FIGS, GLORIOUS FIGS!

I hadn’t planned to make jam this week, really.  But, I walked into Zanotto’s on Wed at noon and there were 4 baskets of figs……..just sitting there……..waiting.  I brought them home and started the Spiced Fig jam.  This is not a Christine Ferber recipe.  In fact, I’m not too keen on the fig recipes in her book – they seem too sweet. This one is from someone named David Pascoe who is from Australia or New Zealand….somewhere down under.  It’s a 2 day recipe and I’ve been making it for several years now. 

2.2 lbs of figs, topped and bottomed……cut into the size you want.  I like mine halved.  

The first season of figs in the year is quite short and I didn’t make any jam then.  I wasn’t expecting the “real” harvest until a little later in the summer. These must be from the Central Valley. My figs are still green and growing. These weren’t all as ripe as I’d like, but OK.  After I got a few really ripe figs from my tree, I realized that the slight musty flavor that you find in commercial figs is not there in a fig that’s been picked when completely ripe.  It kind of spoils you, you know?  Still, I doubt that I’ll get 2.2 lbs of figs from my tree at once, so these will do.  And, I’ll check back later with the orchard guy for his – they should be perfect!

3.5 cups of sugar, 1T of allspice, 1T of cinnamon and juice of 1/2 lemon

This mixture mascerates for 2 hours, then into Fannie and slowly to a boil.  Simmer for an hour – a whole hour!  You don’t have to watch and stir it every minute but you don’t want it to stick.  Already it’s beginning to smell wonderful!

 

Into Fannie…………

Don’t bring the mixture to a boil too quickly.  Patience.  The fragrance of the cooking jam fills the house with the essence of a fall afternoon – all spicy and sweet.  Then after the hour, into a bowl and wait overnight.  The next day the recipe calls for boiling for another 15 minutes before jarring.  Sometimes, tho, it’s already jam consistency and it just needs to get good and hot before ladling into the jars. This batch was really ready last night.

See?

It’s shiny and thick and spicy and sweet and all around deeelicious!

Yield:  4 8 oz jars and 1 4 oz jar and enough left in Fannie to be certain it’s a good batch!  I’m also making creme fraiche ice cream and cream cheese dough hand pies tonight.  We are having a dinner party at my boss’ house tomorrow after work. We all like to cook and my boss has a kitchen the size of an airplane hangar!  We decide on a menu and then get together and cook and eat like queens!  I’m bringing the ice cream and hand pies made with spiced fig jam, strawberry/raspberry/basalmic and either blackberry or blueberry jam.  I’ll bring a jar of the chocolate and pears to spoon over the ice cream, in case anyone hasn’t developed diabetes yet.  I’ll post photos of the little pies later – it’s an old Martha Stewart recipe, I think.  They are quite tasty!

Here they are!

It’s late.  I’m tired and have a huge mess in the kitchen.  As usual.  I’m going to bed.

ANOTHER CONFESSION

Bless me Jam Godmother, for I have sinned.  I bought fruit from Safeway to make jam.  I bought blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.  Collective gasp!  Here’s the thing…….on Friday, I usually buy what fruit I need from the farmer’s market.  I wasn’t planning to make jam because I though I would spend all day on Saturday emptying A’s room.  As it turned out, it was actually a Friday when I got off at noon (K and I had switched and I forgot), so I came home to get a head start on the job.  Then, when the room was empty, later that night, C and I spent most of the night at the ER (related earlier).  So, when at the grocery store on Saturday I saw blueberries for what was a very reasonable price, I thought, “Well, it’s got to be cheaper than that $1 an ounce batch I made, so what the hell?”  I bought a couple of big containers and because we are out of strawberry/raspberry/basalmic, a large container of strawberries and a couple of raspberries.

The blueberry is a recipe I have not made before – very simple, like the blackberry.  Just berries, lemon juice and sugar.  Here’s a look at the blueberries…

I’ve spent a significant amount of money on blueberries over the past year or so.  The antioxidant properties of the fruit are well-known and so I’ve kept a small berry colander on the kitchen counter for Husband to put in his morning cereal and for snacks throughout the day.  Usually, as soon as the blackberries begin to ripen I substitute them for the blueberries.  Last night, I ordered a couple of dwarf blueberry bushes online.  They will be delivered in the fall. According to the information on the site, berries do not appear for 2 to 3 years.  This is a gamble of sorts, as I have been known to mis-water and things have a way of dying when they aren’t watered correctly.  Ahem.

I know there are many ways to juice a lemon.  I have those squeeze things that are fashioned after garlic presses, but I prefer this old fashioned one.  It reminds me of my great aunt and grandmother’s kitchens.  

In this recipe, you put the berries, lemon juice and sugar into a bowl and let them mascerate for 10 minutes.  Then, into Fannie to boil for 5 minutes, and back to the bowl and into the fridge overnight.  The sugar made the berries look like they had snow on them…………

 

I also put the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar mixture in the fridge for brewing up today.  The blueberry made 4 small jars and a mini, which C has already claimed for the gourmand pharmacist she works for.  The strawberry also made 4 small jars and a mini.

Speaking of jars.  Why on earth did they start putting those awful white rings and lids on the jars that come in boxes? First, they are just all around ugly and then they put this garish fruit logo on the lids that is even worse, if possible.  I hate them so much that when I buy jars I buy a box of rings and lids in the usual brass color.  So, now I have all these stupid, ugly rings and lids that I will NEVER use.  I would buy the jars we used for J&S’s wedding, but I give so many away that it is just too expensive.  And, you can’t buy the replacement lids in the store.  

So, I need to put the last coat of paint on the baseboards, vacuum the crappy carpet that is going away tomorrow and put sheets over the contents of the closet that now covers the couch and a chair in the living room.  It’s been a tiring, but productive, weekend.  Next weekend will be spent painting the room, I hope. I’m thinking no jam next weekend.  Really.

ER………..THE REAL ONE, NOT THE TV SHOW

C v. Nasty Stomach Bug.  And, the winner is………..Nasty Stomach Bug.  Nearly 48 hours of puking will leave one dehydrated with the dry heaves and a seriously cramping stomach.  So, Friday night just before 9, I convinced her that writhing on the couch is not treatment for what ails her.  Off to the ER to get rehydrated. Arrived at 9 and got back home at 2:30, as in A.M.  In that time, we sat in the waiting room for 2 hours, listened to what had to be the most patient ex-husband in the world get bitched at by his ex for taking their small girl to the ER on Friday night.  I have no idea why she was so pissed, but I wanted to snatch that Bluetooth out of his ear and tell her she was being a royal bitch.  I mean, taking a kid to the ER is nothing like going to the movies, you know.  The little girl was clearly not feeling well, as the dad was kind of wearing her as opposed to holding her – she was draped across his chest and quiet as a little mouse, while he named the pediatricians he had called to her mother and calmly told her that he had texted her they were going to the ER as soon as he made the decision.  He said, “I’m not trying to ruin your evening.” I think the telling part of the conversation was when he said something to the effect of, “You are always angry I just try not to talk to you.”  Well, I’D like to have a few minutes with her.

Then, the very old woman in the wheelchair with the oxygen canister on the back was wheeled in.  No one had covered her legs and it was cold.  It wasn’t clear that she knew where she was.  I felt badly for her and C thought maybe she was dead.  She wasn’t but that’s not living, either.

After 2 hrs. we get a room.  There is a lot of waiting to be done in the ER.  This I know from WAY too many previous experiences.  This time, I was grateful to be there for such a easy fix.  It has not always been thus. It was DAMN COLD.  If they wouldn’t keep the hospital at a temperature that would allow one to hang meat safely in any room, I’m thinking there would be some big savings to be had in medical care costs.  A very scruffy (but in a cute way) doctor stopped by to give a listen and a poke and say IV fluids were in order. C knew his name from scripts brought into the pharmacy where she is a tech. Two bags of saline, some meds for nausea, stomach cramping and pain and soon C was sleeping peacefully for the first time in a couple of days.  Well, after the nurse made good on her promise to bring heated blankets.  I sat in a chair with C’s jacket over my shoulders and her t-shirt draped over my knees.  It must have been 40 degrees in there.  Just after 2 am, the bags of saline had run dry and the blood tests were all normal.  Show us you can drink some water and keep it down and you can go home.  She performed admirably and we were released. Driving home, we turned on the heated seats and the heater!  

Oh, and BTW, the room is empty except for a bit of stuff in the top of the closet that will be emptied today. J came over and muscled the computer armoire out the door and into our bedroom – that was the piece that was worrisome.  Thanks to some ingenious invention called “Moveables” it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.  Little saucer-like things fit under the corners of the furniture – slick and convex on the bottom and with a kind of really dense foam on the top that keeps the piece from slipping.  You just push the piece where you want it to go.  The window sill and window frame has been Q-tipped within an inch of its life awaiting an appt for an estimate for plantation shutters. Paint has been and will be purchased, later today. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, things will be better, but between now and then, there’s a LOT to do.  So, off to get some Gatoraide for C and paint and, since I can’t paint the room, some strawberries and raspberries – Fannie and I need to replenish the jam stash.

UPHEAVAL

Right now, I should be feverishly moving furniture from the room I’m in.  On Monday morning the floor folk are coming to rip up the carpet and refinish the hardwood floor underneath.  When they are finished, this room’s floor will match that of the LR, DR and hall!  I’ve been wanting to do this since A moved out – it was her room.  I sort of redid the room backwards.  Instead of refinishing the floors and painting, I bought all the new furniture and lighting.  So, now, it all has to be moved out to do the floors and paint.  Well, I’m only practically perfect.

I would take before and after photos but the before is just too sad.  The after will be MUCH better.  But, if I don’t get busy, there won’t be any after photos.  I’m going to have to move the computer to the DR table and am I ever glad we have a simple MAC to move.  Perhaps more later – we’ll see.  No jam this weekend.  TTFN!

SHOPPING RANT

I don’t GO shopping much – I tend to shop online or in small, independent stores. Department stores make my eyes glaze over and after hauling myself for miles through a mall, I’m just too tired to make a good decision. Plus, if I’ve got money, there’s not a damn thing in sight for miles and miles that I want. Completely broke: all the good stuff is right there on the front counter taunting me.

I went to Valley Fair tonight after work. I’ve been trying to buy a new watch for a couple of years without any success. Work has been so brutal for the past week or so that I thought maybe I’d try again – retail therapy. I knew better. All the watches are just so SHINY. And big as Wonder Woman’s bracelets! Well, there are some nice ones but who can afford a real Cartier? So, no watch again. Fine.

But was able to replace a pair of Ralph Lauren earrings I lost one of the other day! That was great – they are just simple – a kind of knock off of the Elsa Peretti “bean” ones at Tiffany’s. Go with everything. Stopped by L’Occitane to reward myself with a tube of the olive oil shower soap. A real extravagance and so what, I’m worth it. Anyway, smells like Paris.

Tried to buy some clothes. Did find a little sweater at JJill, but seriously, despite the fact that it was a good fit and flattering style, I just refuse to pay $75 for a thin cotton sweater. I mean, add $25-30 and you can get cashmere – well, Macy’s cashmere, but still. I’m a sucker for Eileen Fisher but only have a very few pieces. Saw a 3/4 length jacket at Nordy’s that was like a Siren calling my name. The fabric was soft as any baby’s behind and a basketweave texture. Stunning. Marked down. And, you know only people who live in some kind of altered reality can actually WEAR these things. I, on the other hand, live in the world of dogs and things that poke and pull at you all the time. Hell, even the placemats at work pull my sweaters. So, thank you for making such truly beautiful clothing, Eileen, but I have to pass on this one.

To tell the truth, a lot of clothes and bags kind of scare me. Apparently, a size 10 is now XL, at least at J Crew. Their clothes are made for some kind of evolving body style that has no hip bones or breasts. I have hip bones …..somewhere under there. No one makes clothes with sleeves anymore. Let’s face it, if you are a woman “of a certain age” there are several parts of your body that just should not be seen in public. Upper arms, knees and necks. Unless you happen to be Jane Fonda or Jamie Lee Curtis. One can cover arms and knees with minimal effort – necks – not that easy. Bags are just intimidating – all those pockets and flaps and bangles and fringes and tags hanging off. I’d feel like the bag was wearing me. And, they are either large enough to conceal a dead body or so small you can’t get your cell phone in it, much less your driver’s license and credit cards. And they cost as much as a car, used car maybe, but a car nevertheless.

So, as usual, I end up at Williams Sonoma for a dose of kitchen porn. Tonight, the sales clerk (also named Cynthia) and I discussed the merits of various copper cleaners. She determined that Barkeeper’s Friend was the best and I was glad to know that copper just tarnishes before your eyes and it’s not something I’m doing. I visited for a short time with a cousin of Fannie’s. Her brass handles needed polishing. I know how she feels.

In the end, after 2 hours of steady walking, I came home with: 2 pairs of earrings; 3 bars of soap that I don’t need; a tube of shower soap; lavender house perfume; and a small plate from Portugal. I also came home needing to pee, hungry, cranky and tired and completely unfulfilled. I really want that Eileen Fisher jacket!

SUNDAY DINNER

As I mentioned, I found a recipe in a magazine while waiting for my haidresser at Miss Mae’s on Friday afternoon.  I did NOT tear out the page, thank you.  I sat and jotted down the ingredients and tried to keep from drooling.  Frittata with Leeks and Roasted Tomatoes.  Also, assorted herbs and while the recipe called for ricotta, I used feta.  Because it’s betta.  I roasted the tomatoes last night while blanching the peaches. 

Roasting tomatoes (275 for 3 hrs) that have been tossed in olive oil, with sprigs of thyme, thinly sliced garlic and topped with a twist of sea salt makes the house smell divine.  

There’s 12 eggs, 1/2 cup of cream (I used half and half), 1/3 cup of tarragon, chives and parsley and a couple of leeks sauteed in olive oil.  You whisk it all together and put it in an oven proof skillet.  Add 5 tomato halves and cook it on the stovetop until it’s set except for the middle – add the remaining 5 tomato halves and the feta and into the oven for 35 minutes.  Fresh herbs make all the difference.  I keep glasses of herbs on the kitchen windowsill.  If you buy a bunch of basil in the store and bring it home and whack off the stems and put it in a glass of water, it will keep a long time.  In fact, if you don’t let the water go slimy, it will root and actually grow!  Cilantro doesn’t keep as well, but parsley will last. The chives are outside in a pot.  And, you know, fresh basil smells so good, it’s nice to have on the windowsill.  I think the housekeepers hate me because I have a windowsill cluttered with tomatoes and herbs, usually lemons, and my funky little kitchen angel and they really hate having to move them to clean.  You can’t see the mortar and pestle in the corner. But, they do move them and I appreciate that.  And, yes, I clean before they come.  Not clean, de-clutter the bar.  You can’t clean what you can’t get to.  I make such a mess when I cook…if you want to know what’s for dinner, just look on the floor.  Chances are there are bits and pieces of every ingredient right there.  But, the frittata – here it is, fresh from the oven – what do you think?

  I think Husband and I will have dinner now!

 

Note to WordPress:  Really, people, there should be better formatting.  These gaps and such make me crazier than I already am.  Pffsstt!

PEACHES AND SAFFRON

Saffron?  Seriously?  Yes.  Saffron.

On the way back from Costco, we found the orchard and came home with white and yellow peaches.  I was delighted to find that this orchard also has mission figs – always happy for another source! Anyway, I’m not sure how I overlooked this recipe before, maybe it was just so ‘outside the box jar’ that it didn’t register. But, still smarting from having recently forked over $11 for an amount of Spanish saffron that might cover my thumbnail, maybe I was sensitized to the word SAFFRON.  First, blanch the peaches for 1 minute, then refresh in an ice bath, thus……..

As a kind of aside, and really not important, you will notice that the peaches are being blanched in an old piece of Magnalite cookware.  Not pretty but does bring stuff to a boil in a hurry.  And, if you are as impatient a cook as am I, something to be considered.

 

 

 

Next, you see the blanched peaches in a bowl of ice water.  It’s called, “refreshing the fruit.”  I guess after a minute in boiling water, ice water would feel refreshing.

Wonder if they are shivering?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, a photo of the sliced peaches, some lemon juice (invisible), sugar and saffron.  And, can I just say that blanched peaches are slimy as can be?  Ick.  In this photo, if you look closely, you will see the accidental yellow peach amongst the white peaches.  Small oops. Not to worry.  You can also see how quickly Fannie can ‘turn.’ She was just cleaned the night before.  This mixture is brought to a simmer and then turned into a ceramic bowl, covered with a piece of parchment paper (of course, it’s unbleached, how could you even ask?) and then put to bed in the fridge overnight.  Usually, I bring the bowl out first thing in the morning and start the ‘jamming’ process.  Today, tho, I had an appointment at J’s church at 10:00 am and I actually laid abed until 8:00 am – unheard of. I’ll write something separate about this experience because it was, well, out of the ordinary in many ways.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The barely simmered, spent the night in the fridge, concoction then goes into the chinois for a spell.  The liquid eventually makes its way into the waiting bowl……….

This takes awhile.  You want all the sweet syrup.  You poke around with the wooden thing – I don’t know what you call it but I’m certain there’s a name for it.  Of course, there are spoonfuls that go astray in the process.  Astray, as into the mouth of the cook.  At least I didn’t stick my finger in the bowl!

Ta Da!  Four jars and a mini and a bit in a custard cup – the absolute BEST yield.  A mini jar to give away and a custard cup to savor without opening a jar.  So, you might be wondering, “What the hell does saffron do to peach jam?”  And, I would answer, “Beats the hell out of me!”  Only, I’ll try to describe it.  First, I really like saffron and one of my favorite recipes is just olive oil, shallots, garlic, rice, saffron, sea salt and peas.  I eat that a lot because it’s easy to make, makes a lot and it’s yummy.  Saffron has a unique taste – it’s clean and earthy at the same time.  In this jam, I think it cuts the sticky sweetness that can be peach jam and adds…be right back….need another taste.  Huh.  It just tastes like peach jam with saffron it it!  The little red threads are interesting.  It’s just yummy, pretty in the jar and Christine Ferber is a genius.

Note: As in many things, what you see is not always what you get. Particularly in the formatting of this post. I can’t account for the gaps and funky spacing.  It doesn’t look that way when drafting but, inexplicably, does when you hit the “publish” button.  So, just so you know, that kind of thing drives me crazy – hope it doesn’t distract too much from the experience for you.

 

 

BACKYARD BLACKBERRY JAM

The thing about using your own fruit (well, fruit from your own yard) is that you have access to really ripe fruit.  When you have to rely on commercial sources, you have to know that the fruit was picked before it was really ripe because really ripe fruit does not travel well.  Come to think of it, neither do I, unless by plane.  Guess I must be really ripe! 

I went out last night to pick just enough berries to bring my supply up to the 2 1/4 lbs. called for in this recipe.  Blackberries are just beautiful – dark and bright at the same time.  I’ve learned the subtleties of picking them:  twist, don’t pull; if they don’t come easily, leave them for another day; try really hard not to eat all the ones that come right off into your hand – they are the sweetest and juiciest.  So, when you can pick and process at your own pace, you can choose the really ripe fruit and, believe me, it makes a big difference.  The sweetness of really ripe fruit cannot be duplicated by cane sugar.  I don’t know much about chemistry (well, nothing at all, really) but I’m certain that the chemical make up of ripe fruit sugar is unique. And you can taste the difference.  So, for the folks who just look at the pictures, here’s the beginning of the journey – berries in Fannie waiting to be coaxed into jam……….

When picking blackberries, if you look carefully, you can see the ones that are really ripe – the tight little balls of the berry have begun to just open, like the petals on a flower.  Maybe the infusion of the natural sugar that is the ripening process makes them swell and separate.  Anyway, those berries have turned the corner from tart to SWEET.  You can’t get those berries commercially unless you visit a berry farm and can pick your own or buy some picked that day.

The jam cooks up pretty quickly and this batch made 4 small jars and 1 mini jar (4 oz).  It’s important (to me) to be sure to get every drop of the jam into a jar or into my mouth.  So, I always carefully scrape the sides and bottom of Fannie with a spatula.  Let me add that it’s essential to use a spatula that fits easily into one’s mouth!  Waste not, want not. As you can see from the following, Fannie has been scraped and if I could, I would lick her!  This is seriously delicious jam, people.  Amazing how just berries, lemon juice and sugar can combine to make such a wonderful taste.

We are off to Costco now – I haven’t been there in what seems like years.  On the way home, we’ll go by that peach orchard and see if we can get some ‘picked today’ fruit.  If we can, then there’s another batch of peach and pinot in the works.  You know, J’s ex told me he thought peach would be good with cabernet.  Something to file away for another day.

Later, I’m going to try a roasted tomato frittata recipe I copied out of a magazine at Miss Mae’s yesterday – that’s where I get my hair tortured.  Photos at 11!

BLACKBERRIES AND PINOT NOIR

I’m going to make blackberry jam this weekend with berries from the backyard.  And, maybe, the pinot noir jelly.  I read about a peach orchard that’s near us – in the middle of the city – in an article in Sunset Magazine.  I actually know the plot of land they were describing as it is not far from us, but had forgotten that it was an orchard.  So, as the peach and pinot jam was such a big hit and I’m down to only 1 jar, on Saturday I’ll go over and see if the peach orchard is open.  But I really need to make more strawberry/raspberry/basalmic…..oh, what I really need is a week off!

Anyway, whatever happens, there’ll be photos and ramblings.  I have to say, those blackberries are going to make beautiful music with Fannie!

And, on Sunday I’m going to J’s Unitarian Church for a kind of experiment.  Their regular minister is taking a vacation and one of the members is conducting services on Sunday.  The topic is “Healing” and she told me that she’s trying to get a very intellectual congregation out of their heads and into their hearts.  The way she intends to do this is to have a kind of mass reiki session.  There will be 4 practioners (of whom I will be one) and people will line up for a short session during the service.  Sounds a bit odd, but you know those Unitarians!  We’ll see what happens, how it goes and then I’ll tell you about it.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IF YOU HAD………

Well, what would you say?  My first thought was, “WTF?”  But, wait.  The things that break my heart, make me cry and wring my hands are not, really, ACTS OF GOD.  Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, floods, wildfires, none of these are really ACTS OF GOD despite what it says in your homeowner’s policy.  They are just nature being nature, and more and more, our own damn fault.  Wars, while having been fought in “God’s name” are not of God.  Mankind just wraps itself in the Name of God in a futile attempt to bring acceptance to unacceptable behavior.  Oh, some jump on the wagon and attach Old Glory to their pick up trucks and fill themselves full of self-righteousness until they could just pop.  But, really, WE are the cause of all this misery.

So.  I think in the midst of the craziness that goes on around me every day, I would just say, you know, thanks a whole lot!  This world (if we don’t completely destroy it) is incredible in it’s beauty and diversity. Every little piece of every little thing is a bonafide miracle in so many ways.  If we are not idiots, we can have wonderful relationships with those of our kind.  Intimate and sweet and giving and loving and so rewarding.  That is a big IF, I know.  I get to see firsthand what happens between humans when they are idiots with each other and it’s not pretty.  In fact, it’s tragic to see such potential go so very wrong.  We just make the worst choices sometimes, even doing the best we can, we make monumental messes of our lives and the lives of those around us.  We have to do better.  We deserve better.  So, I’m just sayin’ thanks a whole lot for the opportunity and trying really hard not to completely screw it up.

What would you say if you had 10 Minutes With God?