Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 146

Links: Savory Granola, Pickled Chard Stems, Quick Pickles + Winners

Last year’s Thanksgiving plate. Not too shabby.

Can you guys believe that it’s Thanksgiving week? I’m more than a little bit boggled myself. Thanks to a killer deadline that kept me up until 3 am last night, I’m running a day behind in my posting schedule. Couple that with the short week and I’m not sure if I’m coming or going.

I’ve still not mastered working with  a sourdough starter, but when I do, I will attempt this apricot and hazelnut country bread.
Should you still have chard in your garden, do yourself a favor and pickle the stems.
I did a savory granola recipe for Grid a few years back and loved it as a topper for soups and salads. This one sounds awfully good too.
Gleaming quince jellies. Too gorgeous for words.
A not-too-sweet pumpkin bread. I’m so enjoying the posts Jess is dreaming up for NaBloPoMo.
I don’t have kids and I rarely pack lunches (Scott will occasionally take leftovers if it was a particularly good dinner), and yet I still love this apple trick.
Making chicken stock in the pressure canner. A smart trick and so useful for turkey stock as well.
A story about quick pickles, including a recipe from me for quick pickled red onions.
The Homegrown shop has mason jar tee-shirts back in stock. If they tickle your fancy, use the coupon code “foodinjars” for 15% off your order.
My last two pieces for Table Matters have been quite tasty. Last week, I wrote about bechamel sauce and its many uses. This week, three sweet potato recipes that I adore.

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Time for winners! The New West KnifeWorks chef’s knife goes to commenter #53, Sarah Anne Burns. The Eat Boutique Breakfast Gift Box winner is #363, Amanda K. I’ll be in touch with both of you shortly for all the pertinent details.

Related Posts:

Links: Rose Hip Syrup, Deep-Fried Turkey & Crispy Pickles + EcoJarz Winners
Links: Sauerkraut, Sesame Candy and Congee + Preservation Kitchen Winner
Eat Boutique Winner

Giveaway: Eat Boutique Breakfast Gift Box

As we head into the winter season, thoughts turn to holiday gifts and tokens for hosts and hostesses. Thanks to my avid canning habit, I always have an assortment of jams, chutneys, and pickles to give to those in the near vicinity, but nearly every year, December catches me by surprise and I find myself running out of time to compile and pack up boxes for my further flung loved ones.

That’s where Eat Boutique comes in. They create thoughtful collections of small batch preserves, mixes, candies, syrups, and other fancy treats that make wonderful gifts when you can’t find the time to send out your own homemade goodies.

Because Maggie and her team at Eat Boutique are awesome, they’ve given me one of their Breakfast Gift Boxes to giveaway here (it’s an extra special weekend giveaway!). This box contains Kenyon’s Apple and Spice Pancake Mix, Nutting Farm Maple Syrup, Early Bird Sweet and Salty Granola, Sqirl Cashmere Nectarine Jam, and Greenpoint Honey. It costs $55 (the price includes shipping) and would be a tasty treat for someone who deserves a particularly sweet morning during the holidays.

Here’s how to enter:

Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite holiday breakfast.
Comments will close at 12 noon east coast time on Monday, November 19, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog over the weekend.
Giveaway open to US residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post. I do not accept submissions via email.

One more thing! If you’ve not yet gotten yourself a copy of my book, they’re giving one away over on the Eat Boutique blog (if you’re not reading their blog regularly, you should really start. They feature lots of gorgeously photographed recipes and tutorials). Finally, for you Boston-area folks, I’m going to be signing copies of my book (along with a handful of other cookbook authors) at the Eat Boutique Holiday Market on December 9. I hope to see some of you there! 

 

Related Posts:

Eat Boutique Jam Box Winner
Eat Boutique Favorite Jam Box Giveaway
Giveaway: New West KnifeWorks Chef’s Knife

In Deep Autumn

One of the things I’ve discovered since become a full-time freelancer is that it’s really important to reach and out find people with whom to collaborate. When you work in an office, teamwork is often assumed. When you work from the solitude of your living room, it takes intention to forge alliances.

What I have to share with you all is the product of one of these intentional alliances. A few weeks back, Tenaya Darlington (author of the blog Madame Fromage and the forthcoming book Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings), Jason Varney (he blogs at Fussing with Forks, makes some of the most enticing food photography I’ve seen and is an Instagram wizard) and I teamed up. The results of our efforts are these four digital pages. They contain cheese suggestions, preserves and drinks to go along with those cheeses, and really gorgeous images.

Open publication

Our hope is that you’ll take this mini-magazine, and try out the pairings and recipes. Gather your friends around a table, fill jelly jars with port, balance persimmon chutney atop a few crumbles of Stilton and appreciate the autumn.

You can click on the viewer above to expand the image or you can download a PDF by clicking here.

Many thanks go to Jason and Tenaya, as well as to Di Bruno Brothers for providing the cheese and to Sara Varney, who played a pivotal role in the layout and design.

Related Posts:

Homemade Cranberry Jelly and Pickled Cranberries

Last November, I did two things with cranberries that continue to top my own personal hit parade of really good canning ideas. The first was that I pickled cranberries. Those sweet-tart cranberries were so satisfying with turkey and generally great with all manner of other savory things (and the brine worked really well in sparkling water).

The other thing I did was make homemade cranberry jelly and mold it up in BPA-free aluminum cans, so that I could slide it out onto my traditional cranberry dish, can-ridges and all. I still get a kick out of it when I look back on that post. Maybe there’s space for this homemade-but-still-classic version on your Thanksgiving table this year?

In other news, I made a batch of pear cranberry jam on Monday that I’m in the process of writing up for this space (look for it later tonight). However, in the meantime, I couldn’t resist pointing out these older posts.

Related Posts:

Preserves in Action: Pickled Cranberries

Canning 101: Allow Your Process to Evolve

Over the years that I’ve been keeping this blog, I’ve written at length about my personal canning practice and the many jam, pickles and other preserves I’ve cooked up. And because this site is as much my personal record as it is a collection of recipes, you’ll start to notice something interesting if you dig back through the archives. As I’ve canned my way through season after season, my approach has gone through a gradual series of shifts.

Where I was once devoted to minding the temperature of my jam to determine set, these days, I’m more apt to listen, look and feel my way to the gel point. There were years when I felt fearful to deviate from my three favorite spices, but now I infuse jams and chutneys with lavender, thyme and the occasional pinch of fiery chili flakes.

My style of recipe development has changed in other ways too. I use less sugar (I realize it might not look like it, but really, I do). I rarely add water to jam (in the early days, I didn’t understand that in most cases, there’s plenty of liquid in the fruit). I try to fill just as many jars with savory foods as I do with sweet things. And I make smaller and smaller batches.

One of the things I’ve heard many times over since my book came out is how liberated people feel when they discover that canning doesn’t have to be the hot, sweaty, day-long  process that they learned from their parents. I’m here to say that you can have the canning liberation each and every year.

You see, this is the time to take stock. To evaluate what worked for you this season and what didn’t. To decide that you might just want to let go of a few recipes or techniques that don’t happen to fit into your kitchenlife anymore. And to realize that just because you’ve always done something one way doesn’t mean that you’re locked into that method for all eternity

As we head into the time of year when the emphasis is more on the emptying of jars than it is filling them, pay attention (and even take a few notes). Observe which jars go first. Are there jars languishing in your fridge, open but unloved? And are there particular preserves that were so labor-intensive that they end up feeling too precious to open (I’ll confess to having a few of those)?

How has your canning practice evolved?

 

 

Related Posts:

Canning 101: How to Use One Piece Lids
Canning 101: Choosing Jar Size
Canning 101: Learning to be Flexible

Giveaway: New West KnifeWorks Chef’s Knife

A couple of years ago, I got an email from the folks at New West KnifeWorks, asking if I’d be interested in trying out a couple of their knives. Because I’m always on the look-out for the perfect kitchen knife, I said yes. They sent me a chef’s knife and a paring knife from their original Fusionwood line.

Over time, I found that while I really liked the paring knife, the chef’s knife felt a little clunky in my hand. That had, in large part, to do with the blade. It was really heavy and thick. I found that while it was great for whacking through dense things, but it was just too darn hefty for daily chopping.

Isn’t Scott a good hand model?

Recently, I heard from New West KnifeWorks again. They were writing to say that they’ve redesigned their knives to use a “super steel*” that allows the blades to be both thinner and stronger than the previous version and would I be interested in trying one out. I said yes again (I can’t resist kitchenware).

The Fusionwood 2.0 eight-inch chef’s knife arrived a couple weeks back now and it has rapidly become one of my favorite things in my kitchen. That gorgeous grip feels quite natural in my hand, the blade is much lighter and appears to be holding its edge quite well. I’ve been using it everyday and I’m not noticing a diminishment in performance as of yet.

I also really like the shape of the blade. It’s a little narrower than traditional for a chef’s knife and I’m find that to be a positive feature. When chopping dense vegetables like carrots and potatoes, the pieces fall off the blade easily instead of clinging to its surface. A very useful thing as we head into the season of root vegetables and holiday cooking.

I also like the fact that New West KnifeWorks strives to be a conscientious company. Their knives are made in Wyoming and the factory is run on power generated by their own hydropower plant. What’s more, all the knives have a lifetime guarantee for non-commercial use. If you’re unhappy with it, they will replace it. And, if you break a knife through mistreatment (though I can’t imagine any of you responsible Food in Jars readers doing such a thing), they will replace it at half price. In these days disposal everything, it’s truly lovely to see a company making good stuff and standing by.

New West KnifeWorks has given me a second Fusionwood 2.0 eight-inch chef’s knife to giveaway to one of my readers. Here’s what to do to enter:

Leave a comment on this post. Tell me one thing you’re doing this week to get ready for Thanksgiving (getting your knives sharpened is always good in preparation for a days of cooking).
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Friday, November 16, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog over the weekend.
Giveaway open to US residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post. I do not accept submissions via email.

But wait, there’s more! New West is also giving away a four-piece set of their knives on Facebook. Click here to visit the entry page and throw your hat into the ring for that contest as well!

*The official name is S35VN Powderized Steel.

Disclosure: New West KnifeWorks provided me one of their Fusionwood 2.0 eight-inch chef’s knives for review and photography purposes at no cost to me. They’ve also provided the giveaway unit at no cost to me. However, they did not pay me to run this post or say nice things about them. I did that simply because I liked the product. My opinions are independently mine. 
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Giveaway: FreshTECH Jam and Jelly Maker
Giveaway: Tiny Tree Canner Print by Johanna Wright
Giveaway: Joy of Cooking and 2013 Calendar

Photos From the Food in Jars Flickr Pool + Marmalade Winner

Just about every week, I flip through the recent submissions in the Food in Jars Flickr pool and feature a few jar-and-canning-themed photos that are interesting, impressive, seasonal or pretty. Fancy cameras or professional skills are not required and Instagram photos are always welcome!

Apple cider syrup from Teela. She writes the lovely blog My So-Called Modern Life. This is one of my favorite things to make when cider is in the markets. A few jars in the pantry means that a mug of hot cider is never far away.

It’s a pear party from Lynn! She made quarts of preserved pear halves, pear vanilla jam (one of my favorites!), and a batch of pear hazelnut jam (I wonder if this just has bits of chopped hazelnut strewn throughout?).

It looks like wyld lil is getting ready for Thanksgiving with a batch of cranberry and orange chutney. I really should be following suit! I’m entirely unprepared for the holiday next week.

I saved the most jaw-dropping for last. Check out the shelves of preserves that sisters Eleanor and Liz have made this season. Make sure to click over to the photo on Flickr to see the complete list of items they’ve made this year. Well done, you two!

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Time for our Marmalade winner! Random.org drew #96 out of its digital hat of numbers. That means the winner is Susan, who said, “I’ve trying making a few marmalades, some successful, some not so much. I add the not so much ones to my morning oatmeal to sweeten it. Would love the book so I can improve my techniques.”

Susan, I hope the book helps you take your marmalade making to a whole new level!

Related Posts:

Photos from the Flickr Pool + Tiny Tree Canner Winner
Reader Submitted Photos + Blossom Trivet Giveaway Winners
Canning Kit, Book and Jar Lifter Giveaway Winner

Links: Apple Pie, Ginger Carrot Curd, and Preserved Peppers

An apple pie with cheddar cheese baked into the pastry. Sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving dessert for Cabot Clothbound lovers. Consider taking one to a friend in this fantastic pie box.
Ginger Carrot Curd. Imagine that dolloped atop these scones.
A quadruple batch of Cranberry Pear Conserve with Ginger for a canning swap.
Farmhouse Picalilli. Even if the recipe doesn’t appeal, you should still click over to look at the pretty pictures.
Uses for pickle brine. Part one and part two.
A little applesauce eye candy.
Still have peppers? This post is a comprehensive tutorial on the many ways to preserve them.
Salads, pizza, and scrambled eggs all become exponentially better when you add homemade onion jam.
Stave off the season’s colds with a dose of fire cider.
My review of Kim O’Donnel’s new book, The Meat Lover’s Meatless Celebrations. If you’ll have vegetarians at your table this holiday season, you own it to them to get this book. I’m particularly obsessed with the lentil pate (the recipe is included in the post).

 

Related Posts:

Links: Pumpkins, Pickled Ginger and Kimchi
Links: Rose Hip Syrup, Deep-Fried Turkey & Crispy Pickles + EcoJarz Winners
Links: Sauerkraut, Sesame Candy and Congee + Preservation Kitchen Winner

Beautiful Cookbooks: Marmalade

Last fall, when I was still trying to pick myself up from the blow of being laid off from my job, I got a email from my editor at Running Press. She was working on a marmalade project and wanted to know if I’d be interested in making a sampling of recipes from book for the photo shoot. My need for work, coupled with the fact that I was very much excited to see a world of new-to-me marmalades, meant that I said yes within moments of receiving her note.

In early January, I spent about two weeks digging deep into the world of marmalades. I simmered, sliced, grated, and jarred up 12 recipes from the book. I went crazy trying to find yuzu, passionfruit, and Seville oranges in Philadelphia. Without question, I got far more than my daily recommended dose of vitamin C during that period.

Now, many months later, Marmalade is here and it is gorgeous. Written by food writer and marmalade obsessive Elizabeth Field and photographed by award winning food blogger and photographer Helene Dujardin, this book is a pleasure to hold and use. It contains a variety of marmalades (sweet, savory, citrus, and beyond), as well meals that can incorporate these spreads and baked goods that can serve as vehicle for them.

Of course, I get particular pleasure flipping through this book, because nearly every preserve and spread pictured is something I made in my own kitchen. It’s ridiculously satisfying to look at the photos and recall the flavors and aromas of each recipe.

I’m also happy to have this volume in my hands, because while I made a dozen of the recipes it contains, I didn’t actually get to keep any of them. I’m very much looking forward to revisit the Tangerine and Vanilla Marmalade, as well as the “In the Pink” variety made from ruby red grapefruit.

Recently, I queried my Twitter followers, asking what they were looking for in a preserving book. An internet acquaintance of mine said that she was looking for something that would allow her to push her preserving skills and move beyond the basic “Canning 101″ recipes that are so readily found. Happily (at least, if she likes marmalade), this is a book that might serve her well. While it’s plenty accessible for new canners, there’s also plenty here that will satisfy those looking to broaden their canning.

I’m afraid that I’m responsible for this variation on the Passionfruit Marmalade recipe in this book. When I tested these recipes, I marched up and down the length and breadth of Philadelphia, trying to find passionfruit. I came to the conclusion that it was impossible to source in January.

Instead of admitting defeat, I created a version that used dragon fruit, in the hopes that it might trick the camera. It didn’t, but instead of tossing that batch, the powers that be decided to add a variation to the book, in order to make the photo work. I was greatly relieved that my efforts weren’t wasted. It’s also fun to see the small impact I had on this delightful book.

Thanks to Running Press and my editor Kristen, I have a copy of this sweet little book to give away. Here’s how to enter.

Leave a comment on this post and share some tidbit about marmalade in your life. Do you like it? Hate it? Have you made it? Constantly on the search for Seville oranges? Whatever your story, I want to read it.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, November 10, 2012. Winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog over the weekend.
Giveaway open to all.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post. I do not accept submissions via email.

Disclosure: Running Press gave me two copies of this book, one to review and one to give away. Despite this, my opinions remain entirely my own. 
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Cookbooks: Desserts in Jars, Ripe, Jam On & The Preservation Kitchen
Giveaway: EcoJarz Reusable Canning Jar Drink Toppers
Giveaway: Anolon Nouvelle Copper Stainless Steel 4-Quart Casserole

Photos from the Food in Jars Flickr Pool + FreshTECH Winner

Joy’s last jar of marmalade. Good thing citrus season approaches!

Steamy apple pie filling, made by Angela. This one thing that’s still on my to-do list for this year. Must get some apples!

Christina at My Homespun Home tackles rendering leaf fat into usable lard. It looks so gorgeous and creamy.

Ooo. Pumpkin maple spread, made by Hannah. Check the recipe on her blog, Home Baked (though remember, because pumpkin is a low acid food, spreads like this cannot be canned by any method).

Finally, some very photogenic juneberry aigre-doux from Erielle. So pretty. You should also make sure to check out her blog, Fancy Toast. It is delightful.

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The winner of the FreshTECH Jam and Jelly Maker is Pat (commenter #26). She says:

I mainly use the stovetop for my canning/jamming efforts, though my favorite apple butter recipe that uses NO added sugar, just some Italian prune plums to sweeten, is dynamite when cooked down in the crockpot. After it’s sufficiently thickened, it goes into the hot water bath so there again I’m using the stovetop. So, I’ll need to learn more about this new method, and would love to be a winner of one! Thanks for the opportunity.

Pat, your apple butter sounds fabulous! Thanks for all the great comments you’ve left on the blog!

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Photos from the FIJ Flickr Pool + Anolon Winner
Photos from the Flickr Pool + Tiny Tree Canner Winner
Photos from the Flickr Pool + Joy of Cooking Giveaway Winner