Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 94

Upcoming Classes: Philadelphia Free Library & Morris Arboretum

Slowly but surely, my summer teaching schedule is shaping up. I’m not going to be doing as much teaching or traveling this year as I did last, but I’m committed to offering an array of classes in the Philadelphia area and beyond. There are a couple of classes I want to point out right now, as I think both of these offerings are going to fill up fast and I want you to know about them.

The first is a sauerkraut workshop next Monday, March 16 from 6-8 pm at the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Culinary Literacy Center. In this workshop, I’ll show you how to make a basic sauerkraut using my single quart technique. We’ll talk easy fermentation and I’ll share some of my favorite ways to use homemade kraut once you’ve got it. The class costs just $10 and you can sign up here.

The other class I want to make sure you all know about is my annual spring preserving workshop at the Morris Arboretum’s Bloomfield Farm on Saturday, May 16 from 10 am to 12 noon. I’ll be teaching about low sugar preserving using Pomona’s Pectin. This class a great way to refresh your canning knowledge for the coming season. It costs $40 for Arboretum members and $45 for non-members. Register here.

The rest of my confirmed classes can be found here. If you want me to come and teach a class for your church group, home schooling co-op or other gathering (preferably within an hour’s drive of Philadelphia), I am open to inquiries. Drop me a note here.

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Upcoming Events: Philly! Ambler! Bryn Mawr! Chestnut Hill!
Upcoming Classes and Events: Brooklyn! Marple Township! Perkasie!
Upcoming Events: Philly! Brooklyn! Manhattan!

Links: Repurposed Ferments, Pancakes, and Winners

Despite the loss of the hour this morning, today was sort of glorious. The sun was shining, the temperature hovered well above freezing, I wrote a third post for a silly little side blog I’ve started, and I spent a couple hours in a coffee shop working on the new book (it’s finally starting to come together. Thank goodness). Now, links!

Meyer lemon marmalade.
Key lime curd.
Jammy cookies!
Carrot habanero hot sauce.
More hamantaschen.
A variation on my pickled oyster mushrooms.
Asian inspired pickled carrots.
Are your ferments too salty? Turn them into seasoning.
Buckwheat cheddar crackers.
Sweet potato and apricot cake.
Overnight buttermilk pancakes.
Two takes on writing memoir.
Ways to reduce kitchen waste.

The winners of the herb savers are #137/Laura H. and #264/Elin . Stay tuned, another fun giveaway coming tomorrow!

Related Posts:

Links: Cheese Boards, Hamantaschen, and Winners
Links: Rosehips, Muffins, and Winners
Links: Marmalade, Soups, and a Winner

Other People’s Preserves: Omnivore Sauce from Garibaldi Goods

Other People’s Preserve is my opportunity to shine a spotlight on some of the very delicious jams, pickles, and condiments being made by dedicated professionals. If you see one of these products out in the wild, consider picking up a jar, tub, or bottle!

This week, I have a fun product to share with you. Called Omnivore Sauce (from the makers of Omnivore Salt!), this is a condiment that defies traditional definitions. Made from a roster of organic ingredients, including tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, ancho chiles and other spices, this tangy, spicy, and slightly sweet sauce can dress up just about any meal you make.

It is runnier than ketchup, but thicker than most barbecue sauces or bottled marinades. I’ve used it as a dipping sauce for roasted root vegetables and spread as a base layer on homemade pizza. The folks at Garibaldi Goods also suggest brushing it over roasted or grilled fish at the end of cooking or stirred it into sautéed onions and garlic for long braised dishes.

This post is the second in a series I’m doing with the nice folks at Garibaldi Goods. They’re an online shop that features artisanal, small batch products all made in the fine state of California (place of my birth!). Sign up for their newsletter to get 10% off your first order! Sign up form is at the bottom of the page.

Disclosure: The folks at Garibaldi Goods sent me this jar of Omnivore Sauce for sampling and photography purposes. All thoughts and opinions remain entirely mine. 

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Other People’s Preserves: M. Greenwood Jams Lemon Sage Mustard from Garibaldi Goods
Other People’s Preserves: Jolene’s Jars
Other People’s Preserves: Department of Sweet Diversions

Cookbooks: Against the Grain

I have no beef with gluten. I eat it happily and without any kind of gastrointestinal or autoimmune distress. Nonetheless, I have really enjoyed using some of the gluten-free cookbooks that have been published over the last few years.

The reason for my appreciate is simple. I like new ideas and opportunities to expand beyond my regular set of ingredients and these books are terrific at finding new, delicious ways to make things work.

What’s more, while I can eat wheat until the cows come home, lots of people I know cannot. I am always happy to discover novel recipes that I can share with friends and relatives who have to stay away from various grains or anything with gluten.

A few weeks back, a copy of Nancy Cain’s Against the Grain appeared in my mailbox. I spent a few minutes flipping through and immediately identified a handful of recipes I wanted to try (Maple Flax Crackers! Cashew Chews with Cacao Nibs! Buckwheat Cheddar Puffs!). Later that night, I had a pan of her Peanut Butter Bars cooling on my counter.

Made with just peanut butter, honey, an egg, baking soda, and a little bit of coconut, you might wonder how on earth these bars work. But work they do, whether you’re on a gluten-free diet or not. I cut them into small squares and ate most of the pan on my own, one or two at a time. They’re naturally sweetened, high in protein, and best when eaten at room temperature. Perfect for snack time or a late night nibble!

PrintPeanut Butter Bars from Against the Grain

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 shredded coconut (optional)

Instructions

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish, then line it with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overhang two sides of the dish.
In a bowl, with a hand mixer, blend the peanut butter, honey, egg, baking soda, and 3 tablespoons of coconut (if using) until thick and creamy.
Scoop the batter into the baking dish and use a rubber spatula to spread the batter until it is even.
Bake the bar for 18 to 20 minutes, or until set and the edges are just barely starting to brown (the center will be slightly lower that the edges when set).
This batter has a tendency to overbake very quickly, so be sure to check for doneness at around 18 minutes.
Remove the bar from the oven, sprinkle on the remaining coconut for garnish, and allow to cool fully in the pan before cutting.

Notes

Recipe reprinted with permission from Against the Grain by Nancy Cain.

3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/03/cookbooks-against-the-grain/

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Giveaway: Fresh & Fermented
Cookbook: A Kitchen in France
Giveaway: Quench by Ashley English

Meyer Lemon Ginger Concentrate

I know. This blog has been awfully citrus heavy of late. So much so that it wouldn’t be a stretch to rename things Citrus in Jars (with the occasional fermented vegetable). Yet, here I am again, with more lemons. And not even a project-y marmalade or curd. Just a concentrate.

Thing is, it’s been something of a brutal winter here in Philadelphia (though not as soul sucking as our friends in New England have had to live through) and I’m still working my way through the citrus recipes for the natural sweeteners book. I just don’t have a whole lot of creativity left. And so I return to the things I know and love.

And these citrus-based concentrates? I LOVE them because they are delicious and versatile. You can use them to sweeten your fizzy water (I know I suggest this a lot, but as someone who drinks many quart jars of water a day, it makes for a nice occasional treat). They work well in cocktails. And I’ve yet to meet a poundcake that appreciate a few drizzles of flavored syrup.

What’s more, next time you want to make a pitcher of lemonade, you can just pop open a jar, dilute it with water, ice it down, and serve.

I used Meyer lemons in this batch, but if those feel too dear, just use plain old grocery store lemons. It will be a little bit more tart, but you can always temper that by adding the juice of one orange to the mix.

Another place where you might want to make a switch is in sweetener. I used evaporated cane juice, but one could just as easily go with honey. Just use about a third less if you make that swap.

Finally, let’s talk ginger. I grated a huge hunk of ginger on a microplane until I had 1/4 cup of pulp. If the lemon ginger combo isn’t your thing, you could also try some lavender, cardamom, or even a little cayenne if you want a spicy kick. Just strain the syrup through a tightly woven sieve before canning.

One last thing. If you don’t choose to zest your lemons for a salt blend before squeezing, make sure to heap the into a jar and cover them with white vinegar. Let them steep for a couple of days and then strain out all the spent lemon rinds. They will have given their essence to the vinegar and it will make for a very lovely cleaning fluid. I use it as a countertop spray and it cuts through the grease like you wouldn’t believe.

PrintMeyer Lemon Ginger Concentrate

Ingredients

3 pounds lemons
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (or 1 cup honey, if you want it to be naturally sweetened)
1/4 cup freshly grated ginger

Instructions

Juice lemons.
Measure out 2 1/2 cups of juice and pour it into a small saucepan.
Add sugar and ginger.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, to reduce slightly.
Remove the pan from the stove and let it sit for an hour or two, to further infuse the ginger flavor.
Strain concentrate through a fine mesh sieve to remove ginger. Rinse out the pan and return the concentrate to it.
Bring the concentrate back to a boil.
Funnel the hot liquid into three half pint jars.
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 place them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
When jars are cool enough to handle, check to ensure that the lids have sealed. Sealed jars are shelf stable for up to one year. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/03/meyer-lemon-ginger-concentrate/

Related Posts:

Tips for Selecting, Prepping, and Preserving Lemons
Meyer Lemon Syrup
Honey Sweetened Meyer Lemon Jam

Preserves in Action: Avocado Sauerkraut Sauce

If you had asked me a couple of years ago whether I thought that sauerkraut was a good breakfast food, I would have raised a questioning eyebrow at you. My oh my, how my tune has changed. These days, I subscribe to the notion that any time of day is a good time for sauerkraut, kimchi, or salty tangy fermented dilly beans (they are pickle heaven).

To that end, one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast at the moment is a couple thick slabs of toast (no-knead bread leavened with sourdough is my ideal option, but any sturdy loaf will do), topped with mashed avocado, a few forkfuls of sauerkraut, and some freshly ground black pepper. It is fresh-tasting, filling, and perfectly eye-opening.

Now I realize that avocado toast is woefully overexposed these days, but I can’t help it my love for it. I’ve been eating it since my early childhood days in Southern California, when a friend of my parents’ would regularly bring over a grocery bag full of avocados off his tree.

If you happen to have an avocado in the fruit bowl and some kraut in the fridge, you should give it a try. I don’t think you’ll regret it!

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Preserves in Action: Eggs Over Sauerkraut
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March Sponsors: Cuppow, Fillmore Container, Spice Ratchet, Mighty Nest, and Fermentools

It’s the beginning of March and that means it is time to highlight the businesses that help make it possible for me to write this blog! Please do visit them if they offer a product that interests you!

First up is jar accessory maker Cuppow! They are the creator of the original mason jar travel mug topper and the BNTO, a small plastic cup that transforms a canning jar into a snack or lunch box. They also sell the Mason Tap, which is an awesome tool for turning a regular mouth mason into a dispenser. To make it totally leak-proof, I pair mine with one of the rubber gaskets designed to work with the Tattler regular mouth lids.

Our friends at Fillmore Container are back this month as well. They’re a family-owned business based in Lancaster, PA and sells all manner of canning jars, lids, and other preservation gear. Over the weekend, they published my recipe for Strawberry Meyer Lemon Marmalade on their blog. Delicious!

Next up is Spice Ratchet. They make the blossom trivet that I use as a canning rack, and last fall they released a line of silicone Blossom uCaps for mason jars. They are available as a storage cap, a sipping cap, and a flower frog. I hear they have new products on the horizon, so stay tuned for more on that!

The fab folks at MightyNest are back again this month. They are an amazing resource for non-toxic, natural, and organic products for homes and families and even have my beloved 4th Burner Pot in stock.

Last up is Fermentools. They make a brilliant fermentation starter kit that involves a heavy-duty glass pickling weight, an airlock, a lid with a reusable rubber seal, and mineral-rich salt. The pickles I made using their kit turned out deliciously!

If your company or small business is interested in becoming a sponsor, you can find more details here. I offer discounts for multiple month purchases and am always happy to work with your budget.

Related Posts:

June Sponsors: Cuppow, MightyNest, Fillmore Container, Mrs. Wages, and Preserving Now!
April Sponsors: Cuppow, Fillmore Container, New West KnifeWorks, and Preserving Now
February Sponsors: Cuppow, Fillmore Container, Tradestone Confections, Preserving Now, and The Clay Studio

Giveaway: Fresh Herb Keepers from Ball Canning

This week, the giveaway is simply about sharing a pair of Fresh Herb Keepers that landed in my possession last summer. I was doing a canning demo at a local farmers market, funded by one of Ball Canning’s Discover You Can grants.

In addition to giving this particular market a little bit of money to help with canning education, they’d also sent a bunch of materials, including cutting boards, handled drinking jars, coupons, and several boxes of these herb keepers. The organizer had given away most of the gear but there were still a few of these herb keepers left after the crowds has dispersed, and so I went home with a couple, always intending to share them here.

Now, months later, here we are. I have two of these very clever herb keepers to give away. They make it possible to vastly extend the lifespan of your fresh herbs, which is a nice thing. Essentially, it’s an updated version of the glass of water and plastic bag approach that my grandma (and probably yours) used to use, only this one doesn’t leak all over the place if you jostle the glass.

Here’s how to enter:

Leave a comment on this post share one way you’ve been incorporating herbs (either fresh or dried) into your cooking lately.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, March 7, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog by Sunday, March 8, 2015.
Giveaway is open to US residents and Canadian residents.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.

Disclosure: I got these herb keepers for free, but no one is really sponsoring this giveaway. The Ball Canning folks don’t know I’m doing it. I just thought I’d share the wealth. 

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Giveaway: iLids Drink and Storage Lids for Mason Jars
Links: Winter Baking, More Citrus, and a Winner
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Links: Cheese Boards, Hamantaschen, and Winners

What a good weekend it was! A dear friend from my early days in Philly came to town. We ate Indian food, shopped the Italian Market, and hit one of South Jersey’s best thrift stores. On Saturday evening, we put out the cheese and cured meats we’d bought earlier in the day, raided my fridge for pickles and preserves (and you better believe, there was a lot to choose from) and laid everything out on the coffee table. Another long-time friend came to join us and spent six hours catching up, drinking wine, and eating our spread. It was joyful.

Life lessons through homemade marmalade.
Candied clementines.
Purim is coming and that means that it’s hamantaschen season. Here are a good examples.
Strawberry meyer lemon marmalade.
The what and why of pickling salt.
Savory ideas from chefs on how to use up your jam odds and ends.
A pickled beet photo essay (so pretty!).
Smoky paprika cheddar crackers.
Kraut melt!
I am intrigued by these oatmeal cookies because the secret ingredient is a raisin puree.
Bircher muesli.
I love the sourdough starter series that Amanda has been running on Phickle. She’s topped it off with a Tartine Bread giveaway and there’s still time to enter.
A few months ago, I was a guest on the newly launched podcast, The Dinner Special. My episode is finally up and you can listen here.

Time for the winners of last week’s iLid giveaway. Thanks to our friendly neighborhood randomizer, the two lucky folks are #192/Kathleen and #274/Corrie. I’ll be in touch with both the winners shortly to get your information.

For those of you that didn’t win but were tempted by the iLid design, make sure to look for them at your local co-op or order them online!

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Links: Rosehips, Muffins, and Winners
Links: Marmalade, Soups, and a Winner
Links: Marmalade, Kimchi, and a Winner

Citrus Salt and Makrut/Thai Lime Simple Syrup

I’m at that point of the book writing process where I’ve canned something everyday this week, but I can’t share a single glimpse of it with you. However, I have made a couple simple little things from book testing remains that I thought might merit a peek.

The first is a batch of air dried orange salt. I was working on a recipe for an orangeade concentrate (it’s delicious!) and was juicing oranges four pounds at a time. Wanting to get the most out of my citrus dollar, before I squeezed those oranges dry, I took the time to run them over a microplane to salvage all that flavorful zest.

When all was said and done, I had about a 1/2 cup of orange zest (don’t be fooled by the markings on the measuring cup, it wasn’t entirely full). I measured out an equal amount of coarse grey salt because it was what I had. Any coarse or flaky sea salt works beautifully here.

I rubbed it all together (my hands smelled like oranges even after a thorough wash), spread it out on a parchment lined baking sheet, and let it sit on my dining room table for a day. I’ve already used it on a warm salad of roasted butternut squash, shallots, pickled cauliflower, and Israeli couscous and I will rub it all over the chicken I plan on roasting on Sunday afternoon. It would also be delicious sprinkled over a pan of warm brownies (now that I’ve written that, I may have to make some brownies).

The other thing I made was a little jar of Makrut lime simple syrup. I’m on my second box of Meyer lemons of the season and like the first box, Karen tucked a few fragrant Makrut (or Thai) limes in with my lemons. I didn’t have enough for marmalade, but there was enough to lend flavor to some syrup.

This one couldn’t be easier. I combined equal parts sugar and water (a cup of each) in a small saucepan and added the zest and juice of my three little limes. I simmered it for a few minutes and then strained it into a jar (I didn’t want the bits of zest in my finished syrup). I use this one mostly to spice up sparkling water, but if you’re a creative cocktail person, it would make a very nice addition to your bar.

What have you been doing with your citrus lately?

Related Posts:

Makrut Lime Marmalade
Tips for Selecting, Prepping, and Preserving Lemons
Homemade Kimchi