Cranberry Jam

Jamming

with

Cranberries

In our family it’s a tradition to serve cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving dinner, we not only love it with dinner, it’s our favorite spread on a day-after-Thanksgiving turkey sandwich. During the Christmas holidays this tart fruit appears again when I love to prepare cranberry jam (very similar to cranberry sauce) except the jam cooks a little longer so it’s more like a jam than a sauce. It’s quick, a great food gift for my foodie friends and the pairing possibilities seem endless.  I don’t go through the traditional preserving method that is meant for long term storage, I just place it in jars and refrigerate until I gift it or use it. Cranberry jam will last for about 2-3 weeks refrigerated.  It’s a delicious accompaniment with pork and chicken or spoon over warm Brie, or for a quick, inexpensive and festive appetizer, spoon over a brick of cream cheese and garnish with toasted almonds. Nick loves to place a dollop over pancakes and then top them with warm maple syrup!

Cranberry Jam

Helpful to know: Be sure to grate the orange zest before you juice the orange.

One (16-ounce) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed

Juice from one orange

1 cup sugar 

1 teaspoon grated orange zest (from 1 orange)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Place ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently, until cranberries have softened and mixture is thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Yield: About 3 cups.

Autumn Spice Blend

I prepare lots of batches of this complementing blend to give as Christmas and hostess gifts. Not only does it transform the flavor of ordinary muffin, waffle and pancake batters but it's called for in so many of the guest-worthy recipes in my new cookbook, Planet Kitchen Table. The combination of flavors won't disappoint, I promise. The aroma? Unforgettable!

Worth noting: Autumn Spice blend is best kept stored in an air-tight container.

One 1-pound box (2¼ cups) light brown sugar

5 teaspoons cinnamon

4 teaspoons nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons cardamom

1 teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon lemon oil

Place brown sugar in large bowl, add spices and toss mixture until spices are well blended with the brown sugar. Add lemon oil and toss until ingredients seem fully incorporated. Yield: About 2¼ cups.

Halibut with Pineapple Salsa

Halibut over wild rice with Pineapple Salsa

A

divine array of colorful and tasty ingredients that make the perfect topping for just about any piece of  white fish. I source fish from markets and vendors that support sustainable seafood practices, this is wild-caught pacific halibut which gets a "Best Choice" rating from The Monterey Bay Seafood Watch . Seafood Watch offers a comprehensive guide about what to buy and what not to buy. You can download a pocket guide that is right for your region. Get to know what are the best choices, good alternatives, what to avoid and whats on their super green list. The Marine Stewardship Council  and the Blue Ocean Institute  are other seafood watchdogs that help us make choices for healthy oceans.   Whole Foods Market adheres to and supports environmental healthy seafood choices.

Pineapple Salsa

Tidbits for perfection: For optimum flavor, make certain the pineapple is really ripe. Roasted red peppers can be found in the refrigerated grocery section (usually near produce) of most health-oriented grocery stores. Plan accordingly, avocadoes tend to take a few days to ripen, keep this in mind if a ripe avocado is not available. Coconut and Macadamia nuts toast very quickly, watch closely as there is a small window between toasted and burned! 

1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped

¼ cup roasted red pepper, chopped

¼ cup shredded carrots

⅛ cup shredded coconut, toasted

⅛ cup macadamia nuts, chopped and toasted

⅛ cup green onion, sliced

½ ripe avocado, cut into bite size pieces

In a medium bowl, combine pineapple with red pepper, shredded carrots, coconut, macadamia nuts and green onion. Just before serving, add avocado and stir just to combine. Yield: 4 servings.

Citrus and Peach Marmalade

Every summer I prepare this recipe when summer peaches are plentiful. We slather it over warm, buttered slices of homemade bread and place dollops of it over vanilla ice cream. It makes a really memorable peanut butter and jelly sandwich as well!

I'm hoping it works in a filling for a cake I'm designing for a catering client who is getting married next week.  So stay tuned, I'll let you know the results of the cake.

Citrus and Peach Marmalade

Helpful to know: The mixture must be prepared a day in advance. 

2  oranges, unpeeled and quartered

½ lemon, unpeeled

6 medium peaches, peeled and chopped

3½ cups sugar

Place oranges and lemon in food processor, and pulse until mixture is chopped. Transfer orange/lemon mixture to a large container and add peaches and sugar, mix well. Refrigerate overnight. 

The following day ... 

Transfer mixture to a large saucepan and allow to come to room temperature, about 2 hours. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat slightly and boil gently (mixture should be "dancing") for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Allow mixture to cool before transferring to a glass container to accommodate. Once fully cooled, refrigerate. Yield: About five cups.

I'm Jammin with Yellow Tomatoes Today ...

... and according to Mr. Fabulous, the official taste-tester, I've turned out a rather tasty preserve. I added a bit of preserved ginger for spunk. I'm using it tomorrow evening for an engagement party I'm catering. It's a component of an appetizer I'm serving. I'll fill Athens brand mini fillo shells with triple cream Brie and Summer pesto, and a dollop of the yellow tomato preserve. It's crispy, creamy and so colorful and complementing, summer goodness all in one bite! This is just one of a few items I'll be serving. Be sure to check back in to find out the complete menu along with some pictures I'll post all of the food at the party. Oops, gotta run, the oven timer just went off...