Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 111

Links: Pickled Fruit, Book Reviews, and a Winner

This trip to Columbus and Pittsburgh has been totally wonderful. In Columbus, I stayed with Faith (and got to see her amazing kitchen), taught in a beautiful space, and discovered that Columbus might possibly have the best thrift stores in all of the US. I think I’m a little bit in love with Columbus.

Here in PGH, I’ve gotten to know the wonderful folks from the Pittsburgh Canning Exchange, peeked into the preserves room at Legume Bistro (they had jar after jar of smoked rhubarb ketchup!), and got some quality time in with one of my dearest friends. All in all, not a bad stretch of travel.

Now, links!

Two takes on pickled grapes. Or, if you prefer, pickled strawberries.
Kevin West has returned to his blog, with a recipe for raspberry jam with rose geranium and SIMI rosé.
Strawberry rhubarb galette, with the rhubarb cut into batons instead of little slices.
Burnished sourdough challah. Bread is so darned beautiful.
Pickled kohlrabi with mustard seeds.
Brandied summer cherries.
Use up those odds and ends of cheese this way. I might do this as soon as I get home, as I know there are some weird pieces languishing in the cheese drawer.
Strawberry fruit leather. Get it done before strawberries end their season!
Dead easy fridge pickles.

A few nice things about Preserving by the Pint!

Over on the FN Dish, Mallory Viscardi shares my recipe for Peach Jam with Sriracha.
Ashley English said many nice things about the book recently, and is giving away a copy! If you haven’t gotten a copy yet, go enter!
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette devoted some space to my PGH events and offered some details about me and the book.
Pop Matters printed a very thorough review of the book. Diane Leach calls out some of its weaknesses (it happens!), but seems to like it in the end.

The winner of the Core Kitchen giveaway is #416/e, who said, “I like my flat wooden spoon. Regular spoons don’t touch enough surface area in the pan, but I have one that is flat at the end and cut on an angle and it is perfect. I’m tempted to cut all my wooden spoons that way! But, I’d give the silicone variety a try.”

E, I think you’ll like these tools!

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Honey Sweetened Rhubarb Compote With Ginger

I am currently in a motel room about an hour north of Pittsburgh, PA. My class in Columbus yesterday went gloriously well (so many thanks to The Seasoned Farmhouse for having me!) and my appearance on All Sides with Ann Fisher earlier today was so fun (you can watch it or download the podcast here).

The upcoming weekend in Pittsburgh got some really nice coverage in the Post-Gazette today. If you’re in the area, please do come out and say hi!

Happily, this blog post isn’t only about what’s happened over the last few days and what’s to come later this week. I also have a recipe for honey sweetened rhubarb compote with ginger. This particular preserve doesn’t have much of a story behind it. It was one of those ideas that sprang fully formed into my brain and I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it until I made it.

I used two forms of ginger (freshly grated and juice. I used this bottled juice, but instructions on how to make your own can be found here) to make it kicky, and had I been able to find my jar of crystalized ginger, I would have included some chopped bits as well (how does one misplace a pint jar of ginger?), but the kitchen is a bit of a mess these days and I just couldn’t put my hands on it.

Still, even without the third form of ginger, it’s quite good. I had intended it to be something closer to a jam, but it refused to thicken beyond a very soft set, and so I’m calling it a compote in order to set consistency expectations. You can call it whatever you’d like.

Print
Honey Sweetened Rhubarb Compote With Ginger

Ingredients

2 pounds rhubarb stalks
1 pound honey (or 1 1/3 cups, if you prefer volume measurements)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon ginger juice

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and four half pint jars.
Trim rhubarb stalks and cut them into inch-sized segments. Place them in a pot and add the honey, grated ginger, and ginger juice.
Let the rhubarb sit for 5-10 minutes, until the honey mingles with the ginger juice and starts to dissolve.
Place the pot on the stove and bring the rhubarb to a boil. Cook at a fast bubble, stirring regularly, until the rhubarb breaks down and the whole mess has thickened to your liking.
Remove jam/compote from heat and funnel it into the prepared jars, leaving about 1/2 inch head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from canner and let them cool. Sealed jars are shelf stable for a good long while. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and eaten within a couple of weeks. Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.5http://foodinjars.com/2014/06/honey-rhubarb-ginger-compote/




Related Posts:

Ten Ways to Use and Preserve Spring Rhubarb
Links: Rhubarb, Granola, Pickles, and a Kootsac Winner
Small Batch Strawberry Rhubarb Jam with Rose Flower Water

Giveaway: Core Kitchen Silicone Utensils and Funnels

It used to be that I was singularly devoted to my wooden spoons and spatulas for just about every kitchen task. I stirred soup with well-worn spoons and had a wooden spatula that was permanently dyed purple from all the batches of blueberry jam it had known.

But then, my allegiances started to shift. I don’t know exactly when it started, but somewhere along the way I became a silicone utensil girl. I love my fully encased silicone spatulas for stirring jam, and have a favorite silicone turner that I use nearly every day for scrambling eggs.

I love these tools because they are one-piece (instead of being silicone or rubber heads perched on wooden or plastic handles), won’t melt in a hot pan, and can go right into the dish washer.

Recently, I got an email from Core Kitchen, asking me if I’d be interested in trying some of their tools. I took a quick look at their website, spotted their line of Essential Silicone Utensils and immediately said yes. They sent me a package that included four silicone tools and their set of funnels.

I’ve spent some time with these tools in my kitchen and I really enjoy using them. I particularly appreciate them when it comes to scraping out every last drop of jam from the pan. They are super flexible and bend nicely with the shape of the pan.

The funnels have also proven to be invaluable, particularly the small wide mouth funnel. When I’m filling jars with relatively small mouths (like the lug lidded jars I wrote about here), I put the silicone funnel in the jar first and then perch a regular wide mouth funnel in on top of it. That way, I get all the surface area of my standard funnel, but I’m able to fill the narrower jars without spilling.

The generous folks at Core Kitchen have offered to give away one Food in Jars reader the very same set of utensils and funnels that they sent me. The set includes an All Purpose Spatula, a Pointed Spatula, a Spreader, a Dual-Ended Spatula, and a 3-Piece Funnel Set.

Here’s how to enter.

Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite material is for kitchen utensils. Wood, silicone, plastic, metal, or something else?
Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, June 14, 2014. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, June 15, 2014
Giveaway open to United States residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.

Disclosure: Core Kitchen gave me the tools you see pictured above and are also giving the same set of tools to one blog reader, all at no cost to me. However, all opinions expressed remain entirely my own. 

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Pacific Merchants 10L Pickle Crock + Giveaway
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Book Tour: Seattle, Portland, Eugene, San Francisco, & LA!

This is it. The last truly huge book tour push of this summer. I’m still going to be traveling a lot throughout July, August, and September, but this will be the final extended journey. If you’re in or near Seattle, Portland, Eugene, San Francisco, or LA, I hope to see you soon!

Friday, June 20 (Portland)

I’m teaching a demo-style class at The Cakery in Portland, as part of their Pages to Plate program. The event starts at 6:30 and runs until 8 pm. The cost is $25 and that includes a copy of Preserving by the Pint. You sign up by calling 503-546-3737 and there are more details here.

Saturday, June 21 (Portland)

You’ll find me at the Beaverton Farmers Market from 9 am to 1 pm. I’ll be demoing at 10 am and 12 noon and will have books on hand for sale and signature. Best of all is that I’m sharing the stage that day with Kate Payne and she’ll be demoing at 9 am and 11 am, so make sure to come in time to catch her as well!

Monday, June 23 (Eugene)

I’ll be at Down to Earth in Eugene (532 Olive Street) from 2-4 pm. There will be a demo. There will be books. There may even be cake, as this event is in conjunction with the store’s 37th anniversary celebration. It’s a free event and fun will be had by all.

Wednesday, June 25 (Seattle)

I’ll be at the Book Larder (4252 Fremont Ave. N) in Seattle from 6:30-8 pm demonstrating a recipe from the book and signing as many copies as I can. The event is free, but they ask that you RSVP using this form.

Thursday, June 26 (Seattle)

I’m teaching a four preserve class at The Pantry at Delancey. I believe that the class is currently sold out, but it never hurts to get on the waiting list.

Saturday, June 28 (San Francisco)

From 12 noon to 1 pm, I’ll be doing a book signing at the CUESA classroom at the Ferry Building (you’ll find me under the white tent at the front of the building). Books will be on hand for sale! More details can be found here.

Sunday, June 29 (San Francisco)

I’ll be at Omnivore Books from 3-4 pm, demoing a tiny batch of honey sweetened strawberry jam, and signing books. There will be samples and they will be delicious. Please come!

Tuesday, July 1 (Los Angeles)

My very last stop on this tour will be at The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories in Santa Monica. I’ll be teaching a free demo-style class from 2-5 pm and will have books on hand to sign. Click here for more details and to sign up!

Related Posts:

MightyNest Book Event in Evanston, IL on Monday, April 28
Book Tour Events: Birmingham! Memphis! Chicago!
Tonight at The Happy Cook in Charlottesville!

Links: Rhubarb, Cordials, and Winners

On Tuesday, I leave for a week on the road in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. I’ll be home for all of two days before heading out again for two weeks on the west coast. I’ve been obsessively making lists of things I need to take and details still needing to be tended (must arrange for someplace to stay in San Francisco!).

Of course, with all these tasks and to-dos swimming around, the thing that is most concerning me is that I’m probably going to miss Philadelphia’s sour cherry season (and possibly, apricots as well). I will simply remain hopeful that I’ll be able to get my hands on my two favorite stonefruits when I get back. Now, links!

A good reminder that it’s the time of year to make chive blossom vinegar. What’s more, you can do the very same thing with any flowering herb. Sage blossoms are particularly nice.
Cream scones with a generous dollop of apricot jam baked right in.
I can never seem to find elderflowers, but I love seeing how other people use them to make cordials.
Speaking of cordials, how about one made with strawberries and roses?
These easy, spicy, lactofermented pickles speak to me.
Everything you need to know about growing, harvesting, and preserving rhubarb.
Satisfy your need for spicy with jalapeño jelly.
Pretty pickled radishes.
Smart trick! If you’re using rhubarb that has both red and green parts, but you want pretty preserves, cut them up by color and only use the rosy parts for jams and jellies.
Homemade tahini. A brilliant trick provided you have a food processor.
Gorgeous farmers market pictures from Camille/Wayward Spark.

I actually have couple giveaway updates! The first is that the winner of the MightyNest plastic-free produce packaging giveaway from two weeks ago is Emily Sausville!

The winner of the Pacific Merchants $100 gift card giveaway is Jodi M.! And if you didn’t win, don’t forget about the discount code! It’s good through June 16. Just type in “foodinjars15″ at check out for 15% off your order.

There will be more giveaway goodness soon, so stay tuned!

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Links: Pickles, Rhubarb, and Winners
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Book Tour: Columbus, OH and Pittsburgh, PA

I’ve got a couple big book tour trips coming up in the couple weeks. I’ll tell you more about my West Coast plans on Monday, but today, I want to focus on my stops in Columbus, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA (because they are rapidly approaching)!

Wednesday, June 11

I’ll be at The Seasoned Farmhouse in Columbus, OH, teaching a mid-day class that includes lunch. I’ll be demonstrating four recipes from Preserving by the Pint and sharing some tips on how to incorporate preserves into your everyday meal prep. The class starts at 11:30 am, costs $75 per person, and the fee includes a copy of PbtP (I’ll also have a few copies of Food in Jars on hand, in case someone wants to pick one up). As of this writing, there are still seven open spots in this class. Click here to register.

Unfortunately, this was the only event I was able to set up in Columbus. I understand that a pricy mid-day class isn’t for everyone. I’m going to be in town until Thursday afternoon, so if you’re in the area and are bummed that you can’t make the class, please do drop me a line and maybe we can organize a happy hour or coffee gathering before I hit the road again.

Saturday, June 14

I’m starting my weekend in Pittsburgh with a morning with a small batch canning demo and book signing at Farmers @ Firehouse. I’ll be there starting at 9 am and should be around until 1 pm. Later that day, I’ll be at the Pittsburgh Canning Exchange’s Rhubarb Social from 7-10 pm at Marty’s Market. Read more about the event here and get your tickets right here.

Sunday, June 15

Sunday afternoon, I’m teaching a canning class at Legume Bistro at 214 N. Craig Street from 1-3 pm. We’ll make pickles, I’ll demo a tiny batch of jam, and a good time will be had by all. The class fee is $35. Get your ticket here.

Monday, June 16

I’ll be at the East Liberty Farmers Market from 3:30 to 5 pm, answering canning questions and selling/signing cookbooks.

Then, from 6-8 pm, I’ll be at the Squirrel Hill branch of the Carnegie Library to give a talk and sign books (we’ll also have copies on hand for sale). To register for this event, visit this site and fill out the form.

Related Posts:

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Cookbooks: Put ‘Em Up, Love Your Leftovers, and Starting from Scratch

One of the things I haven’t been doing enough of lately is sharing some of the excellent books that regularly land in my mailbox. The stack next to my desk is getting precariously tall and so I’m going make a concerted effort to bring the Friday afternoon cookbook feature.

This week, there are three books that I want to share. One is a book that contains the answer to every canning question you’ve ever had. The next is a paen to the humble leftover. And the third wants to inform young cooks and help them get excited about getting into the kitchen.

First up is the final book in Sherri Brooks Vinton’s excellent canning trilogy (the first and second books were Put ‘em Up! and Put ‘em Up! Fruit). Called The Put ‘em Up! Preserving Answer Book: 399 Solutions to All Your Questions, this spiral-bound volume packs a mighty punch when it comes to useful canning knowledge.

While you’ll find a few recipes in this book, it’s not designed to be the book you turn to for inspiration on what to make. Instead, it plays the role of reliable canning teacher, who is always there with a helpful suggestion to make your preserving process better, faster, and more fun. You’ll find everything from tips on how to improve the quality of your seals, to the design for Sherri’s ideal canning porch (I want one!).

I think this book should be a required resource for all new canners, as it dives deep while also managing to be accessible and unintimidating.

Next up is Nick Evans’ book, Love Your Leftovers. Some of you might remember an earlier version of this book, called Cornerstone Cooking. The core of Nick’s concept is that instead of making meals from scratch every single day, once or twice a week, you make a large amount of something (like a couple roast chickens or a braised pork shoulder) and then use those items as central players in any number of other dishes.

I thought it was a great concept in Cornerstone Cooking and I’m so pleased to see that Nick got a chance to expand on the idea in Love Your Leftovers and make is even prettier and more user friendly. If you’re in the market for some fresh culinary inspiration, check this one out.

The last book on today’s stack is Starting From Scratch. Written by food journalist Sarah Elton, this book wants to teach kids everything they need to become informed home cooks in today’s dizzying culinary landscape.

While the book does include some basic recipes, the emphasis is more on building knowledge about the properties of flavor, how to read a recipe, and even how to pick the right tool for the job. There’s even a short section devoted to various food preservation methods, which delighted me.

This is the kind of book that I would have devoured when I was seven or eight years old and I plan on buying copies for all my friends who have kids in that age group.

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Canning Book: Put ‘Em Up (+ giveaway!)

Upcoming Events: Hatboro! Wyebrook Farm! Havertown! Jenkintown!

I’ve got a full weekend of events in store today, tomorrow, and Sunday (and Monday, too)! Here’s where I’ll be!

Friday, June 6

I’ll be at the Hatboro Farmers Market tonight from 6-8 pm, demoing the Honey-sweetened Strawberry Jam from Preserving by the Pint. The demo will be set up on the front porch of the Hatboro Baptist Church, which is at 32 N. York Road, Hatboro, PA.

I’ll have samples of the jam to share when it’s finished cooking, and will have copies of both books available for sale and signature. And, as always, if you already have copies, bring them along. I’m happy to sign those as well.

Saturday, June 7

I’m starting the day at the Philly Mag’s BeWell Boot Camp over at Drexel University’s recreation center. I’ll be on stage at 10 am, making the fastest batch of strawberry jam you’ve ever seen.

Later that same day, you’ll find me out at Wyebrook Farm. I’ll be doing two Honey-sweetened Strawberry Jam demos, one at 2 pm and another at 3 pm, and will also have copies of both books for sale and signing. That address is 15O Wyebrook Road, Honey Brook, PA.

Sunday, June 8

I’m teaching a Strawberry Vanilla Jam class at the Havertown Free Library from 2-4 pm. There are just a couple spots left in the class. If you want in, call (610) 446-3082 ext. 216 to register. There is a $5 fee for this class.

Monday, June 9

This is my last Philly-area event in June! I’ll be at the Jenkintown Whole Foods Market, teaching a demo-style jam making class. The class runs from 6:30 – 8:30 pm and is free! Call the customer service desk at 215-481-0800 to sign up!

Related Posts:

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Strawberry Maple Butter

For weeks now, I’ve been meaning to write up my recipe for the strawberry maple butter (hinted at here) I made recently (I liked it so much, I made it twice in rapid succession). And so, I finally sat down to do so tonight, only to realize that I didn’t take any pretty finished pictures of it.

However, instead of being defeated by my lack of artful images (I’ll add one tomorrow), I decided to dig in and write the post anyway, since strawberry season is starting to wane around these parts (and is already entirely over for some of you).

This one is much like the other fruit butters I’ve made in the past (and is nearly identical to the blueberry butter from four years ago). You start by pureeing enough fruit to fill your slow cooker up at least 3/4 of the way. For my four quart cooker, I found that four pounds of berries did the job nicely. Then, turn the cooker on low and let it run.

If you’re going to be in and out of your kitchen, you can leave the lid off and give it a good stir every half hour or so. The reason for the stir is that if you leave the lid off and don’t stir regularly, a skin forms on the surface of the butter that makes it impossible for the steam to escape.

If you’re not going to be around, set a chopstick across the rim of the slow cooker and then put the lid on. This allows the slow cooker to vent a little, but also ends up trapping just enough moisture to prevent the growth of the skin.

I tend to let this butter cook anywhere from 16 to 24 hours. So much depends on the volume of fruit you start with, the amount of water it contains, and how much heat your slow cooker produces when set to low (I prefer older slow cookers for this task because they cook at lower temperatures). I have been known to cook my fruit butters overnight, but I don’t recommend doing that until you understand how your particular slow cooker works with butters.

So, once your strawberries have cooked down to a dense product that doesn’t have any visible liquid on the surface, it is done. I like to hit it with an immersion blender at the end of cooking, to ensure that it’s perfectly smooth.

Once you like the texture, you add maple syrup to taste. My batches each produced about three half pints, which I sweetened with 1/3 cup of maple syrup. I also included two tablespoons of lemon juice to help keep the color, brighten the flavor, and increase the acid load just a little (strawberries are typically quite high in acid, but maple syrup is low in acid, so a little extra lemon juice makes sure that all is well, safety-wise).

You can process this butter in half pint jars for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. It’s a good one. If you can still get beautiful strawberries, I highly recommend it!

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Today! Canning Clinic and Book Signing at Blooming Glen Farm

I am trying something new today. I’m doing a drop-in canning clinic and book signing out at Blooming Glen Farm. I’ll be there from 1-8 pm (during their CSA pick-up window) to answer canning questions, offer recipe suggestions, and sell/sign cookbooks (I’ll have copies of both Preserving by the Pint and Food in Jars).

If you’re in the Bucks County area and have a window of free time today, please do stop by! The address is 98 Moyer Rd., Perkasie, PA 18944. See you there!

Related Posts:

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Preserving Dinners with Chef Eli Kulp at High Street
Upcoming Events: Philly! Brooklyn! Manhattan!