serendipity

cherry vanilla cinnamon jam

"Loveliest of trees, the cherry now

is hung with bloom along the bough"  --  A.E, Housman

A week later and I am still making cherry jam.  I've had such a bumper crop that I've opened the garden gate to friends and neighbors.  Seriously.  I've put up 32 pints of jam and made one cherry pie, have 10 more cups of cherries in the fridge and still have 1/3 a tree to pick.

In my experimentations this week, I've learned that only 1 T of pectin is more than enough.  A whole package makes a much stiffer product, so if you want a jam spoonable on ice cream, stick with 1 T of  Pomona's Universal Pectin.

I've also tried a new flavor - cherry vanilla cinnamon jam - which is perfect on ice cream or cheese cake.  Here is the recipe:

5 cups  pitted and chopped sour cherries

1 T low sugar pectin (Pomona's Universal Pectin 

or adjust with other pectin products)

2 t calcium water (the powder is included 

in the Pomona pectin package)

1/2 t  citric acid (or 1 T of fresh lemon juice)

2 1/2 c sugar

1 t vanilla paste 

1/2 t cinnamon

Mix the cherries, citric acid, pectin and calcium water in a large steel pot (not aluminum), cover and let sit for 10 minutes.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, add the sugar, vanilla paste and cinnamon.  Return to a boil for 3 minutes. Let it cool and then can using the rolling bath method for 10 minutes.  It makes approximately 4 1/2 cups of jam.  

If you haven't tried vanilla paste, you must.  It is one of those "trade" secrets I learned from my daughter when she was at pastry school.  It has less of an alcohol base, so the pure vanilla flavor shines through.  Just one tablespoon of this stuff is equivalent to one whole vanilla bean and at a fraction of the cost!  If not at your local grocery store, you can find it at The Spice House and Sur La Table.

After this week, I am on to blueberries.  

cherry jam

"When I sound the fairy call, gather here in silent meeting,

Chin to knee on the orchard wall, cooled with dew and cherries eating

Merry, merry, take a cherry, mine are sounder, mine are rounder,

Mine are sweeter for the eater, when the dews fall, and you'll be fairies all."-- Emily Dickinson

My camera is broken, so I share with you an image of my cherry tree taken 2 years ago.  She has grown since then and is bursting with fruit.  I already have 30 cups of fruit picked and there is more work to be done.  A friend helped me last night.  There he was madly picking fruit in the rain as hail was in the forecast.  Hail can destroy a cherry crop.  Fortunately the weatherman was wrong.   

The tree is a self-pollinating Montmorency.  I bought it from this nursery as a bare root 8 years ago.  It was so small that the pumpkin vine I grew that year made it look like a twig stuck in the ground.  

For the past few years there have been enough cherries for a few pies, but this year with such a bumper crop, I am making jam.  I poured through my cookbooks and finally ended up experimenting.  Oh my goodness, who knew that there could be such cherry yumminess?!

Recipe

5 cups of sour cherries pitted and washed

1/2 tsp citric acid (also known as sour salt)

1 package of pectin (I used Pomona's Universal Pectin)

1 tbs of pure almond extract (none of that imitation stuff!)

2 1/2 cups of sugar

Chop the cherries and add to your pot.  Add the citric acid, almond extract, the pectin (the whole package) and 2 tsps of calcium water (calcium powder comes in the box).  Mix and let sit for 10 minutes.  Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.  Add the sugar.  Bring back to a boil again for 2 minutes.  It should be jelling at this point, but not stiff.  Allow to cool thoroughly so the pectin can do its magic.  Can the jam using the rolling water bath method for 10 minutes.

 

What I really like about this particular brand of pectin is that it doesn't require tons of sweetener to make it work.  You can also vary the taste by using honey, maple syrup or fruit juice concentrate instead if you wish.  

If you can't find citric acid or pure almond extract at the store near you, I recommend this place.

time present

"Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable."
       -- T.S. Eliot

A day lived in the sun.  The garden is sprouting a rainbow.  Josie, the Monster Pup, makes it a challenge to get much done as she prefers to be in my lap while I'm weeding.  Cute, but also annoying.

Earlier in the day I completed another mosaic panel of the throne.  I am amazed by its development.  The technique is still so new that I'm hesitant, but it progresses.  Impending deadlines help.

When not gardening, cooking, paying bills, or working on my art, I played with my camera. 

I love violets.  They are rich in color, full of vitamin C and lovely on a cake.

Delicate blossoms today, cherry pie in July.  I planted this tree 8 years ago.  It was purchased through a catalog and arrived a week later in the mail.  The little twig of a thing is now a gorgeous 10ft tree.

bread

"... gifts, goods, a basket of bread that hurts my shoulders but closes me in fragrance. I can eat as I go."

-- Denise Levertov

The recipe cautioned against the temptation to cut into fresh bread prior to cooling.  I waited the eternity of 5 minutes before I succumbed.  That first bite was sublime!  Steam billowed around my fingertips.  Lip smacking delicious!  A crunchy crust with a flavorful chewy interior.  My daughter the Baker was envious.  I managed to make a beautiful baguette all on my own.

My father has turned me into a bread nut.  Two weeks ago I received a package of King Arthur flour, a baguette pan and his own special sourdough starter (plus a few of his sourdough loaves as incentive).  I haven't tried the sourdough starter as the process is intimidating, but I did try out the baguette recipe in this cook book.  It took some time.  The poolish, a flour, yeast and water concoction, takes 12 hours to develop.  This is where the magic happens.  Have you ever had a baguette that was doughy and tasted of flour?  They used rapid rise yeast and less than 2 hours of rising.  The poolish makes all the difference.  More flour, yeast and water, a dash of salt, some kneading, a few more risings et voila - yummy heaven!

My dogs were going nuts as the bread was baking.  They sat in front of the oven with noses just inches from the door.  As the bread cooled, Monster Pup danced on two feet in hopes of gaining my favor.  What is it with dogs and bread?  Then again, I have yet to understand how they know I am taking cheese out of the refrigerator.  I take out a cucumber, nothing.  I take out some cheese and zooooom! there they are.   Now I can't make toast without the Worshipful Order at my feet. 

baking love

"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs." -- William Shakespeare

Butter cookies are the stuff of childhood that endures.  So simple - butter, sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, a dash of salt, add some heat and voila!  Alchemy at its yummiest. 

My cookbook collection is becoming obscene.  It spills out of from the kitchen and into the office and bathroom.  My current favorite is one given to my daughter for pastry school graduation.  I like how clear the directions are, right down to those small tricks that make a cookie go from divine to sublime.   Of course, most of these tricks are ones my daughter learned in pastry school, but which I never knew.

I have become one with parchment paper and silicone cookie sheet liners.   If you haven't tried a silicone cookie sheet liner, you don't know what you have been missing.  There is no need to grease a cookie sheet when you have one of these handy items.  Let the tray cool a moment and cookies will slide off.  Baking love!

graduation

"Life is unsure. Always eat your dessert first."  -- Anonymous

Those are words by which I try to live by on a daily basis.  With a baker in the family, there are a more than a few choices.  Check out the ones above from Sweet Pea's graduation reception.  Graduation is an event, but graduation from pastry school has a banquet beginning with dessert! 

Yes, Sweet Pea is done.  She was grinning from ear to ear when she received her certificate to a standing ovation from her peers.  The last 6 months have been both incredibly difficult and exhilarating for her.  I was the proudest mom in the room as I watched her pose for a photo with the head chefs.  I kept thinking of the other week when I demolished part of her chocolate sculpture by accident.  She didn't blink a tear.  She just shrugged.  That's been her attitude all the way through school.  As keynote speaker Chef Ina said, pastry takes courage and passion.  My daughter has both in abundance.  Two days after graduation she is back in the kitchen working at Zelda's where she is an intern.

Meanwhile, I have been savoring the first few days of vacation.  It started with a late night wine and crepe party followed by a massage the next morning.   Ooh, la, la -  a morning without an alarm.  Yesterday I woke up gradually with a cup of coffee and a caramel (okay, 3 or 4) while reading The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith.   It's a very civilized way to live even if I do say so myself.   

red wine

"Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy."  -- Benjamin Franklin

I have been saving an assortment of wine bottles with the intention of starting a wine journal.  I enjoy wine and keep forgetting the name of particular vintages I've liked.  It suddenly dawned on me that I could create my journal online and share it with you.  If this works, then maybe you could post the names of wines you have enjoyed and a little network may develop.  Who knows, but it is time to start.

Red Tree Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - For years I have leaned toward certain grapes from certain regions such as Oregon Pinot Noirs and Tuscan Chiantis, but lately I have become intrigued with California Cabernet Sauvignons.  I know I am a bit behind the trend, but c'est la vie.  This particular cab is fruity without being heavy.  Medium tannins and a medium range of acidity.  I had it with a garlickly pasta dish followed by some smoked cheddar and I was in heaven.  The price is good too at around $13 a bottle.

The Las Rocas Garnacha 2005 hails from Spain.  The vineyards are relatively young, but the grapes pack it in.  Again a fruity wine, but one which is not too sweet or heavy.  The vintage I had was not one of Vinas Viejas, ie one of the better grades, but still I loved it.  I had it with a curried lentil soup and salad.  Considering the cherry notes, this might seem an odd choice, but there was also a lovely peppery finish that melded nicely with the soup.  Again, this is not a bank breaker at approximately $9 a bottle.

I think Van Gogh and Cezanne would have approved.

chocolate chagrin

"There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles." -- Anonymous

Now you see it and now you don't.  Sweet Pea traveled for 1 hour by subway during rush hour with a 3 foot chocolate sculpture in tow.  It was gorgeous with a giant heart on the top.  A true centerpiece for any wedding banquet.  But leave it to Destructo Mom (me) to bring it to pieces in a nanosecond. 

First went the heart.  It was decapitated in the car as I picked her up at the station.  I forgot that rear view mirrors can be lethal.  When we got home I went into my usual excited, proud Mom routine.  A photograph was required, but the lighting in the kitchen was horrible.  That was my downfall.  I shouldn't have touched it again.  I moved the sculpture too quickly.  The rose crashed to the floor.  I was horrified.  Sweet Pea had spent the last three days making her sculpture.  As I apologized over and over, she just laughed, "You can't cry over pastry Mom.  You just eat it."   And eat it we did!

To see edible sculptures with a very different twist, take a look at the work by this artist.

have your cake

"My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start.  So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M's and a chocolate cake.  I feel better already."  --  Dave Barry

Forget scented candles, the house already smells of vanilla and sugar.  Sitting on the dining table is a gorgeous two tiered cake that Sweet Pea made at school.  It's a dummy.  Strictly for practice, no eating allowed as only the icing is edible.  The flowers are made of gum paste, but they aren't very tasty. (Shhhh, I snipped off a teeny weeny piece without her knowing....)

And in the fridge we have yet another wedding cake.

This is the house where you can definitely have your cake and eat it too.  Did I mention that there are still two cakes in our freezer from late this summer?  I admit to the fact that I am finally getting tired of eating so many sweets, though the pate de fruit and coconut ice cream are in separate categories.  They don't count as they are made from fresh fruit.  I know, my logic is astounding.

In my opinion, pate de fruit is at a tie with chocolate truffles for most scrumptious gift from the gods.  One bite and sweet summer fills the mouth.  Mom recently sent me her Harrods Book of Jams, Jellies & Chutneys by Rosamond Richardson.  There is a whole section on "fruit cheese" which doesn't sound nearly as elegant as pate de fruit, but is essentially the same the thing.  The book is out of print, but well worth the search for it.  There isn't a clunker recipe in it. 

one of those days...

"All plants move, but they don’t usually pull themselves out of the ground and chase you." -- Philip Yordan

Yesterday was one of those terrible-horrible-no good-very bad days.  I think working one full time job and two part time jobs is finally starting to catch up with me.  Yesterday I managed to leave my wallet at home.  Normally this wouldn't be a biggie, but I didn't realize it until I was getting ready to purchase tickets to a local art event.  This horror was quickly followed by the realization that without a wallet I couldn't pay to get my car out of the public garage.  I took a deep breath and called a friend.  She met me at the event with enough cash to bail me out and buy me lunch.  Friends are handy people to know. 

Now one would normally think that this would be the end to my terrible-horrible-no good-very bad day, but the Fates had other jokes to play.  As I was preparing to leave the event and pay for the parking, I couldn't find the parking ticket.  That's right.  No ticket.  Not in any of my pockets or in my purse or even in the car.  No ticket.  At this point I was slightly hysterical and near tears because I had just enough cash to pay for parking, but not a lost ticket fee too.  Fortunately the parking attendant took pity on me and only charged me for parking.

No more disasters until an hour later when I get to a collectors' event where I was to deliver food.  I forgot the cheese and cups.  It's rather difficult to drink wine without cups.   Now remember, I still didn't have my wallet so I couldn't rush over to the nearest grocery store to get what I needed.  I felt like a complete idiot.  After a half hour another art center member arrived and went off to purchase the cheese and cups. 

Finally it is time to go home and I can't get into the house.  I had my keys, but a chair had fallen behind the door and I couldn't push it out of the way until long after the alarm had gone off.  The police didn't come (thank goodness this time), but my nerves were shot.  I fixed a huge pan of very cheesy potato au gratins and washed it down with several glasses of a fine Shiraz. 

I don't know what it is about me, but I can't handle minor disasters.  Give me something big, something out of anyone's control and I'm fine, but let me forget my wallet and my day takes a plummet. Geez. 

But not all was a loss.  The art fair had some lovely work.  I was particularly taken by Laura Foster Nicholson's latest tapestries.  She moved from Chicago to rural Indiana last year and the influence of the countryside is visible in her work.  I fell in love with all the contemporary jewelry and I couldn't stop gazing at the basket sculptures from Ireland (I forgot to take notes!).  I also received word that a class I want to take is not full despite the posting on the website.  It is a jam class with Christine Ferber.  In France, she was awarded Pastry Chef of the Year in 2002 and has written several books on the subject, some in French and others in English.  I've become rather obsessed with canning and can't wait until next summer for her class!  And my new coat arrived in the mail.  Oooh, la, la.  It's a down coat with some city chic attitude.  My other down coat was on its last legs, molting each time I wore it.  Then again, I guess it is allowed as I've had it for 27 years. 

And meanwhile, I came across a lovely posting on terrariums through A Cup of Jo.  The photo is from the website Cookie.  For more on terrariums, look at this site and this one.  I love the meaning of the word terrarium - little world.  Yeah, I must make myself a little world this weekend, one void of parking lots, traffic and burglar alarms.