Mató & Maple Syrup » strawberry

We got jamming!

alexandra — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:56:06 +0000

Have I mentioned how much I love my CSA? Well, a lot comes close. One of the beauties of becoming a CSA member is having access to the freshest produce available, grown locally. Getting a share at a farmers’ co-op (which is what my CSA is) has also taught me a great deal about eating seasonally. And let me tell you, when it comes to taste and nutrients, nothing can replace fresh, local, seasonal produce. Here in Toronto we are quite spoiled since southern Ontario has some of the richest farm land in North America. The only problem with eating seasonally is that whatever is in season can be found in abundance at farmers’ market but we can only eat so much of it before the season for a given produce ends. I always wanted to can some the summer and fall bounty for the long winter months. Preserving, however, is not quite like cooking where you put some ingredients together and be reasonably confident that it would turn out. And if it doesnt turn out, no harm done. Preserving is more of a science – if the chemistry inside the jar is not done right, you can get very very sick or even die. With that in mind, I waited until I could find a knowledgeable friend who agreed to can with me and teach me the skills.

Turns out I’m not the only urbanite with less than ideal food preservation skills so KEG decided to organize a workshop on the basics of canning and since strawberry season is nearly over they decided that the class would be about making jam. I jumped at the opportunity, of course! That the class was held a block away from home only added to its attractiveness. So last saturday, 12 of us met for this workshop and it was a LOT of fun. Betsy, the instructor, had a degree on food preservation from the University of Wisconsin and gave us a thorough introduction to the science behind home canning. She brought along about ten different version of strawberry jams, canned using slightly different methods for us to taste. Afterward we turned to the boxes of strawberries KEG provided and began preparing our jams. We made two different kinds: an old fashioned sugar-based strawberry jam which we seasoned with lemon and lavender. It was exquisite! Stay tuned for the recipe! The second jam was a strawberry jam sweetened with wild honey, requiring a very quick cooking method since we thickened it with pectin. I found that second jam to be ideal on plain yogurt or creme fraiche.

I’ll be definitely buying a canning book and preparing more jams throughout the summer. I guess that’ll make me popular among my friends, who will no doubt get homemade jam as gifts on a regular basis. Raspberry season is around the corner and I saw a recipe for a raspberry mint and lavender jam in one of the books that sounds too irresistible!

Rhubarb season

alexandra — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 02:20:06 +0000

It’s strawberry and rhubarb season and I simply cannot get enough. After trying stewed rhubarb in maple syrup, strawberry & rhubarb crumble, and a compote, Shannon from KEG recommended this simple but fabulous custard pie:

Not very photogenic but every bite elicited a very loud "OMG!" from Alan

Voort’s Classic Rhubarb Custard

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup sugar (i actually replace this with 1 to 1 1/4 cup maple syrup. I actually replace everything with maple syrup…)

1 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 Orange juice (if using maple, just leave this out – or replace with any other juice you have!) [I used maple and didn't add orange juice]

beat eggs, then stir in remaining ingredients one at a time

fill pie shell with cut up rhubarb (2-4 cups, depending on the size of your pie plate), then pour custard mixture over top. (you can add any other fruits in here as well – try strawberries, sour cherries – basically any berries you still have in your freezer…amazing) [I added strawberries; about two cups of each]

(my favourite pastry is butter pastry – can you go wrong with butter? – 1 1/2 cups flour (I’ve used the red fife, all purpose, spelt and buckwheat here – all good!), 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 lb cold butter, 3-5 tbsp ice water – mix flour & salt, cut in butter, add ice water until it’s a ball. refrigerating for a few minutes really helps the roll-out. makes 1 shell) [I used spelt; wasn't sure it was going to turn out but it was a very nice, flaky pie shell]

bake at 4oo degrees for 15-20 minutes, then reduce temp to 375 and bake 30-40 minutes more or until custard is set.

let it cool until you can put it in your mouth without burning yourself…

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

alexandra — Mon, 10 May 2010 02:18:16 +0000

I love a good crumble. Although Apple Crumble is a favourite in our household, I’m always looking for seasonal variations. So when I saw stalks or fresh rhubarb at the market this weekend I quickly snatched some. Rhubarb is one of the first plants available in the spring and mixed with strawberries it makes the ultimate spring crumble/pie/or cobbler base. The topping on this one comes from Mark Bittman, although I add more flour, sugar, and oats because my dish was large and I like a lot of crumble. It was so good I even forgot to take a picture so you’ll just have to trust me on this one.

Crumble:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
5 tbsp unsalted butter, chopped in small pieces
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I didn’t have any, but it would had been nice)

Fruit filling

3 cups chopped rhubarb
3 cups chopped strawberries
juice of one lemon
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp cornstarch

Directions

Heat the oven to 400F (200C)
Mix the fruits, 1/4 cup sugar, maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon in a large baking dish
For the topping, mix all ingredients with your hands until you get a coarse crumble.
Pour over the fruit and bake for 40-45 mins until crumble is browned and fruit is bubbly. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.