Blackberry-Strawberry Balsamic Jam

The debate as to whether title this post Blackberry-Strawberry Balsamic Jam or Christmas in July raged on in my mind for hours I assure you.  "I've been having a year", or polite speak for I'm completely over "everything" and can we please move on already.  I'm hoping it's a case of riding out the bad in order to truly appreciate the good.  The weather here goes from tolerable to "welcome to the eternal inferno" in a matter of seconds it seems and I've been struggling to find my get up and go (because it got up and went ages ago).  The fruit orchards that surround the area I live have little tolerance for my journey to "find" myself.  Don't worry though, that fruit got a heated surprise: a bubbling cauldron of sugar and aged balsamic vinegar, bwuahaha.  (Wow, I really need to get a life or a therapist, not sure which?)

Probably the therapist, since I picked a 106-degree day to spend perched in front of the stove stirring pots of jam.  I always start out thinking, oh a couple jars should do me and before I know it I have three cases of jam staring at me and a few days missing.  I added some jars of Peach, Nectarine, Satsuma Plum, Blackberry-White Pepper, and Strawberry to the line-up for good measure.  Then I got to thinking about it, I made way more than I need for the year so I guess it's time to pawn some of this bounty off on kindly folks.  Then I got to thinking well the weather did drop down to a pleasant 102; might as well fire up the oven and bake cookies to send to the kindly jam recipients.  Poof, I think we now have Christmas in July.  (Poof, internal memo to sign up for that brain transplant when they become available straight away because mine is on the fritz these days!)

Strawberry-Blackberry Balsamic Jam
1 pound strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 pound blackberries
16 ounces sugar
3 ounces balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sugar powdered pectin (optional)

Add the strawberries, blackberries, sugar, and vinegar to a 4-quart saucepan; bring to a boil on medium-high heat.  Add the pectin at this point if using.  Turn the heat down a little if it is boiling over or scorching.  Boil and stir the jam for 15 minutes if using pectin, for 20-25 if not using pectin.  I usually prefer a looser setting jam so I forgo it, but it's up to you.  Skim the top of the jam for any "jam scum" as I like to affectionately call it (whitish foam also works) before placing in jars if you want a cleaner finished product.

Sterilize (3) 8-ounce glass jars and bands.  Also have on hand (3) jar lid seals.  Place the hot jam into the clean jars; wipe rims with a clean towel, place lids and bands on and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.  The unopened jars will last for up to one year if stored in a cool dark place.  For more detailed processing instructions you may find this post helpful Apricot and Garam Masala Jam. It you plan on eating all the jam within a few weeks, you can skip hot water processing and store it in the fridge.

There is something quite therapeutic about rolling out cookie dough, I find it hard to even explain.  Recipe for the chocolate crinkles if you so desire, these never fail to bring smiles.

There is something even more therapeutic about scarfing down a Peanut Butter and Blackberry-Strawberry Balsamic Jam, Oatmeal Shortbread Sandwich that is even harder to explain.  Actually I don't think I can ever eat a PB&J on bread again and ever look at it the same way again.   Funny how life changes us, for the better I hope. 

Enjoy,

Gina

Strawberry, Marshmallow, Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Should we just get down to brass tacks and I try with all my might to persuade you that you need these Strawberry, Marshmallow, Dark Chocolate Sugar Cookies in your life to make it complete?  Perhaps it's necessary to fill a void, a reason to cheat on that diet (that you knew deep down you weren't sticking to anyways), a salve to soothe away winter blues.  I could even argue the case that these lovely treats contain mood lifting dark chocolate and real strawberries, but really now; stare deeply into their little pink hearts, you know resistance is futile.  

Face it we all have our growing lists of crap-to-do and limited amounts of time to do it in.  I think I'm becoming a master of distraction and can easily convince my vast expanse of a wandering mind that there are a million other things I need to be doing than sitting down working these days.  For one, my chaturanga got up and left, actually I'm not sure if it ever really liked me that much anyhow but I do miss it so.  Baking and my lack of it the last few months was something else I sorely missed so I rounded up all the energy and focus I could and whipped up some treats to share with my Valentines.  It was a good salve and I enjoyed the time immersed in it, one day at a time, I'm going to get there.  I have no idea where "there" is but I know I'll recognize it when I see it.

Until you get to your "there" perhaps you should immerse yourself in a kitchen filled with the aroma of strawberries, the sweetness of soft fluffy marshmallow needing to be licked off your sticky fingers, or perhaps disposing of all the wayward melty chocolate and errant sprinkles is more your speed.  Either way we all can get something we want out of the deal.

    

Strawberry Sugar Cookies
1.2 ounces freeze dried strawberries

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.  Place the strawberries in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until they are a powder. Sift the powder through a fine sieve and discard any larger pieces that are left. Set aside.

3.  Add the butter and sugar to a mixing bowl and mix until the butter is lighter in color and fluffy.

4.  Add the egg, strawberry powder, flour, and salt and mix until well combined.

5.  Roll 1/2 of the dough on a floured surface into a 1/4” thick disk. Cut the cookies in heart shapes or whichever shape you’d like. Place the cookies onto a baking sheet prepared with parchment or silicone mats. Space the cookies about an inch apart. Repeat until all the dough has been used up.

6.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies feel firm to the touch.
7.  Let cool.

Marshmallow Fluff

3 large egg whites 

2/3 cup granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons 

3/4 cup light corn syrup 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Pinch salt

1.  Beat eggs in a mixer until frothy and then add 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until soft peaks form. 

2.  In a small pan heat corn syrup and 1/3 cup water and rest of granulated sugar until boiling. Let boil until it reaches a temperature of 242 degrees F. 

3.  Pour sugar into mixer with egg whites and beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed until the sugar is cool and mixture resembles marshmallow fluff.

4.  Place fluff in a piping bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip.  Pipe the marshmallow fluff onto half of the sugar cookies and top with another cookie and set aside.

This version is so good and fluffy and pipes so well, but if you want to just buy a jar that's cool too.  This recipe will make more than you need and you can store the rest in a covered jar in the fridge for a few days. 

Also needed

6 ounces dark chocolate 

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Assorted sprinkles

1.  Melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl of a double boiler, stirring until melted and then take off heat.  

2.  Dip sides of filled cookies in chocolate and then sprinkle with the sprinkles over a separate bowl.  

3.  Place finished cookies on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the fridge until firmed up.  Store in a cool place.  

Spreading around a little love and cookies was a huge mood lifter.  I'm putting it back on the do-again-soon list.  

Enjoy,

Gina

"Tweaking" the Twinkie Recipe

I was so excited when I spied a Twinkie pan at my local craft store the other day; I came home and couldn't concentrate on work because I had Twinkies on the brain.  I have to admit to being behind the curve on some trends.  When I saw the news that Hostess wasn't going to be making the Twinkie anymore, my first thought was, "They still make Twinkies?"  Not that I didn't consume my fair share of Twinkies over the years, it's just that it was years ago.

Twinkies and the memory of my best friend are completely intertwined.  I had a funny story in mind,  but I've had a lump in my throat I can't shake.  I put a picture up of what I was working on for you guys the other day and when I went to respond to some comments I was stopped in my tracks by some very sad news that we had lost a blogging friend Elle from Elle's New England Kitchen.  Elle had friended me through Facebook early on and I enjoyed her spirited sense of humor and her beautiful beaded jewelry she was always working on.  She had these corgis that she loved sharing pictures of which always made me smile.

I have had my unfair share of experience with these types of things the last few years, and I really feel for her family and the grief they are going to go through.  I just want them to know Elle will be missed.

I had a hard time finding the right recipe to make Twinkies, I found quite a few that used shortening, cake mix or marshmallow cream in them.  If you are going to make something and call it homemade I think it deserves better ingredients than that or I would just buy them made, or at least that is my pet peeve.  So I set about on a "Tweak the Twinkie" mission.

Cake:
1 cup cake flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

Cream filling:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray the pan with no-stick spray.  I bought the Twinkie shaped pan at my local craft store it is a Wilton brand, but I'm sure if you looked online there are more options.

Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer add the three egg whites and whip on high speed until stiff peaks are starting to form. Transfer the whites to another bowl and put the bowl back on the mixer.

Add the egg yolks and sugar and beat until the egg yolks get paler and lemony in color.  Add the vanilla extract and coconut oil and mix until combined.  Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until it comes together on low speed.  Add one third of the egg whites and mix until combined.  Take the bowl off the stand and fold in another 1/3 of the whites until combined, then fold in the remaining egg whites.

My daughter insisted I keep half of them vanilla, but I needed a little more zing from my Twinkies so I poured half of the batter in another bowl and mixed in the following ingredients.

Lemon- Strawberry version:
Zest from 1 lemon (I used a Meyer lemon, but regular will work just fine)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons dried strawberries, minced

Pour the batter into each hole about 1/2 full.  You should get six vanilla and six lemon-strawberry Twinkies. If you want, you can increase the amount of lemon juice a little and up the strawberries and do all twelve that way.

Bake for 7-9 minutes, until they are just set.  You don't want to over bake them or the will dry out fast.  Let cool on a rack.

In the bowl of a mixer whip the heavy cream and sugar on high speed until stiff. (If you want lemon cream, just add a little zest and juice.)  Place the whipped cream in a piping bag with a tip and fill them from the bottom.  These are a little denser than spongy more like a Madeline, but I think I preferred this version, even though I certainly enjoyed trying the other versions I experimented with.

Note: I used a Wilton 230 tip to fill them, because it's longer and can be inserted from the side as well as bottom. Also on my bag when I use tips that I may want to change out I use a coupler, they are available where the tips are sold.  It makes things so much less messy.

Because these are filled with whipped cream you should store them in the fridge.

Peace and Twinkies,

Gina

Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Cupcakes - Fit for Royalty

The castle has been a blur of activity the last couple of weeks.  I've been on a quest, an important quest indeed.  Wandering about the castle, I came upon something so obvious and glaring I had to do something about it.   From all outward appearances it was still a grand place complete with a moat.  The shimmer of its former glory was still there, it was just a little worn and faded.  So I set about on a long and tiring journey to put the gleam back into its facade.

There was a lot of climbing involved, a bit of heavy lifting (castle furniture isn't light) and even some get down on your knees scrubbing.

The King and Princess who live in the castle think nothing of leaving their armor and ball gowns lying about, but I was afraid the expected noble men and women who were making the long journey here would frown upon such un-tidiness.

Amidst all the activity swirling about the castle, a Birthday was in need of a celebrating.  This was a special birthday for a special "Best Friend of the Kingdom".  Her only request was strawberries; I cast aside the mops and rags and set about baking some special Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Cupcakes for this special Best Friend.

This Best Friend has been through so much recently and I've tried to stay strong and help her as best as I can.  She is surviving breast cancer and chemo may have taken her hair, but it has in no way dimmed her radiant smile.  She has inspired me to grow in ways I didn't even know I could, rethink old thoughts and love even more.

She is more beautiful than any rose I've laid my eyes upon.

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

6 ounces cake flour

6 ounces granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1- inch pieces

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

5 ounces milk

3 ounces egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add to a large bowl or bowl of a mixer, cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt.  Mix to combine the dry ingredients.  Add butter, vanilla bean seeds, milk and egg whites, mix on medium speed until the batter is smooth.

Fill 12 paper lined muffin cups and bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool.

Note:  You will need a kitchen scale to measure some of the ingredients, but I assure you an investment in one is well worth it if you bake with any frequency.

Strawberry-Vanilla Coulis

1 pound strawberries, 5 or 6 reserved for garnish

1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Combine strawberries, vanilla bean seeds and sugar in a food processor, pulse until smooth.  Pass through a fine sieve to remove seeds.  Pour 3/4 of the contents into a squeeze bottle and reserve the other 1/4 for the buttercream.  Set aside.

Strawberry-Vanilla Buttercream

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out

1/4 of the strawberry-vanilla coulis

3-4 cups powdered sugar

Place the butter in a bowl of a mixer and mix until the butter gets really soft and smooth, it will look a bit fluffy and paler in color.  Add the vanilla bean seeds and strawberry-vanilla coulis, mix and slowly start adding the powdered sugar until you get the frosting to a nice spreading consistency.  I left the icing a little on the softer side, if you want it a little thicker just add a little more sugar.

To assemble the cupcakes, take the squeeze bottle filled with strawberry-vanilla coulis and press the tip into the cupcake and squeeze, repeat over the top of the cupcake.  Repeat for the rest of the cupcakes.

I frosted the cupcakes with a disposable piping bag with a small amount of the tip cut off and garnished them with just that little bit of extra love that was necessary.

I cut the sides off of the remaining strawberries and used a small heart shaped cutter to make strawberry hearts and threaded them onto toothpicks for an edible garnish.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

I have to say making these cupcakes lifted her spirits and mine too.  Getting the castle ready for a new family has tired me in more ways than I knew.

Stay strong my friend and I will stay strong right by your side.

Gina