Apricot Jam

Last Thursday Kenilworth Market had the first of the season's apricots.  I had bought a small punnet the previous week, so I knew they were coming.  I love Apricot Jam.  It is subtle, but rich in flavour at the same time.  Its the colour of sunshine.  

With nearly three pounds,  with a few taken out for a packed lunch on Friday, I set to preparing the fruit.  There was just one kilo of prepared fruit.  I make sure I cut any little blemishes off the skin, and the area around the stalk where there is a little dark mark.  Then I take the stones, placed in a plastic bag, and give them a gentle tap on the patio with a hammer through the plastic, until I feel they are just cracked, any more and you can make a much of the soft kernels.  Then separated from their hard shell, I pour the boiling water over the kernels  which makes taking off the skin really easy.

With lemon juice and a kilo of sugar, I got just two larger jars and four smaller ones.  These won't last long, so there will be further Friday Apricot Jam making sessions.

Blackcurrant and Apple Jam

I do have an assortment of sweet preserves in the cupboard, but we do have a 'picky' one in the house.  I've just found out that he does not really like jellies, or cheeses, but preserves with bits in them.  Therefore with the last of the blackcurrant jam finished, and since this preserve is to him, as marmalades are to me, I felt that I needed to use the remainder of the blackcurrants picked from the garden last summer.

As I rooted through the freezer, I came across a bottle of very carefully made crab apple juice also from last autumn, ready to make into a jelly, but bearing in mind my new found knowledge, thought about putting it together with the blackcurrants.  It was going to have to masquerade as Blackcurrant and Apple Jam.  Of course I had consulted various preserve books, and was most inspired by Basic Basics by Marguerite Patten. There is not one single picture in this book but the reasons why you do things are really well covered.  I keep going back to this book, which has grown to the top of my pile of preserving reference books.

Here is my recipe:

1.4Kg prepared blackcurrants, mine were the largest, ripest, juiciest ones which I have reserved for desserts!
800 ml water
850ml prepared crab apple juice
2 Kg sugar, a present from Diane

Following Mrs Patten's advice, I made sure the blackcurrants were gently poached until absolutely tender.  Then I added the juice, and sugar.  She gives a recipe using blackcurrants and chopped cooking apples.

Just to make sure it had the seal of approval, my dearly beloved had his first taste without the label on it...then I printed Blackcurrant and Apple Jam in bold for the labels, which is easily read first thing in the morning, when he does not wear his glasses, but in the small print I did say it was Crab Apple Jelly! The verdict:  "Really Lovely!"

Award Winning Marmalades

First Prize for the Lime Marmalade and second for the Pink Grapefruit Marmalade at the Kenilworth Horticultural Society Spring Show.

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

I've written up about this one on my other blog...but here is just a nice picture.  Its a lovely colour:  warm and inviting for breakfast....

Green is the colour

Yes Green, one of my favourite colours, all types of green....

Picked up some lovely fresh bright green unwaxed limes from Waitrose.  I've not made any Seville Marmalade this year, but will just focus on others.  However in the cupboard I had only a part pack of Tate & Lyle left, so I rushed to the local small Tesco, but they only sell sugar beet sugar.  I've used that before but it just does not work.  A small store had some, so rather than traipse to a larger Tesco in Warwick or Leamington I bought a couple of bags.

I really love Lime Marmalade so soon there will a few pots in the cupboard.

Not a 'season correct' preserve

Who would think of making strawberry jam in the middle of January.  The guys at Kenilworth market have been pleading with me to buy some seville oranges.  They do look great, but I have about 5 jars left in cupboard, and I would really like to be making some grapefruit and lemon soon, so I think for the first time in years, I shall pass on the Seville.

However they had some punnets of wonderful looking, no doubt hot house strawberries, and since we were out of that preserve, bought some.  I think they must have been destined for the catering market since they weighted 750g each.  Anyway the boy says it taste lovely.

Cranberry Relish with juniper and honey

As soon as we got back from our hols, the guys on the fruit and veg stall run by Stodds of Leicester at Kenilworth Market called me to point out the new season cranberries.  I still had my sea legs and was more in the mood for being outside, but last week, I came home with the supplies....

This year I wanted a very grown up flavour and mused on Christmas flavours which would go with various meats from Turkey, through to Duck or even venison.  You can see that I haven't yet settled on the Christmas menu.

I also like to have memories and links with friends blended into my relishes.  Nicki recently brought me a jar of honey from her husband Mike's hives in Warwick.  Usually I have been delighted to receive little pieces of honeycomb, but this is the first batch of honey extracted from the comb.  I've been enjoying spoonfuls on my breakfast each morning with Sheep's Yogurt fruit and nuts.  Since one jar is to go to Nicki, I thought it would be lovely for them to have their own honey in their Cranberry Relish for Christmas.  I also had half a boiled whole orange in the freezer left over from the gluten free almond cake I made when Janice last visited for tea, and yes another jar has already gone to Janice.  Quite honestly this boiled orange is not really necessary if you are going to replicate this relish

Cranberry Relish 2014

500g Jumbo Cranberries
500g prepared cooking apples, I used Granny Smiths
1 Orange Grated zest and juice
1/2 boiled whole orange pulverised, optional
275 g organic cider vinegar
1 tsp juniper berries well crushed
1 tsp roasted fennel seeds
250g local honey
1/2 tsp salt

Wash a few jars and place them in the oven at gas mark 2 to sterilize whilst the relish is being prepared.  Put the lids in a pot of boiling water and also put these in the oven.  Dry the lids well with clean tissue before using.

In a large pan, put the cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped into smallish pieces, and three quarters of the cranberries, together with the orange juice and zest into a pan, and cook gently, stirring to avoid catching on the bottom, until the fruit is very soft.  This takes about 10 minutes.

Add the cider vinegar, blitzed orange, juniper berries and feel seeds, and remaining berries and continue cooking until a thick consistency, stirring from time to time.  I wanted to have some of the berries cooked but suspended in the relish.  About another 10 minutes

 Add the honey and taste for sweetness, heat through.  I decided to keep it quite tart.    Pot up whilst very hot, trying to make sure not to trap any bubbles, and fill to just below the lid.  Put the vinegar proof lids on whilst very hot.

I tried some from the little pot with my Sunday Roast Chicken, yes very good and it will get even better with three weeks of maturation.  This relish is to be kept in the fridge and once opened, I would say use within two weeks or so.  I reckon it would be perfect added to a sauce for pan seared duck breast or venison.