Swiss char harvest

Perpetual rain and being left to its own devices all summer leant to a bumper crop of tomatoes, char and 4 pathetic mini pumpkins!

Cabernet Cherry Jam

I have a freezer full of fruit from last summer that needs to be eaten before this years fruit starts coming out and I end up with more fruit than I know what to do with. I am going away next weekend with some friends and needed to make a jam or preserve to go on top of Brie. I found cherries and blueberries in there. I went with the cherries because I knew I could add in pepper and the left over Cabernet we'd had for supper the night before. I didn't want too sweet, and not too much heat from the pepper, just enough to give baked Brie a kick. My starting off point included a recipe from a friend. She also had a few other ingredients I left out to make it that much more simple.

I turned out quite well. I can't wait for Brie. 

8 to 10 cups cherries

(I used bing, Queen Anne and sour)

1 1/2 - 2 cups sugar (white or cane)

1 cup Cab Sauvignon or Cab Merlot

1 to 2 tsps fresh ground pepper

Juice of one lemon (about 1/2 a cup)

2 pouches of certo

In a heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven mash the cherries.

Add the sugar into the pan and mix well. Cook for 5-10 minute to release juice from the cherries.

Add in wine, lemon juice and pepper and bring to a hard boil.

Let boil 15-20 minutes.

I took an immersion blender to my jam to make it less of a preserve and more jam.

Let cook a few more minutes.

Add in the certo and cook 5-10 more minutes until you get the desired jam consistency.

Put the jam into hot, prepared jars.

Boil in canner for 15 minute and then let sit another 5 minutes.

Allow to cool on a towel overnight.

Should be shelf stable.

It made 2 full pint jars and one half pint jar with a ramekin full for kids to eat on toast. 

Vanilla cake with carmel sauce

This is a recipe T's mum used to make. It's sweet, it's quick and it's like I'm 18 again. 

Cake:

1 cup softened salted butter

2 cups white sugar

4 large eggs at room temp

2 tbsp vanilla

1/4 vanilla bean pod, scraped

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk

Directions:

Oven at 350 degrees.

Grease and flour one 9 inch cake pan and line 6 muffin cups.

In a bowl mix together flour, baking powder, and salt together.

In a kitchen aid bowl beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and mix until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix thoroughly.

Add in the vanilla.

Add in the flour and milk, alternating until finishing with the flour.

Bake the cupcakes for 25-30 minutes or when a toothpick inserted in the center  comes out clean.

Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes until toothpick cooked.

Sauce:

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp flour

1/4 to 1/3 cup water

3 tbsp butter

2 pinches of sea salt

Add all ingredients except salt into a heavy saucepan.

Cook down and allow to bubble and the sugar is melted. Stiring constantly.

Add in the salt.

Serve over the cake. Yum. 

Mind the heat. Hot caramel and tongues can make for insane mouth burns. Don't ask how I know. 

Leap year!

I've always loved Leap Year. The rarity, the anticipation.

Vanilla Bean Ginger scones

This recipe was given to me by a friend at work. She made them and offered me one during a break. 

It was heaven. Sweet and tart and spicy all at the same time.

Now to wait for rhubarb season because I used the last of my freezer supply.

3 stalks rhubarb

1/2 cup divided

2 inch vanilla bean pod

2 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup very cold butter

1/2 cup chopped up crystallized ginger

1 cup heavy cream

coarse sugar for sprinkling

425° oven

Place rhubarb in bowl and toss with 3 tbsp a sugar to coat

Place remaining sugar in large bowl with vanilla bean, flour, baking powder and salt

Mix well to distribute vanilla

Cut butter into flour until coarse sand no bigger than a pea sized butter pieces. I use my hands, its easier but you have to go quickly to avoid the butter melting from the heat in your hands.

You could also use a food processor on pulse, but that it a lot of cleaning for something that could be super easy.

Stir in rhubarb and ginger

Pour in cream and use wooden spoon to mix

Turn onto parchment and knead mixture together.

Do not over work or all that lovely butter will be creamed together and into the dough instead of pockets like you want.

Divide into two balls

Flatten and cut 6 triangles in each

Sprinkle with coarse sugar top

Bake in 425° oven for 20-25 minutes

Allow to cool 15 before frying that little piece of skin behind your teeth.

Bacon Carbonara

1 pound of bacon

4 cloves garlic

1 cup of dry cheese, like Asiago or Parmesan. Can be whatever you want. I'm partial to piave, but we used dry aged Gouda and Asiago last time and it was really good. Just make sure when you shred it, you turn it into a fine powdery consistency. 

3 eggs

1 package of pasta - I used a long pasta just a little more robust than spaghetti

Fresh cracked pepper

Cook your pasta of choice to al dente in well salted water.

Chop your bacon into pieces and allow to cook in the pan until crispy.

Remove the bacon from your pan and remove 1/2 the fat from the pan.

Crack your eggs into a bowl and beat them add in your cheese and set to the side.

Add in your minced garlic and allow to cook a little. Do not burn your garlic, it's just awful and you want the garlic to still have a bite to it instead of the mellowed sweet kind of garlic.

Remove the pan from the heat, the residual heat from the pan and the pasta will be enough to cook the eggs without scrambling them. 

Return the bacon to the pan.

Drain off your pasta but keep a cup water in reserve for your sauce.

Dump your pasta into the pan with the bacon and garlic and toss well to coat in fat and garlic.

Add in your cheese and egg mixture and mix it in well.

Your sauce will begin to thicken, add in spoonfuls of pasta water to get your desired consistency. Add in small amounts of the water, a little goes a long way.

Dump into a bowl and top with fresh pepper and a little more cheese.

So.good.

Cheesecake cups

 

Cheater "cheesecake" cups

This is an evolution. I've been making cheater cheesecake for years, mainly because whenever I attempt a real cheesecake it's an abysmal failure. So this "cheesecake" is my go to. Excuse the use of dream whip, it does serve a purpose! And this is a fantastic last minute dessert. 

Cheater "cheesecake"

Cream cheese filling

8 ounces of cream cheese (philly type will do, but if you can get your hands on Victoria style it makes it that much better)

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

1 pkg of dream whip prepared as stated on package.

Graham crumb base

1/2 cup graham crumbs

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 can of cherry pie filling

In a pan melt the butter and dump in crumbs and sugar. Over medium low heat keep moving until the mixture begins to stick together. Do not allow to burn!

Spoon into the bottom of your glasses (mason jars, shot cups ect.)

In a mixing bowl mix up the dream whip as per the package.

Add in the cream cheese and allow to mix together.

Leave on medium low for a few minutes.

Mix in the icing sugar and allow to mix together another minute, stoppin g every now and again to scrape down the sides.

Layer the cream cheese mixture into the jars on top of the crumbs.

Layer cherry pie filling on top of the cream cheese mixture.