Blueberry Jam

I took a trip down to Adams Berry Farm a few weeks ago, and the blueberries were in full swing. Jam time! This is another easy jam recipe. Again, no pectin, but this time I got a nice set - it isn't runny at all. The recipe is from the Joy of Cooking (Rombauer et al).

Start with 2 lb fresh blueberries. Wash them, drain them and put them into a large pot. Crush some of the berries roughly. Heat the pan until the berries simmer, and then continue to simmer until they just soften (this will not take very long).

Add 5 cups of sugar. Bring to a boil and continue to boil hard, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches the gelling point (221 F at sea level). When this happens, remove from the heat, skim off any foam and fill 5 sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Close lids (also sterilized) tightly. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, and check to see that they sealed correctly.

Note 1 - Make sure that you know what you are doing before attempting canning, as mistakes could lead to serious contamination and potentially death. If you need instructions, consult the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 2 lb = 900g; 5 cups = 1.2 l; 221 F = 105 C.

Chocolate Mousse with Cointreau

This I made for dessert last weekend. It is very easy to make, but is much more convenient if you have a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, as there is a lot of beating to be done.

Start by melting 1/2 oz butter with 3.5 oz good-quality dark chocolate in a double boiler. If you do not have an actual double boiler, you can make one with a metal bowl and a small saucepan. Put about an inch of water in the pan and set the bowl on top with the chocolate and butter in it. Bring the water almost to a simmer and stir the mixture until it melts and blends together. Once you reach this point, carefully remove the bowl from the pan (it will be hot) and set it aside to cool slightly.

Next, separate 2 eggs. Measure out 2 oz sugar. Put the 2 yolks in the bowl of your mixer. Pour in most of the sugar (reserve a small amount for the whites) and add a splash of Cointreau. Beat with the whisk attachment until light and creamy. Remove to another bowl; clean your mixer bowl and beaters. Add the melted chocolate mixture slowly to your yolks, folding it in with a spatula.

Put your 2 whites in the clean mixer bowl. Beat until they start to firm up, then stream in the remaining sugar and continue to beat until you see stiff peaks. Pour a little of the chocolate mixture onto the whites, folding it in. Next, fold the whites back into the rest of the chocolate mixture. Clean your mixer bowl and beaters.

Put 1/2 cup cold heavy or whipping cream into your mixer bowl. Beat until thickened (but do not go too far or you will make butter!). Fold the cream into the egg-chocolate mix. Pour into small glasses or bowls and chill in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours until set. Enjoy! Serves 2.

Note 1 - This is a raw egg product. Use the best freshest eggs you can get your hands on and keep them clean. The very young, the elderly and the immunocompromised should avoid this.

Note 2 - Grand Marnier or Triple Sec can be substituted for Cointreau.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 1/2 oz = 14g; 3.5 oz = 100g; 2 oz = 55g; 1/2 cup = 120 ml.

Gazpacho

Last weekend I made dinner for my partner, who had just come back from a trip away. The weather was still pretty warm, and I had been to the Burlington Farmers Market a couple of days before and picked up some nice veggies (in addition to the ones from our Full Moon Farm CSA share), so gazpacho was on the cards...

Start by chopping 1/4 onion. Put it into your blender or food processor bowl. Add 1/2 clove garlic, crushed, and 1/2 green pepper, deseeded and chopped. Add 1 large tomato, deseeded and chopped, and 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped. Blend until pureed.

Strain your puree through a medium-hole strainer, into a bowl. Using a whisk, stir in 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, a splash of lemon juice, a little cold water (start with 1/4 cup, and add more if you feel the soup is too thick) and a pinch of salt and pepper. Lastly, whisk in 2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream, taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Pour into cocktail glasses or small bowls. Garnish with a little finely diced cucumber and some chopped dill. Serves 2.

Note 1 - Any color pepper can be substituted for green, if desired.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1/4 cup = 60 ml.

Zucchini Bread

We had a few zucchini sitting in our fridge from our Full Moon Farm CSA share. I haven't been cooking much, with the extreme heat and all, but it let up a little yesterday, so I finally fired up the oven at night. I had eaten zucchini bread before but had never made it. The recipe is based on one in the Joy of Cooking (Rombauer et al).

Start by measuring out 1.5 cups of flour into a bowl. To the flour, add 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (or allspice, if you don't care much for cinnamon like me) and 1/2 tsp salt.

In another bowl, crack and beat 2 eggs. Add 1/2 cup canola oil (or other mild-flavored oil), 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix well.

Next, grate 2 cups of zucchini. Remove the ends, but you do not have to peel them. You should be able to get this much yield from 1 medium zucchini. Squeeze the result to get rid of excess water. You can use a grater for this, or a mandoline (with a julienne attachment), or a food processor with a grating blade - easily the fastest.

Last prep item is 1.5 cups of ground walnuts. You will probably have to grind them yourself - use a food processor with the blade or a blender. If you don't have either of these appliances, you could put them in a plastic bag and bash them with a rolling pin. I wound up with a little less than 1.5 cups - the quantity does not have to be exact on the nuts. You could also use pecans if you like.

Take the bowl with the egg mixture, and stir into it the flour mix. Just mix it until it comes together. Then add the grated zucchini and ground nuts, and fold them in so that they are mixed through. Don't over-mix.

Pour your batter into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan and bake in a 350 F oven for 40-45 minutes - until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and leave on the rack until cool.

Note 1 - (For English readers) Zucchini = Courgettes

Note 2 - I made this recipe again but with a couple of small changes. I used cinnamon instead of allspice, and ground hazelnuts instead of walnuts. It was even better.

Note 3 - Discovered today that this bread is really good with a little butter and some cheddar cheese...

Note 4 - Made chocolate zucchini bread by substituting 1/4 cup of flour for cocoa powder. It was good!

Note 5 - Metric Info: 1.5 cups = 350 ml; 1/4 cup = 60 ml; 1/2 cup = 120 ml; 3/4 cup = 180 ml; 2 cups = 475 ml; 9 in = 23 cm; 5 in = 12.5 cm; 350 F = 175 C.

Cucumber Apple Soup

Garnished with home-made yogurt and fresh dill

Yes, it's another chilled soup, made with a delicious cucumber from our Full Moon Farm CSA share. The recipe is courtesy of Chef Brian Tomlinson, for whom I used to work. He likes to make soup, and this one came up a lot. It's a good one!

Start by peeling 1-2 cucumbers (if very big, 1; if small, 2). Cut in half, scoop out the seeds (discard) with a spoon, and chop roughly into chunks. Put into your blender or food processor. Take a small chunk of white onion (about 1/8 onion), chop roughly and add to the cukes. Peel a Granny Smith apple, remove the core and chop into rough chunks. Add to the mix. Add 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp vinegar (Chef T likes to use cider vinegar, but I used white), 1/2 cup water, 3 tbsp honey, 1/8 tsp ground cumin, 1/8 tsp ground coriander seed and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Check the seasoning - add more salt if desired. Chill in refrigerator until cold. Enjoy on a hot day!

Makes about 3 servings.

Note 1 - Use any kind of eating cucumber for this soup. The kind of apple could be varied too, although the Granny Smith gives the soup a nice tartness, so if you use a sweeter apple, increase the amount of vinegar slightly, to taste.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 1/2 cup = 120 ml.

Lavender Honey Ice Cream

I have been really enjoying making cold food recently. Maybe it's the 90+ degree weather?! Anyway, this is not an original ice cream flavor, but the inspiration came to me at City Market in the tea section. I had already decided to do green tea ice cream, but I felt like making another flavor too, and, next to the loose teas was a tub of dried lavender flowers. And across the aisle was honey.

Start by bringing 1 tbsp dried lavender flowers and 2 cups half-and-half to just below a boil in a saucepan. Switch off the heat, cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes. Strain out the flowers and bring the half-and-half back to the boil. While it is heating, whisk 5 egg yolks with 2.5 oz sugar until light and creamy. Set up a metal bowl on ice (or in ice water) with a strainer in it. When the half-and-half is about to boil, pour a little onto your yolks. Mix quickly, and tip back into the saucepan. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the back of the spoon (a line drawn with your finger does not fill back in). Immediately pour through the strainer into the cold metal bowl, and stir in 4 oz honey. Continue stirring to dissolve the honey and help the mixture cool. Once cooled, transfer the base to the fridge to chill.

Once your base is cold, remove from the fridge and churn in an ice cream machine (make sure to get all of the honey out of the bowl and into the machine). Freeze. Enjoy! This is my favorite ice cream that I have made so far.

Note 1 - For those outside North America, half-and-half is half milk, half cream.

Note 2 - Metric Info: 2 cups = 480 ml; 2.5 oz = 70g; 4 oz = 110g.

Green Tea Ice Cream

I have been wanting to make this ice cream for quite some time now, having eaten it at a Chinese restaurant (A Single Pebble, in Burlington, VT) and loved it. However, most of the recipes I found required the use of green tea powder (matcha), which I couldn't find for the longest time. Until my girlfriend took me to New York's Chinatown. So, I finally got to make it:

Pour 2 cups half-and-half into a saucepan, and bring it almost to a boil over medium heat. Keep an eye on it - do not let it boil over! Meanwhile, whisk 5 egg yolks, 7 oz sugar and 1.5 tbsp green tea powder together in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Set up a metal bowl on ice with a strainer in it.

As soon as you see bubbles forming around the edges of the pan of half-and-half, pour a little of the hot liquid into the bowl with the yolks. Whisk it into the yolk mixture and then dump everything back into the saucepan. Continue to heat the mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it coats the back of the spoon (a line drawn in the back of the spoon with your finger does not fill in). At this point, remove the pan from the heat and pour the contents through the strainer into the metal bowl. Stir to help it cool down and stop cooking. Allow the mixture to cool in the pan and then transfer to the fridge to chill.

Once chilled, churn in an ice cream maker until frozen. Store in the freezer. Enjoy!

Note 1 - If you cannot find matcha, you could try steeping green tea leaves in the half-and-half. I would suggest 4 tsp green tea, added to the 2 cups half-and-half and brought to just below the boil, removed from the heat, covered and let sit for 30 minutes. After that time, strain out the leaves, bring the half-and-half up to just below a boil again and proceed as above, omitting the green tea powder. I have not tried this yet, so if you do, let me know how it works out.

Note 2 - For those outside North America, half-and-half is half cream, half milk.

Note 3 - Metric Info: 2 cups = 480ml; 7 oz = 200g.