Getting Started - Equipment, Safety and Delicious Jam

I've been meaning to do this for a long time. Most of the time, my kitchen adventures are fairly solitary. I love being creative in my hot little kitchen. It's a bit of a dance that can be harder with a partner, unless you've practiced. Also, taking good photos is a lot harder than making good jam. Especially while you are busy making jam. My dear friend, Katy, volunteered to come over and take photos of me at work. I'm a visual person and wanted to show you what I mean when I give instructions like, prepare the jars.

You can always go to the official source for canning safety - the USDA. Their instructions are factually accurate, and they do important work, but I can't help but feel that they scare the bejeezers out of people. Botulism is no joke! (More on that later.) But avoiding it is easy.

So, here we go! I will try to break it down into clear and easy steps. As you will see, I'm just a regular gal in a regular kitchen using mostly regular stuff. If I can do it, you can too!

1. Preparing the jars - You must use jars that are meant for home canning. Do not try to use old jam jars from the store. They are not designed for reuse. As long as your jars remain free of cracks and chips, they can be reused indefinitely. If you are reusing jars, run your finger along the rim to feel for chips or cracks. Small chips render the jars unfit for canning, but they can still be used for dry storage or to take your tea to work. I try to keep my current canning jars separate from retired canning jars.

I carefully wash the jars in very hot water, rinse and drain and then place on a baking sheet. If you have a dishwasher, using it is a great way to get your jars super clean. I place the jars in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes. This takes care of sterilization. I then hold the jars at 220 degrees. You can sterilize your jars in the same boiling water that you will later use to process your jam, but I have found that process full of scalds and issues. Holding the jars hot and sterile in the oven allows me to prepare many jars at once and then use them as the batches are ready.

2. Prepare the lids - The ring part of the lids may be reused, but the flat part with the seal cannot. Be sure to retire any rusty or bent rings to the dry goods cupboard.

Rinse both parts in hot soapy water and rinse clean. I like to place the lids inside the rings rather than keeping them separate.

Place the clean lids and rings into a sauce pan with warm water to cover. Set the pan on the stove and set it on the lowest setting. Some recipes will tell you to boil the lids, but this damages the sealing compound. It only needs to be warmed enough to soften.

3. Prepare the boiling water bath - A large soup or stock pot works well for the boiling water bath. There is no need to purchase a special canner. What you need is a liner that will prevent the jars from touching the bottom of the pan. I like this silicone basket from the Ball Canning Discovery Kit. You can also find wire baskets that you can insert into your own pot from Norpro. They were at my local restaurant supply for less than $10 each and come in two sizes. Many other retailers offer canning racks that will work just as well as a traditional canner. When I'm working on very large batches, I break out my tamale steamer. Remember that your jars will displace water, so only fill to within about 2 inches from the top. I usually start a tea kettle about this same time. That way, if I need to add some water to cover the jars, it will be nice and hot.

Place the boiling water bath on the stove and bring to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, reduce heat to a  brisk simmer while you complete the jam.

4. Prepare the fruit - I chose blueberries for this example because they are the easiest jamming fruit in the world. If you are using other fruits, some may be prepared a day or two in advance and mixed with the sugar to macerate in the fridge until you are ready to process the jam. I often do complex jams over several week nights.

For blueberries, all you have to do is pick them over. 

Look for stems or any spoilage. Remove the stems and spoiled berries.

Place the rest in a colander and rinse them in cold water.

This recipe uses 2 pounds of blueberries. Costco sells 2 pound boxes of organic blueberries. This could make your measuring very easy. I like to use a kitchen scale. This digital scale is designed so that you can place your bowl on the scale and set the scale to zero. This is called the tare weight, which means you can measure the food weight without the weight of the bowl.

2 pounds, 0 ounces

Pour the berries into a bake pan and crush with a potato masher. Don't over do it. You want to release some of the juice and pulp, but still have some whole berries for texture. Do not use a food processor or immersion blender or you will lose all the character of your fruit.

Scrape the crushed berries into a very large, non-reactive, pot. I have a great 8 quart stainless steel pot that I picked up from a sale table at Macy's for $20! The qualities you want in your jamming pot are a heavy bottom to help prevent scorching, solid riveted handles that are either hollow or made of a material that will stay cool and a wide opening. A big part of cooking jam is the removal of water through steam. The wider your pot, the quicker this will happen.

Add 1/4 lemon juice. Lemon juice is important for a few reasons. Lemon juice will brighten and balance the flavor of sweet fruits like blueberries. Also, acid is essential for the safety of your finished product. Hi acid recipes may be processed in a boiling water bath. Low acid foods are better frozen. If you wish to can low acid items, you will have to learn to use a pressure canner. 

What does acidity have to do with safety? It has to do with botulism. Sugar is a preservative, but doesn't do the whole job. The sterilization of the jars, lids and rings and the processing of the jam in the boiling water bath will take care of any molds and most bacteria. Botulism exists in two forms. One is active and one is a spore that is inactive. The spores are not toxic. Active botulism excretes a neurotoxin that paralyses nerves. The boiling water bath kills any active botulism but it does not reach a high enough temperature to kill the spores. The spores can grow and do their toxic thing in anaerobic environments that are not acidic enough. All canned goods that are processed in a boiling water bath must be at least 4.0 when measured for acidity. I purchased some litmus strips at my local brewing supply store. The lower the number, the more acidic the product is. Luckily, most fruit is considered acidic. Tomatoes are borderline. Veggies and meats are low acid and must be processed in a pressure cooker to insure that the temperature rises high enough to kill the botulism spores. It is really not necessary for you to use litmus strips if you follow a reliable recipe. I do some experimentation, so I bought them to make sure all of my products would be safe. A good rule of thumb is that you must substitute only items of equal or greater acidity. The Ball Blue Book is a great source to help you find out the properties of specific fruits.

Measure the sugar. This recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups. I prefer measuring cups that are designed for dry goods when measuring sugar. If you want to can much, you will want some good tools for dry and wet measuring. Measuring cups measure by volume, so you may also want a scale to measure by weight. (BTW - my Grandma's ancient Tupperware for a whole ham holds 10 pounds of sugar very nicely.)

Mix everything together in the pot.

Stir for a bit to release the juices.

5. Cook the fruit - Place on the stove. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. (I often do some clean up during this part.) Because blueberries are not very juicy, start with a medium-high heat and keep an eye on it. After it begins to boil, more juice is released and there is less danger of scorching until the end.  This jam does not use commercial pectin. If you use a commercial pectin, you have to follow their rules. They often ask for a hard boil. For these blueberries, I prefer a brisk boil. Once your fruit is boiling, do not leave the kitchen. Many fruits foam up a lot and you will need to make sure that nothing boils over.

When you start cooking the fruit, place a few saucers and tea spoons in the freezer. I use them to test for set.

As the cooking progresses, the foam will subside and the surface will become glossy. You can use a thermometer to measure the temperature. The official gel set temp is 220 degrees. I have found that using a thermometer to test for set is unreliable. For a jam to set, there must be pectin. The more pectin a fruit contains, the lower the temperature required for set will be.

What is pectin anyway? Pectin is a water soluble fiber that is found in the cell walls of plants. Commercial pectin is usually made from citrus fruits. I make my own homemade liquid pectin from green apples. (A post for another day.) High pectin fruits include apples, citrus rinds, quince, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapes. A lot of pectin is provided by skins and seeds. Low pectin fruits include apricots, cherries, peaches, pears and strawberries. Again, the Ball Blue Book is a great resource. I also like the Blue Chair Jam Cookbook.

After about 30 minutes, the jam will begin to thicken. See how the surface is glossy and there is no foam? Different fruits will differ a great deal in cooking time depending on how much pectin is available. This is when I start the testing.

To test the set, use one of the spoons from the freezer and scoop out some jam. Place the spoon back on the saucer in the freezer. Check it in about two minutes. It should be just cool. Tip the spoon. Does the jam run right off? Does it hold together and come off in a sheet? Use your finger to push the jam that is now on the saucer. The jam above is nearly ready, but not yet. My finger left a trench, but the jam didn't wrinkle or mound up.

Here is the test that showed me it was ready. I used my finger to push the jam that was on the spoon. See how it mounded up around my finger. Also, as I pushed it, wrinkles formed as the mound was built.

6. Filling the bottles - I usually set up a canning station that includes a clean towel spread on the table and has everything else in place. When the jam is ready, remove it from the heat and set it on some hot pads.

 Allow the jam to cool for a few minutes, stirring gently. This helps the fruit to be more evenly distributed throughout the jam. This is also the time to remove every bit of remaining foam. For this batch, I didn't have any. You remove the foam by skimming the top of the jam with a flat metal spoon. I like to save the foam for a snack!

Pull a hot jar out of the oven.

Place the funnel in the jar.

Carefully ladle the hot jam into the hot jar.

If your fruit is chunky, use a wooden chop stick or bamboo skewer to poke the jam. This will release any trapped air bubbles. Creating a good vacuum seal on the lids requires that the air be able to escape, so you don't want air trapped in the product.

Measure the head space. Head space is the space between the jam and the lid. For jams and jellies, use 1/4 inch head space. 

Use a clean, damp cloth to wipe the rim. Any jam on the rim may prevent a seal.

Use the tongs to remove a lid and ring from the lid pot. Place it on the jar.

Tighten the ring. Do not over tighten. There must be a means of escape for the air in the head space. I've read some recipes that call this finger tightening.

Complete all the jars. Use the jar lifter to pick up each jar and place in the boiling water bath. Be careful to keep the jars level so that the jam doesn't touch the lid. Again, this can impair the seal and also, the lids often have BPA, so I like to reduce contact. For this batch, all my jars fit into the boiling water bath. If are making a larger batch, you can hold the remaining filled jars in the oven until they get their turn.

I like wide mouth half-pint jars because I can stack them in my boiling water bath. I just have to make sure they are covered by an inch of water. This time, I had to add some extra hot water from my kettle.

Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. This is pretty standard for jams and jellies. Follow the recipe for other types of products. Some must process for as long as 45 minutes. Do not have the water boiling rapidly. A gentle boil, with a bubble or two rising several times per minute is enough.

When the 10 minutes are over, turn off the heat. Use the jar lifter to remove the jars from the water and place on a towel lined pan. Again, keep the jars level. There will be water on each lid and you may be tempted to poor it off. It will either evaporate or you can wipe it away after the seal has popped.

Allow the jars to sit undisturbed until each one seals. The lids will making a popping sound as the vacuum pulls the lid down. The lids start with a convex bump that becomes concave when the seal is formed.

After the seal has formed, you can gently wipe the water off the lids. I also like to remove the rings so that they will dry overnight. If you leave the lids on, they may trap water and rust. Some people like to store their jars without the rings for this reason. I live in an arid environment and I have found that I can store them with the lids as long as they've dried thoroughly. You can store your jam in a cool, dry place for about two years. I always label with flavor and date so I can track the expiration and rotate so the oldest jams get used first. Also, take my word for it, at least make a note on each finished tray so that you know what it is. If you make blueberry and blackberry on the same day, you won't be able to tell which is which.

Here is a big scoop of this delicious jam on my morning yogurt. 

I hope this set of instructions will encourage you to try jamming in your own kitchen!

Special thanks to Katy!

Random Food Fridays - Crazy Caprese

I hope you are going to a farmers' market this weekend. Summer is in high gear and everything is beautiful, abundant and delicious. This is a salad I love and have eaten and toted to pot lucks often. I call it Crazy Caprese because it has tomatoes, fresh mozzarella balls and basil, but it's a little deconstructed and quite variable. In this example, I used three different kinds of tomatoes - a big red one and a green zebra from my farm box and the little orange ones are sungold from my garden. I also used some small cubes of carrot and red bell pepper along with some avocado. The whole thing got tossed with white wine vinaigrette and served on top of a bed of beautiful leaf lettuce, also from my farm box.

There are a million ways to eat Summer produce. Adventure! Try different kinds! Chow down! Your mama would be proud!

Random Food Fridays - Spatchcocked Chicken on the Grill

Chicken and corn, cooked on the grill, plus sunomono.
A great summer meal.

Spatchcock. Admit it, you want to say it, and LOUD. It's a fun word to say. There are lots of fun food words - muffaletta, bi bim bap, and even sunomono. I realize that those last three originated from languages other than English, but that's part of what makes them fun. This word - spatchcock - originates from English. I've been flattening chickens for the grill for years, but I never knew this was the term for this method until I saw it on Two Fat Ladies. The beauty of this method is that it increases the surface area of the chicken for both the marinade and the heat.

I know some of my friends are squeamish about meat that looks like an animal, but hey, that's what it is. I've always liked cutting up my own chickens because I do a better job of it than most grocery stores or meat packing plants and I get to keep the bones. This job is pretty easy. You must have a very sharp knife. Poultry shears will do, but a good sharp knife will take you far. Simply wash the chicken, remove any extras, like giblets and pat the chicken dry. Place it breast-down on your meat cutting board. Begin cutting from the neck area down on one side of the spine. When you get to the thigh, you may have to wiggle it to find the joint. Cut through the thigh joint and continue down to the tail. Do the same thing on the other side of the spine and remove it. Pull the cavity open and make two cuts, one on either side of the breast bone and keel bone. This will allow you to pull the cavity open and flatten the chicken.

You can really use any kind of marinade you like. I used a simple stand-by - white wine vinaigrette . I'll give you the recipe at the end of this post. It's great on all kinds of salad too. The reason it's real green is that I used extra virgin olive oil

To marinate, place the chicken in a one-gallon zip top bag and pour in the marinade. (Shake the marinade first, if needed.) Remove as much air as possible from the bag, then squish the marinade all around. When I'm going to grill on a week night, I like to prepare everything the night before. Then I just have to get the grill going when I get home from work. If you can't marinate over night, I would recommend at least a couple of hours.

To grill a whole chicken, even a spatchcocked one, you should use indirect heat. I have two nifty grill accessories that let me get the coals going on either side of the grill, leaving an open space for the food to be cooked indirectly. I've placed some heavy duty foil on the bottom rack to catch the drips.

This chicken takes somewhere between 40 and 60 minutes. My chicken started out around 4 pounds and was done in 50 minutes. A good thermometer is extremely helpful when grilling foods that must come up to a certain temp for safety. Chicken and other poultry should come up to at least 165 degrees. You can actually pull it at about 160 and cover it with foil and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. The internal temp will increase for sometime and then begin to cool. This step makes a huge difference in the juiciness of the finished product.

I added corn to my grill about half way through the cooking time. I simply gave the husks a tiny bit of a trim on the end, just so any loose bits wouldn't ignite. I left them otherwise undisturbed and soaked them in cold water while the chicken started its cooking. Thirty minutes is about right, for this type of grilling. If you have a very hot grill, the corn may need a closer eye and be done a lot faster.

Here is my meal. So delicious! Some of the best of summer!

Spatchcocked Chicken on the Grill

1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds

About 1 1/2 cups marinade (vinaigrette recipe to follow)

Wash and pat dry the chicken. Remove any giblets and excess skin and fat from the cavity. Place it breast-down on your meat cutting board. Begin cutting from the neck area down on one side of the spine. When you get to the thigh, you may have to wiggle it to find the joint. Cut through the thigh joint and continue down to the tail. Do the same thing on the other side of the spine and remove it. Pull the cavity open and make two cuts, one on either side of the breast bone and keel bone. This will allow you to pull the cavity open and flatten the chicken. Place the chicken and the marinade in a flat dish or a one-gallon zip top bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken. Marinate a few hours or over night.

When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and place on a counter top. Allowing the chicken to come closer to room temp allows for more even cooking on the grill. Meanwhile, prepare your grill. Set up a gas grill for indirect heat. If using charcoal, use 40 briquettes - 20 on either side of the grill. Place a piece of heavy duty foil in between the charcoal. Turn the edges up slightly to capture the drippings. When the coals are ashy and glowing, oil the grill rack. This can be done by rolling up some paper towels, dipping the roll in oil and using tongs to rub the oily paper towels across the rack. Remove the chicken from the bag and place on the hot, oiled grill rack over the foil. Arrange the legs so that the ends of the legs are facing outwards. Make sure your top and bottom vents are open and place the cover on the grill. Check the internal temperature of the chicken after 40 minutes. I use a digital thermometer. Be sure to place the probe in a meaty part of the chicken and do not touch a bone. I usually measure the thickest part of the thigh. When the chicken reaches an internal temp of 160-165, remove it from the grill. (Be careful. It may be so tender it will fall apart!) Place on a  platter and cover with foil for 15-20 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

White Wine Vinaigrette for Salads and Marinades

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp. garlic and herb seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sugar

lots of fresh ground black pepper

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake like crazy until it is emulsified. You can add other fresh or dried herbs to taste. This version is pretty basic.

Wild Yellow Plums and Pineapple - Experiments, Results and 5 Spice

Plum and Pineapple Jam, three ways.

1. Cooked with Sure Jell  2. Without Sure Jell, 45 minutes  3. Without Sure Jell, 60 minutes

I started thinking about this post last week. On Friday, I happened to be at the California State Fair during the jam and jelly judging! Miss Paula was so patient and kind and listened with courtesy as I geeked out over flavor, set, appearance etc. I learned something very important that day - I can do this! I thought I had to have some sort of perfection going on, but anyone can enter and it appears they did. I have to wonder if some were damaged during shipping during hot weather, but many were poorly set, incorrectly presented or just plain unsafe. Interestingly, just about every entry that wasn't disqualified got a ribbon. They score the first round on the Danish System, which means that each product is scored on a matrix and at our fair, 90-100 is first place (blue ribbon), 80-89 is a second place ribbon and 79-80 is a third place ribbon. I hate to say it, but I don't know the colors of the second and third place ribbons. The first place, blue ribbon is the only one I heard them identify. After the scoring is completed, the first place products are judged against each other for best of class and best of show.

So, jams that were too soft, too hard, had the wrong head space, or had fruit floating were all docked points. Flavor was often addressed and I noted that when more than one fruit is used, the attention is on balance. Also, when other flavor agents are used, such as spices or booze, there is a fine point where the enhancement goes too far and overpowers the rest of the flavors. 

I've had all this learning and confirmation of what I've discovered! Also, This came right when I was preparing to share these different methods and how they turned out for me. My mom has several wild plum trees on her property. I used these after they had been frozen when I first posted about plum and pineapple jam. Thank goodness, this year I was able to hit it when they were perfectly ripe. You will see the beautiful color I was looking for, but couldn't achieve with the frozen fruit.

From the other side...

1. This one has 1/2 of a very large pineapple, peeled and chopped fine, plum pulp added to equal 6 1/2 cups fruit, 4 1/2 cups sugar and one packet of Sure Jell. I used the pink box for reduced sugar. I like the flavor of this very much and it is similar to what I would do with canned pineapple. As you can see, the  bright color is better maintained by the short cooking time. However, the short cooking time also contributes to fruit floating because there isn't enough time for the air to be replaced with the sugar solution. This will be just fine for our family and friends, but I wouldn't consider this suitable to be submitted for judging.

2. This one has the same proportions as above, but without the Sure Jell pectin. Plums are supposed to be one of those fruits that has quite a bit of it's own pectin. Perhaps I didn't cook it long enough. It's pretty much syrup. Now, jams that end up being syrup are not a problem at my house. My mom likes my runny jam on her pancakes more than maple syrup. I will also use this on my yogurt. The flavor is still very nice.

3. This is a little more like it. This is 4 cups chopped pineapple, plum pulp added to equal 8 cups fruit, and 5 1/2 cups sugar. I used a spice ball to infuse 5 spice - cinnamon, ginger, star anise, clove and black pepper. The star anise is a bit strong, but it is a lovely, deep flavor and is destined to glaze a pork loin sometime very soon. This cooked a full hour before it tested right on a frozen saucer. This, and the spices, gave it a darker color. The good news is that the pineapple is evenly distributed and the set is very nice. I'm reminded that one of the benefits of not being tied into a pectin packet recipe is that you can use the amounts of fruit you have. As long as your acid is good and you have enough sugar to set, you can go for it.

Here are some close-ups of the results:

1. Commercial pectin - A nice set, glossy and spreadable.

2. No commercial pectin - Syrup. Tasty, but not cooked long enough.

3. No commercial pectin - Enhanced with 5 spice. Nice set. Not as bright in color or flavor, but deep and complex.

I hope my little experiments will help you to learn as I have learned. With gallons of free fruit, it's easier to decide to experiment and risk a failure. While not all of these came out perfectly, none is a failure and all will be enjoyed.

Wild Plum and Pineapple Jam with 5 Spice

One large, ripe pineapple, chopped small and crushed - about 4 cups

Plum pulp added to equal 8 cups fruit

5 1/2 cups sugar

1 cinnamon stick

4 whole cloves

1 star anise

a slice of fresh ginger - about 1/4 inch thick

1/2 tsp. whole black pepper corns

Prepare the boiling water bath and 6 half-pint jars and lids. Place some saucers and teaspoons in the freezer.

Add the fruit and sugar to a large pot. Place the spices in a wire mesh tea ball. You will have to break up the cinnamon stick and you may have to cut the ginger down into pieces that will fit. Add the tea ball with the spices and bring to a boil. Boil gently, stirring frequently for about 60 minutes. Increase the frequency of stirring in the last 15 minutes to prevent scorching. When the jam has thickened and the foam as subsided, scoop a small amount of jam onto one of the frozen spoons and place it back on the saucer in the freezer. After a minute, tip the spoon and push it with your finger. If it mounds up and the surface wrinkles a bit, the jam is done. 

Remove from the heat. Skim any remaining foam. Allow to stand a few minutes and stir gently a few times. This will help distribute the bits of pineapple. 

Carefully ladle into hot, prepared jars. Wipe the rims and top with the prepared lids rings. Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Carefully remove to a towel lined tray. Allow them to set overnight before labeling and storing. 

This made 5 half pints, plus a little extra.

Random Food Fridays - Any Jam Coffee Cake

As the mother of an "emerging Bay Area artist," I'm familiar with the problem of production. We are fortunate that Miss Madelyn was able to find an affordable studio in Oakland. That said, we still have walls and closets full of art. Good art. She's working hard trying to get shows, so if you know anyone who wants to be on the ground floor, let us know.

 Detail of Ostomy Roses

Oil on Panel
Madelyn Covey 2012

Yarn Talisman

Yarn, wire, mono filament
Madelyn Covey 2011

This is just a small sample of her latest work. She also makes videos and digital prints and works in water color. That girl is so darn talented!

So, my problem of production is much less glamorous. I like to make jam. A lot. More than I can ever eat. Ever. I have given jams and pickles for holiday gifts since I started on this adventure, but it still takes time to go through it all. I recently took an inventory and finally disposed of my failures and those items over two years old. I kept thinking I'd use that hard jam to make a sauce, or those bitter marmalades to make cookies, but life if too short and too full of excellent jam. So, the marginal jars went bye-bye.

One jam I'm still trying to use up is this plum and pineapple jam. I made way too much. It never was as pretty as I wanted it to be, but it is yummy. This jam is approaching the two year mark and must be used this summer. I've also had many, MANY, little bowls of random remnants from making jams that did not come out to an even number of jars. One solution for using up jam is coffee cake.

This coffee cake is loosely based on Any-Fruit Coffee Cake from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. Like many basic recipes, you can alter it to suit your needs and tastes. I make a proportion that fits into a 9 X 13 inch pan. On this occasion, I separated it into two 9 inch pie plates because I wanted to use one of my old jars of plum and pineapple jam and also use up the remnants of the Santa Rosa plum and pineapple jam I made last week. I'm keeping the older jam cake for us and taking the other to my mom's house. I used sliced almonds in the crumb topping for ours. Grandma Betty doesn't like nuts, so I left the nuts out for the one my folks and she will share.

The original recipe directs the user to make a thickened fruit sauce to bake into the cake. I'm not sure why anyone would do that if you got jam around the house. The original also uses spice flavors, like cinnamon and allspice, whereas I prefer almond extract to accompany plums. I encourage you to make this with your favorite jam, your favorite flavorings and your favorite nuts. Peach with cinnamon and pecans would be excellent. Because this uses jam, you can use your favorite summer fruits anytime of year.

Any Jam Coffee Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cold butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 to 3 cups of jam

Crumb Topping:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup chopped or sliced nuts, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan or two pie plates.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and cut it into the flour mixture until it appears like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the mixture and add the milk, eggs and liquid flavorings. Stir to combine. Spread into the bottom of the prepared pan(s).

Stir the jam until spreadable. Gently spread the jam over the batter, leaving 1/2 inch of batter uncovered around the edges. (The jam can burn.) I used 1 cup each in the pie plates. I find it takes a bit more to cover the 9 X 13 inch pan.

Place the flour and sugar for the crumb topping in another bowl. Cut the butter for the crumb topping into small pieces. Work the butter into the flour and sugar mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the nuts, if desired. Spread the crumb mixture over the jam and batter.

Bake in the preheated 350 oven for 35 to 45 minutes. I found that the smaller pans will cook through in about 35, while the 9 X 13 inch pan takes a little longer. Test with a tooth pick in the center of the pan. The toothpick will likely have jam on it, but you shouldn't see any raw dough. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. (Hot jam resembles molten lava when eaten too soon.) Enjoy!

Ginger Syrup Teriyaki Skewers

I missed Random Food Fridays this week. I had a particularly intense work week and took Friday off. But, rather than rest, I had fruit to jam! The summer fruits are coming in like gang busters and I was gifted Santa Rosa plums and apricots from friend's trees. 

The Santa Rosa plums were perfectly ripe and beautiful. Here's a picture of some that I held back for snacking. I'm not posting a recipe for the jam I made, but I will refer you back to this recipe for plum and pineapple jam that I posted in December of 2010. This is basically the same method and recipe, only this year I had beautiful plums that did not need the addition of cranberries to add some nice color.

This is why you didn't get a Random Food Friday and why Mr. Dwayne took me out to dinner!

See the beautiful ruby color? The flesh of these plums is as sweet as honey, but the skins are very tart and give this jam a pleasant tang. This is a great foundation for many sauces and yummy the usual way - on toast!

The players - Tri-tip, sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger syrup and garlic.

Now, for today's recipe! I've been making ginger syrup for a couple of years now. It is so delicious! This is the recipe I use. I can't state this strongly enough - once you have ginger syrup in your life, you won't know what you did without it! I use it to flavor teas, on fruit and in this yummy and easy marinade. If you don't want to make your own, you can always purchase some from Ginger People. I've seen their products in most larger markets.

For the skewers, you can use any veggie you have on hand that will cook over a grill in a timely manner and won't get so soft that it will easily fall off. I happened to have zucchini, sweet onions and crimini mushrooms. They worked out great!

Simply marinate the meat for a few hours, skewer with the veggies and grill. Mr. Dwayne was not sad that the meat to veggie ratio allowed for a fully meat-loaded skewer. He assumed I made it just for him.

These will only require 4-5 minutes on each side, depending upon how hot your coals and how close your grate. I had to move mine around because some were cooking faster than others.

My dinner - Ginger Syrup Teriyaki Skewers and Brown Rice Pilaf. Yum!

Ginger Syrup Teriyaki Skewers

1 lb. tri-tip steak, trimmed of fat and silver skin and cut into 1 inch cubes 

3 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. ginger syrup

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil 

1 clove of garlic, minced

additional grated fresh ginger, if desired

Veggies of your choice, cut into large chunks

Combine the soy sauce, ginger syrup, sesame oil and garlic in a bowl that is just large enough to hold the beef. I grated in about another teaspoon of fresh ginger, but I'm crazy like that. Stir together and add the beef. Stir to coat and press the beef down into the marinade. Refrigerate until ready to skewer and grill. Marinate at least two hours. 

Prepare your grill or broiler pan. Alternate beef and veggies on the skewers. When all are skewered, brush the remaining marinade over all. When the coals are ready (mostly white), oil the hot grill rack (or broiler pan) and place the skewers over the coals. Allow to cook for about 4 minutes on a side. Our beef came out medium and the veggies were nicely cooked. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a few minutes while you get the rest of your dinner together. EAT!

This probably would have fed four people, if two of them hadn't been us.