Fruit Cocktail in Syrup

I decided it was finally time to do some canning and got out my list.  I've wanted to do fruit cocktail all year.  There were some good deals and I picked up several pounds of assorted fruit.

Ok, this might not have been cheaper than buying cans, but I got to choose what went in it.  I remember the joy some years ago when I realized anyone can buy maraschino cherries.  They aren't at some secret bartender shop and aren't all that expensive if you get the store brand.  They turned the syrup and most of the fruit pink, but I don't care.  I got to put in plenty of grapes and less of the pears and peaches.  I like canned peaches on their own, but not as much in fruit cocktail.  And I made the pieces a lot bigger.

Because I was canning, I had to go through the Ball book and make adjustments.  Ball only lists individual fruits in syrup.  When you mix, you have to follow the guidelines for the pickiest item you're putting in the jar.  Therefore, I had to do these as hot-pack and for 20 minutes of processing time.

Waiting for water to boil is the most time-consuming part of canning.  I should probably get a more narrow pot for smaller canning sessions.  Even the gallon for blanching the fruits took forever.  Of the six hours I spent that day on four canning recipes, two of those hours were easily just waiting for water to boil.

Obviously, you can scale this down if you aren't having a party or canning.  You can use the basic method, simmer the fruits directly in the simple syrup instead of water, and refrigerate for up to a week.

9-10 C assorted fruit like peaches, pears, plums, grapes, mango, pineapple
1 lemon
1 10 oz jar maraschino cherries
6 C water
3 C sugar

1.  If canning, prepare canner and jars for a 5 pint yield.  Because in the weird world of headspace, 9 cups of product equals 10 cups canned.

2.  Set up a large bowl of water and cut the lemon in half.  Squeeze juice into the water and drop the rest of the lemon into it.  This will prevent any browning as you prepare the fruit.

3.  Peel and seed any fruits that require it, then chop into pieces of desired size.  I was surprised how easy it was to peel pears, since I don't peel things often.  The peaches were frozen, so I just chopped those in half and tossed them in the bowl.  For grapes, remove the stems.  The pineapple didn't really need the lemon juice treatment, but I chucked it in the bowl so I could judge proportions.  I ended up with about equal amounts of everything except a little less peaches.

4.  Bring about a gallon of water to a boil in a large pot.  Maybe this should have been part of step 1.  Drain the fruit and discard the lemon.  Pour fruit into boiling water.  It's going to stop boiling from the cold fruit and you're going to have to wait a while for it to come back up to temp.  So while that's happening, stir together 6 C water and the sugar in another saucepan and bring that up to a low boil to be the simple syrup.  I added about 1/4 C amaretto to my syrup for the hell of it.  It boils off and you're left with the faint almondy taste.

5.  And since your fruit probably still isn't boiling, much less the canner, go ahead and drain the cherries.  I chose to cut mine in half because there's a teeny chance one might have a pit in it.

6.  Simmer the fruit 5 minutes.  This is more important for canning, but it does improve the texture of stone fruit to poach it.  And as part of the canning process, it means you won't have as much shrinkage in the jar compared to raw pack.

7.  Drain fruit, stir in the cherries, and get the hot jars ready.  Ladle 1/2 C of syrup in the bottom of each jar, then fill to a generous 1/2" headspace with fruit.  Add more syrup to the 1/2" mark.  It won't cover the fruit because fruit floats.  Wipe jar rims well, center lids, and screw on bands fingertip-tight.  That extra half-pint jar was pineapple jam that didn't seal the first time, so I was reprocessing it.

8.  Process jars in boiling canner 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.  Remove lid and let rest 5 minutes before removing from canner.  I must have been using some awesome vintage lids, because they sealed before I even took out the jars.  Cool at least 12 hours, remove bands and wash jars, and store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.

9.  For non-canning, you can skip simmering in water if you wish and simmer in the simple syrup instead. Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Difficulty rating  :)

Meal Planning for Trips

I just got back from visiting my niece in London.  Whole other blog post on that.  When meal-planning December, I had to take the trip into account.

I panic a bit about getting hungry on planes.  Especially a 10+ hour flight.  It was that or a layover in Minneapolis, and I didn't want to risk that in December.  But I was also trying to do the trip there as carry-on, which doesn't leave much room for snacks when you're going somewhere below 50ºF.

I made a batch of trail mix and picked up some nutrition bars, then grabbed a meal replacement shake from my dental emergency stash.  While taking the photo, I decided that TSA would confiscate the shake and put it back.  Once upon a time, I would get a fatty Burger King meal before a flight to hold me at least six hours, but LAX has upgraded to more expensive but healthier vendors.

Also to plan were meals at home on travel days.  My flight there was a red-eye leaving at 10pm, and the return got in around 4pm.  I needed two microwave dinners, which is not something I normally stock.  I distinctly remember the cheap Michelina's meals being a dollar.  Now they're almost two.  Some freezer veggies rounded them out.  I baked a batch of buttermilk biscuits a week before I left and there were still a few in the freezer for the morning after the return.  Even if I had forgotten to plan breakfast, I always have oatmeal in the pantry.

Was all this preparation and snack-panic necessary?  Not as much as if I had traveled on a U.S. airline.  Virgin Atlantic fed us dinner and a breakfast snack going there, so I only ate one bar.  Coming back, they served even more food, which was good because someone on board had a severe peanut allergy and I couldn't open the trail mix.  Hot lunch, grilled cheese hours later, and an afternoon tea box shortly before landing that was cute enough to take a picture.  I didn't even need dinner when I got home.

Just because I didn't need the food I packed and prepped didn't mean it was a bad idea.  A few hundred extra calories of emergency snacks is a good way to avoid a fast food run.  I'll eat all of it at some point.

Sausage and Apple Stuffing

One of the things I miss about hosting Thanksgiving is the leftovers.  The other thing is that where I go has a different menu than what I grew up with.  Sure, I had turkey, but everything else was not what I'm used to.  They don't even like cranberry sauce.

So that weekend, I made all the sides I didn't have over there and Grandma Sophie's pumpkin chiffon pie.  I didn't even make a turkey or other poultry.  Just the sides.  Green bean casserole, sweet potatoes without marshmallows, and a hearty stuffing that doubled as my main dish.  I'm not a stuffing person when it's that soggy mess.  It has to have some kind of texture, more like a proper casserole.

I also call it "stuffing", even though I won't stuff meat with such a dense filling for safety reasons.  "Dressing" is just a weird word to use on a casserole. But I guess "bread casserole" is also a weird name, and "bread pudding" isn't the same thing.  We're just going to go with stuffing for now.

4 C cubed bread of choice (I used rye)
8 oz bulk sausage of choice (basic breakfast pork for me)
*1/2 C diced onion
*1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
*1 Granny Smith apple, diced (peeling optional)
1 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 C vegetable or chicken broth

1.  Lay out the cubed bread on a baking sheet for about 24 hours, until stale.

2.  In a large skillet, brown the sausage into crumbles over medium heat.  I like a lot of brown crispies on mine, but as long as you get it thoroughly cooked, it's fine.  Add in the onion and apple and cook until tender, about 5 more minutes.  If you left the skin on the apple, you can see it change color when it's starting to cook.

3.  In a large bowl, combine sausage mixture with bread, parsley, celery, sage, and rosemary.  Taste a bit of the sausage and decide if you want to add salt and pepper.  Stir in broth.  Yes, it won't seem like enough.  This is a much drier stuffing, and the celery and apple have not given off their moisture yet.  Set aside to rest, stirring every couple of minutes.

4.  Preheat oven to 350º and butter an 8x8 casserole, or round or oval of similar size.  By the time the oven is up to temp, the stuffing should have absorbed the broth.  Give it one more good stir, then pour into the casserole.

5.  Bake about 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the vegetables appear cooked.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Difficulty rating :)

Veggie Cream Toast

Part of this blog is to be my own recipe box.  I know I once made a thing with ham, cheese, and a cream sauce baked with toast, but I can't find it.  Maybe it was pre-blog.  So, I changed up what I had planned to make and did this.

Actually, I changed it up a lot.  I keep putting "quiche" on my calendar, then not making it.  It's mostly a work schedule thing.  I think I'm slotting it on a day off, then that changes and I don't want to wait an hour for a quiche to bake.  I could always pre-make it and freeze for later, but I'm really trying not to fill the chest freezer with prepared meals.

I had already bought the quiche ingredients when the work schedule came out, then sighed and looked for another way to use them.  I could have done a Swiss-based alfredo sauce, but I didn't have any flat pasta, and making it would place me back in the same time frame as a quiche.  I did have bread, and that toast casserole thingy came to mind.

What I came up with would be great for a brunch.  I even put an over-easy egg on one slice for added protein.  Should have put it under the sauce.  You could thin out the mixture into a cream soup, or use it as pot pie filling.  It's the freshness of not completely cooking the tomatoes that brightens it, and the cheese makes it hearty.

1 Tb butter
*1/2 C diced onion
1 Tb flour
1 C milk
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
*1/2 C green veggie (I used chopped asparagus)
*1 C shredded Swiss cheese
salt and generous amounts of pepper to taste
8 slices of toast for serving

1.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Cook the onion until softened, 5 minutes.  Add flour and stir until cooked into an onion roux.

2.  Gradually add the milk, stirring frequently and waiting for it to thicken before adding more.  You can add in some of the pepper now, but hold off the salt for a bit.

3.  Stir in tomatoes and asparagus and bring everything back to a simmer.  Stir in cheese to melt, then taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

4.  Spoon over toast and serve hot, maybe with a side salad.

Difficulty rating  π

Salmon Curry

I haven't done a curry in a while, so I got out my new friend chowder pieces (salmon trimmings - way cheaper than a salmon fillet).  I didn't research, just went for it, so I'm pretty sure this isn't specifically traditional to any particular cuisine.  I'm following Indian curry rules in the flavoring and only using items I have on hand.  This wasn't an intentional Pantry Challenge meal, I just forgot to put cilantro on the grocery list.

I admit that there was something off with the flavor profile I used to make this, and I'm pretty sure it was the dill, so I'm leaving it out of the written recipe.  I love dill, but it did not seem to mesh with the curry spices.  Just a heads-up if you're considering it.

This recipe comes together very quickly, thanks to the short cooking time of the salmon.  It would have gone faster if the spinach had been more defrosted.  I only gave it twelve hours in the fridge, and it was still a brick.  Maybe go a full day, or use a bag instead of a box.  There's also nothing wrong with using a bag of fresh baby spinach, pre-washed.  But again, I was using what was on hand.  I feel like there's too much in the freezer.

1 Tb olive or coconut oil
1/2 C diced onion
*2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
*1 tsp paprika
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1 clove garlic, minced
*1/2 tsp grated ginger
*1 can coconut milk (lite ok)
*10 oz frozen spinach, thawed (1 brick)
*1 lb salmon, cut in bite-sized pieces
*1/2 C chopped parsley or cilantro (or a combination)
*lemon juice and zest to taste, or diced preserved lemon
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil, then onion.  Cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes.  This is also a good time to start any rice you're having with it.

2.  Add curry, cumin, paprika, tomato paste, garlic, and ginger to the skillet.  Cook until it forms a fragrant paste, about 3 minutes.

3.  Add coconut milk and spinach and bring to a simmer.  If the spinach is still slightly frozen, continue to simmer until broken down.

4.  Add salmon and parsley or cilantro.  Simmer until the salmon is mostly done, about 5 minutes.  Taste and add lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper as needed.  Serve over rice.

Difficulty rating  π

Pumpkin and Spice Rolls

 

I saw this concept on Suttons Daze and started searching recipe variations.  I haven't made any kind of breakfast sweet roll in a while and had pumpkin purée to use.

The only problem I had with most of the recipes I found was the egg.  Pumpkin is one of those ingredients you can use as a substitute for egg or oil in baked goods, so I didn't see a point in adding any.  Then there was the size of the recipes and how much pumpkin they used, or whether the purée was in the dough, filling, or both.  In the end, I tweaked my apple cinnamon roll recipe to account for the extra moisture and egg/fat substitute.

Rolls

1/2 C 100º milk
2 Tb butter
*1/3 C pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
1/3 C sugar
2 tsp yeast
~3 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

1.  Combine milk, butter, pumpkin, sugar, and yeast and allow to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes.  The butter does not need to melt.

2.  In stand mixer with the paddle, stir together 1 C flour and the cinnamon.  Add liquids and beat into a thin batter for 2 minutes.  Add another 1 C of flour and the salt and beat into a stiff batter, another 2-3 minutes.

3.  Generously flour a work surface and pour the dough onto it.  Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.  It's a sticky dough, so try not to work in more flour than necessary.  Turn over in an oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 75 minutes.  The weight of the pumpkin makes the rise take a bit longer than usual.

4.  Punch down dough and allow to rest 10 minutes.  While it's resting, grease an 8"x8" casserole.  I also lined it with parchment, just in case things got burned and messy.

Filling

1 Tb butter, melted
1 Tb brown sugar
*2 Tb pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin spice

1.  Combine brown sugar, pumpkin, and spice.

2.  Roll out dough into a rectangle 1/4" thick and roughly 16" wide.  Flour the board and the dough to prevent sticking, but try not to add a lot.

3.  Brush surface of rectangle with butter, then smear with filling, leaving 1" on a long side clean.  Roll up dough into a log, and seal with the clean edge.

4.  Cut log into 8 pieces and arrange in the prepared pan, cut side up.  At this point, you can cover the pan and refrigerate overnight as a do-ahead, or continue.

5.  Allow to rise until rolls almost fill the pan, another 75 minutes-ish.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until browned and tops are firm.  Set aside to cool 5 minutes before frosting, or 10 minutes if serving without.

6.  For a simple glaze, whisk together 1 C powdered sugar and a teaspoon or two of milk until desired consistency is reached.  Drizzle over rolls.  I used some leftover cream cheese frosting (What?  There's such a thing?  Yes, if you make a 6" cake) and dusted the top with cinnamon after it melted into all the corners.

Makes 8 rolls

Difficulty rating :-0

Mozzarella and Basil Panelle

Every month when I do the meal plan for the next month, I look at what I have in stock and what I haven't used in a while.  There's so much diversity in there that I could go several months without using a particular ingredient.  I much prefer having some of over a dozen options to a lot of just a few.  Yes, buying in quantity is cheaper, but you don't want to know how old the 5lb bag of Calrose rice is, and I have about a quart left.  Fortunately, properly stored white rice has an almost infinite shelf life.

I keep the chickpea flour in the freezer, since it is high protein and it can take me over six months to use a pound.  Just a tip for anyone else who has a bean- or seed-based flour that might go rancid in the pantry.  It also means I don't see it on a daily basis.  It was a pleasant surprise to come across it and decide to make a batch of panelle.

I was also in the mood for tomato and garlic confit, and quickly decided to do a Margherita theme by stirring mozzarella and basil into the cakes.  There was rye flour under the chickpea flour in the freezer, which I turned into three small loaves of bread, two of which went back into the freezer for a later date.  I wanted the container back, and it's silly to put half a cup in the freezer, where it can easily get lost.

While panelle slices work best in small quantities, like for an appetizer, you can also make them the protein for a main-course salad, like I did here with the confit and some caramelized onions.  Be creative with serving ideas.  You could even use them as croutons in a soup, but they will probably sink.  Haven't tried it.

*1 C chickpea flour
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
*2 tsp dried basil or 2 Tb chopped fresh
about 2 C water
*1/2 C shredded mozzarella
oil for frying (olive or vegetable)

1.  Stir together chickpea flour, pepper, salt, and basil in a medium saucepan.  Add 1-1/2 C water and stir again to mix.  Allow to sit 30 minutes, to hydrate the flour.  Lightly grease an 8"x8" casserole with oil.

2.  Keeping another 1/2 cup of water handy, heat mixture over medium-low.  Stir frequently until it starts to clump, then almost constantly so it doesn't scorch or spew.  If the polenta firms up before 10 minutes of simmering, add the water.  When done, you should be able to stand a spoon in it.  Remove from heat and stir in mozzarella until it just barely starts to melt.

3.  Before the cheese gets too stringy, pour mixture into prepared casserole.  Smooth into all the corners, then cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin.  Chill until firm, 4 hours or overnight.

4.  When ready to serve, heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet or rimmed griddle over medium-high heat.  I used the pancake griddle so I could do them all at once.  Cut polenta into desired shapes and transfer into hot pan.  Fry until crispy, about 4 minutes per side.  The cheese will get darker than the flour.  Serve hot or room temperature, with some kind of dressing or dipping sauce.

Difficulty rating  :)

Caramelized Onions

I wanted to put some caramelized onions on burgers, and found out I don't have a stand-alone recipe for them.  Ok, we can fix that.

Making caramelized onions is beyond easy, but it's also easy to burn them.  You can walk away from the pot during the long cooking time, but set a timer so you check on them every 10 minutes, and 5 near the end.

You're really supposed to do this in a ceramic or steel pan, but the only one I have that isn't non-stick is the glass Visions pot and I didn't want to risk cracking it.  Well, that's not true, but it seemed silly to get out the stock pot for one onion.  As a result, I have less of the fond, the crispy bits, than you would in a Dutch oven or steel pan.  I also didn't have to spend two days scrubbing it clean, so there's a fair trade.

I'm scaling this recipe to make enough topping for 4-6 hamburgers.  You can absolutely make it in much larger quantities, either for party-sized dishes or freezing.  You will have to stir it more frequently to rotate the onion contact with the heat, and it will take longer.

1 large yellow, white, or sweet onion
1 Tb butter
1/2 Tb olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
something for deglazing pan: water, stock, wine, etc.  I used a teaspoon of Amaretto because it went with what I was having

1.  Peel and thinly slice onion, as thin as you can get it.  I could have gotten out the V-slicer, but the onion was firm enough that I was able to get slices less than 1/4" thick.  It also helps if you cut the onion in half longways first, for more traction.

2.  Melt butter and oil in a wide-rimmed skillet or saucepan over medium heat.  You want a wide surface for even cooking and so it won't take two hours.  Scatter onion slices in pan and sprinkle with salt.

3.  Lower heat to medium-low once onions have begun to soften.  Toss to make sure all pieces are coated with fat.  Then walk away for 10-15 minutes.

4.  When you come back, the onions should have softened but not browned.  If there's any sign of browning at this early stage, turn down the heat.  Stir and walk away for another 10-15 minutes.

5.  This time when you stir, there will be some browning, but not a lot.  The moisture will be mostly gone and some pieces may stick to the pan a little.  At this point, come back every 5 minutes to stir and check for doneness.

6.  You can go for about half-browned, which is what I did, or continue for 20 minutes, stirring every 5, until fully browned.  It will depend on your personal taste and what you plan to use it for.

7.  If a lot of the fond is sticking to the pan when you're done, deglaze with your liquid of choice.  Scrape up those yummy burned bits and stir it into the mix.  Remove from heat.

8.  Either serve immediately, refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes about 1 cup

Difficulty rating  π

White Bean Bisque

 

I put this on the meal calendar as "Black bean and corn soup".  Over the next few weeks it evolved, mainly because I had made something similar with the Salsa Verde soup.

Technically, this was a vegetarian meal, but I decided to make some chicken broth to clear space in the freezer.  Using chicken broth in an otherwise vegan recipe sounds counterproductive, but it adds wonderful body and extra protein to the finished product.  A vegetable broth with mushroom trimmings in it will accomplish a similar umami.

To make an elegant first-course soup, keep it just the bean purée and stir in a few tablespoons of cream.  (Again, not vegan.)  Top with nutmeg or cracked pepper and serve.  For a main course dish, use the mix-in veggies.  You can still add cream if you want it extra decadent, but I was trying to focus on the bean flavor and felt that the un-clarified chicken stock would give enough fatty mouthfeel.

If you're opening cans, the longest part of this is cooking the onions.  I happened to spend all day on it because it was my day off and that's the kind of thing I like to do when time isn't an issue.

1 Tb olive oil
*1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 C vegetable or chicken broth
1 15 oz can white or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
salt and cracked pepper to taste
2 Tb sherry, marsala, or white wine (optional)
1/4 C cream or whole milk (optional)
*1/2 C frozen kernel corn (optional)
*1/2 C frozen green veggie (optional)
*1/4 tsp dried tarragon or thyme

1.  In a soup pot, heat oil over medium-low heat.  Add onion and cook until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

2.  Add broth, beans, and wine and raise heat to medium-high.  Bring to a low boil, taste, and add salt and pepper as necessary.

3.  In batches, purée the soup in a blender.  For an extra smooth soup, strain back into the pot.  I was adding veggies, so didn't bother.

4.  Stir in cream, corn, and veggie, along with a tiny pinch of tarragon or thyme if the taste needs an extra bit of something.  I used frozen asparagus for my green because it floats, and tarragon from my lifetime supply.

5.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with more herbs or veggie bits if desired.  I snipped up some of the chives that sit next to the sink with kitchen shears.

Difficulty rating  π

Blanched-Apple Pie

I didn't make apple pie filling this year.  I didn't make any canned pie fillings this year.  And now I'm starting to regret it, especially because I have batched pie crust in the freezer.  I want pie, and I don't want to go to so much effort, but canned pie fillings have gotten very expensive.  It's cheaper to buy a bakery pie in some cases.

I decided to go through the prepping process for canned filling, then bake it straight, just to see what happened.  Minus peeling the apples, since I'm not doing that if it isn't a food safety issue.

This actually turned into a cran-apple pie with the last itty bit of cranberries in the freezer.  And I got kind of tired when it came to the top and only did half of a lattice.  Whatever, I wasn't selling it or entering it in the county fair.  Just my weekly dessert.

So did the texture experiment work?  Partly.  The result was definitely more evenly cooked than from raw with the slices tossed in a sugar and flour mixture.  It didn't taste completely the same as canned, but that also made it more homemade and rustic.  I'm definitely considering another batch of canned filling the next time I fill the pot, which will probably be for some lemon marmalade.  I haven't made that in a few years.

Crust for a double-crust pie
2 lbs Granny Smith or other cooking apple
2 C water
2/3 C sugar
*2 Tb ClearJel
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 Tb lemon juice

1.  If crust is frozen, get out while you prep the filling.

2.  Start boiling a medium saucepan full of water.  Core apples, peel if desired, and cut into thin wedges.  If apples are large, cut wedges in half.

3.  Drop apple pieces into the boiling water.  Allow to simmer for about 4 minutes.  If you left the skin on, you can tell they're done when the peel starts to turn yellowish.  Drain and set aside to cool.

4.  In a smaller saucepan, bring water, sugar, ClearJel, and the remaining ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  If you don't have ClearJel, you can substitute cornstarch.  The goo won't be as solid, but it will work.  Cook until gel forms, then remove from heat.  Add apples to the pot and coat thoroughly.

5.  Prepare your bottom crust and start preheating the oven to 400º.  Pour filling into the crust and arrange evenly.  Fill it more than I did; I underestimated how far the apples would cook down and could have put in one more.  Top with other crust, making sure there is some kind of venting mechanism.  That can be a lattice, cute cutouts, or simple slits.  Seal and crimp edges (not my specialty).  If desired, brush with milk or egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

6.  Place pie pan on a baking sheet in case of juice overflow.  Bake 40-50 minutes, until apples are done and crust is well browned.  If too brown, top with foil the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

7.  Allow pie to cool to room temperature for serving.

Makes 1 9" pie, about 8 servings

Difficulty rating  :-0