges, one tangerine, and one Meyer lemon and stir the zest into 1 cup of sugar in a medium-large bowl. After that, juice one of the blood oranges, the tangerine, and lemon in another bowl. Stir 1/2 cup of plain 2% greek yogurt into the juice and then whisk that into the sugar. Then add 3 beaten eggs, one tablespoon vanilla, and 2/3 cup of olive oil. In a separate bowl stir together 1+3/4 cup whole wheat white flour, 1+1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients in a buttered cake pan and bake for approximately 40 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.

 

CARROT GINGER SOUP
This soup makes me so happy- it's actually healthy but that doesn't stop it from being totally delicious. The key to really developing the flavors is to roast the carrots and Ginger just until the ginger caramelizes, it adds a sweet and spicy dimension to the soup that makes it irresistible. I could eat a bowl of this bright orange soup every day, it's that good.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean 1lb carrots, then chop 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger, and one tablespoon fresh rosemary. Combine the ginger and rosemary in a small bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup of honey, salt and pepper, then toss with the carrots on a baking tray. Roast just till the ginger is caramelized, about 25 minutes. Remove the tray from oven and let cool. Once cool, puree the carrots in a food processor and then put them in a soup pot over medium heat. Immediately stir in 6 cups vegetable broth and 1/2 cup of milk. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

A Salad for My Sins

 

This week I am repenting my bread pudding sins and trying not to bake. I made it through the weekend, but struggled. Instead of creaming butter and measuring sugar, I viciously reamed half a bag of tangerines and assembled salads. I had some lovely Bosc pears that were have been perfect for baking, so I somewhat reluctantly roasted them instead and paired them with some prosciutto and raspberries. In the end, my virtuousness was actually pretty tasty, but I'm sill not sure how long it will last.

 

ROASTED PEAR, PROSCIUTTO, AND RASPBERRY SALAD

Makes 4 good sized salads

Take 2 bosc pears and cut in half vertically, scoop out the centers- a melon baller works best for this. Place them in an oven-safe dish and drizzle with just a tiny bit of melted butter and roast for about 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven. In the meantime, divide one bag of salad greens amongst 4 plates and top each with a handful of raspberries and thin strips of proscuitto. When the pears are finished and cooled, slice them thinly and add them to the salad, top off with a handful of toasted almond slices and freshly ground pepper. Dress with a vinaigrette of chopped shallots, white wine vinegar and olive oil or whatever you like.

TANGERINE JUICE
Tangerines- I love them, but I can't stand the seeds- so I used up half a big bag of them making just one glass of juice. It's not the type of thing I would normally post about, but I found it kind of incredible just how many tangerines were needed. I kept squeezing and reaming and appreciated the resulting pile of carnage enough to get the camera out. Perhaps looking at this will give you a vitamin C boost.