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Mixed Berry Jam

February 12, 2014

Mango season is over and, alas, we have no lilikoi either. We love making jams and jellies from our own fruit, but when these fruits are out of season we look to other sources.

A mixed berry jam came to mind when John received his copy of Little Jars, Big Flavors published by Southern Living. The book was on the Serious Eats list of best Christmas gift books for 2013. The recipes consist of small-batch jams, jellies, pickles, and preserves. We were making our weekly trip to Costco and discovered that their selection of blackberries, raspberries and blueberries were all in perfect condition. Buying various types of berries can be tricky. I’ve purchased a container of blackberries that looked fine, however the next morning when I opened the container, to my dismay they were moldy. Aargh!

Though the recipes in the book are “small-batch” we doubled the recipe because we had bought so many good-looking berries. Why not?

This was a very simple recipe that produced the most delicious berry jam. No pectin required. We expected to have 8 half-pint jars of jam but ended up with 9 jars. Since we only prepared 8 jars for canning we refrigerated the 9th jar and it was gone in a week! Have you ever had peanut butter and jam on toast for dessert? Scrumdiddlyumptious.

Mixed Berry Jam

Southern Living ~ Little Jars, Big Flavors

Makes 9 half pint jars

Ingredients:

24 ounces (5 cups) blackberries

12 ounces (3 cups) raspberries

24 ounces (4 cups) blueberries

38 ounces sugar (6 cups)

2 tablespoons lime juice

Preparation

Rinse berries thoroughly under cold running water. Remove and discard stems and any blemished berries. Drain well. Mash with a potato masher until evenly crushed. Most of the blueberries will remain whole but that’s OK, they will soften once cooked and add a nice chunky texture to the jam.

Wash jars and place them in boiling-water canner. Fill the jars and canner with water to the top of the jars. Cover and bring water to a simmer over medium heat, do not boil. Prepare the two piece closures. Wash lids and place in a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat to just a simmer but do not boil. Do not heat screw bands.

While jars are simmering, bring crushed berries, lime juice and sugar to a rolling boil in an 8-quart stainless steel sauce pan or enameled Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, stirring often, until it reaches 220 degrees on a digital thermometer (about 7 minutes). Remove from heat and let foam settle (about 1 minute). Skim off and discard any foam.

Lift the canner jar rack and fix into place on the rim of the canner. Remove one jar at a time from canner and empty hot water back into the canner. Place jar on a cutting board and place a canning funnel in the jar. Ladle hot jam into jar leaving 1/4 inch head space. With a clean damp cloth or paper towel wipe jar rim to remove any food residue. Using a magnetic utensil, lift hot lid from water, center it on the jar and place screw band on jar. Tighten screw band evenly and firmly just until resistance is met. Then increase to finger tip tight. Do not over tighten. Return jar to canner rack. Continue filling jars individually until all jars are filled, then lower rack into canner and ensure that all jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Cover canner and bring water to a full boil over high heat. Process for 5 minutes, starting timer only when water reaches a full boil.

Remove jars from water, and let stand, undisturbed, at room temperature 24 hours. You will hear the seals pop rather quickly once the jars are removed from the water. If any of the lids do not seal, refrigerate the jam and enjoy right away. Properly sealed jars will keep in your cupboard for up to one year, but why wait? Share them with your family and friends. They will be delighted to receive a precious jar of homemade jam.

***We write the date the jam was made on the bottom of the jar with a Sharpie pen.

Dessert, Fruit, Recipes, Vegetarian

Maui Gold Pineapple-Upside Down Cake

December 30, 2013

Maui Gold pineapples are extra sweet with low acidity. It’s hard to resist perfectly chilled juicy wedges of this gorgeous fruit. Grown right here on the Valley Isle, they are simply delicious.

My step daughters, Katie from Seattle and Jessica from Portland, came to visit recently. We had a birthday “wing ding” for Katie while she was here and Jessica made a scrumptious pineapple upside-down cake for dessert. Jessica is a wonderful cook and we always have such a good time planning out our next meal together.Fresh, sweet slices of pineapple are the star attraction of this cake. This recipe comes from Gourmet magazine. We didn’t have any cardamom at the time so we used cinnamon instead and it was very good however next time I will definitely use cardamom. My friend Shanna over at Curls & Carrots is a big cardamom fan and she recently sent me a bag of this intoxicating, warm, and exotic spice. Mahalo Shanna!

Butter is melted in a 10″ cast iron skillet before adding the brown sugar.

Allow the butter and brown sugar mixture to bubble just a bit before you remove it from the heat.Layer pineapple slices over the melted butter and sugar and pour batter over the pineapple. Smooth the batter with a spatula.

Invert a serving plate over the skillet and invert cake onto the plate.Jessica with her gorgeous Maui Gold Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

Maui Gold Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

Serves 8 – 10

Ingredients

For Topping:

1/2 medium Maui Gold or other sweet pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored

3/4 stick unsalted butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, lactose free and vegan)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

For Batter:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon dark rum

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

1 tablespoon dark rum for sprinkling over cake

Make Topping:

Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8 inch thick pieces.

Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over medium heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly.

Make Batter:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.

Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice, then add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.)

Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly.

Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on rack. Serve cake just warm or at room temperature.

***Cake is best served the day it is made though it may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Fruit, Recipes

Maui Mango Bread

November 9, 2013

Summer has come and gone and so have most of the mangoes on our two trees. I haven’t had to buy fruit for months since we’ve had fresh mangoes every day. What a dream! Well we have just a few of those glorious golden orbs left and as it happens they all ripened at the same time. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass: time to break out my mango bread recipe.

I adore these exceptionally sweet mangoes as do my family and friends. They don’t have a very long shelf life, they ripen a day or two after they’re picked. A quick chill in the refrigerator and they are ready to eat.

The White Pirie mango has a deep orange color and is delightfully fragrant.

Though mango is the star of this recipe, the combination of raisins, walnuts, coconut and cinnamon bring it all together to make a moist and luscious cake. Thanks to my friend Tamoe who shared her recipe with me.

Toasting a thick slice of mango bread and serving it with a pat of butter takes it to another level.

Maui Mango Bread

Adapted from Tamoe’s Mango Bread recipe

Makes two loaves

Ingredients

2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar (or up to 1 1/2 cups sugar if your mangoes are not on the sweeter side)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil

3 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups finely chopped mango

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/8 cup shredded sweetened coconut

demerara sugar (optional but recommended)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter two 8 inch loaf pans.

Place flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Mix in the oil, beaten eggs and vanilla. Add the mangoes, walnuts, raisins and coconut. Pour into loaf pans and bake for 55 – 60 minutes. If using demerara sugar, bake the bread for 10 minutes then sprinkle the sugar over the tops of each loaf. (If you add the sugar before baking the bread, it will dissolve into the batter). Continue baking for another 45 minutes. Since oven temperatures vary, it’s a good idea to check the bread after it has baked for 53 minutes. If it needs more time, check again every 2 minutes to prevent over baking.

Note: If you are using dark pans the bread will bake quicker than in light pans so check for doneness at 50 minutes.

Canning, Fruit, Jams & Jellies, Recipes

Mango Strawberry Jam

August 15, 2013

Mangoes are our favorite fruit. We have two mango trees in our yard, Rapoza and White Pirie. Both provide us with sweet and juicy fruit throughout spring and summer and even occasionally into fall. Apparently we are not the only ones who love mangoes. This year the birds decided they couldn’t wait for the occasional mango that falls to the ground. They have been devouring the mangoes while still on the tree.

The nerve of those birds!

No thanks to those hungry birds, we were still lucky to have enough fruit to make some jam this summer. This time we mixed it up a bit and made mango-strawberry jam. It turned out great.

Strawberries are lightly crushed with a potato masher to soften a bit and release their fragrant flavor.

Mango Strawberry Jam

Makes 7 half pint jars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups packed crushed strawberries

3 1/4 cups diced mango (I cut the mango into small chunks then pulse a few times in the food processor. Be careful not to pulse too much or you will end up with mango purée!)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

5 1/2 cups sugar (1038 g)

1 package powdered pectin

Preparation

Place jars in boiling-water canner. Fill the jars and canner with water to the top of the jars. Cover and bring water to a simmer over medium heat, do not boil. Prepare the two piece closures. Place lids in a small saucepan and cover with water. Heat to just a simmer but do not boil. Do not heat screw bands.

Wash and prepare strawberries and dice mangoes. Using a potato masher lightly crush strawberries. Measure out 1 1/2 cups strawberries and 3 cups diced mango. Measure sugar and set aside.

Transfer fruit to a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Add lemon juice to fruit. Whisk in pectin until it dissolves. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once. Stirring constantly, return to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and using a large slotted metal spoon skim off any foam.

Fill one jar at a time. Remove jar from canner and empty hot water back into the canner. Place jar on a cutting board and place a canning funnel in it. Ladle hot jam into jar leaving 1/4 inch head space. With a clean damp cloth or paper towel wipe jar rim to remove any food residue. Using a magnetic utensil lift hot lid from water, center it on the jar and place screw band on jar. Tighten screw band evenly and firmly just until resistance is met. Then increase to finger tip tight. Do not over tighten. Return jar to canner rack until all jam is used. When all jars are filled lower rack into canner and ensure that all jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Cover canner and bring water to a full boil over high heat. Process for 10 minutes, starting timer only when water reaches a full boil.

At the end of the processing time, turn the heat off and remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes then remove jars without tilting. Place jars upright on a rack or towel and let cool undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours check lids for proper seal. Remove screw bands and press down on the lid with your finger. Sealed lids will curve downward and will show no movement when pressed. Jars that haven’t sealed properly must be refrigerated immediately or reprocessed. Wipe jars and store in a cool, dry place. Label and date jars.

***If there is extra jam after filling all of the jars, transfer to a small container and store in the refrigerator.

Breakfast, Canning, Fruit, Jams & Jellies, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Lilikoi Jelly ~ Passion Fruit

January 26, 2013

Passion fruit, or lilikoi as we know it in Hawaii is a unique fruit with a pleasantly sweet and tart flavor. The most common varieties are yellow and purple and they can be found in some of our health food stores on Maui. They have a tough, waxy and smooth rind yet once you cut through the hard outer skin, the most amazing scent envelops the air. Once cut in half, you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Be patient. You will find an aromatic gelatinous seed filled pulp with a fragrance that is hard to describe. “Sublime” might hit the right note. An important step at the start of the jelly making process is to select a good recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and set the volume to “eleven” ala Spinal Tap!

Using a spoon remove the pulp from the rind. You can strain the seeds out as we do to make juice for the jelly. The pulp from the fruit can be eaten as is, seeds and all.

The best method to extract the juice is to first put all the pulp into a blender. Then pulse it on low speed for 45 -60 seconds. We turn our Vitamix to #3 setting. This will separate the seeds from the pulp but won’t break the seeds. If you have a food mill this is a good opportunity to use it. Pour the contents of the blender into the mill and turn, turn, turn. Soon you will have your 3 cups of lilikoi juice.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon.

A few pats of butter on your favorite toast with a spoonful of lilikoi jelly. It’s divine.

Lilikoi Jelly

Updated 1/15/20 (increased lilikoi juice to 3 cups)

Makes 8 half pint jars

Ingredients

3 cups lilikoi juice (about 5 pounds of fresh lilikoi) or frozen, unsweetened passion fruit pulp (Goya brand)

1 cup water

7 1/2 cups sugar

6 ounces liquid pectin (2 pouches Certo brand)

Preparation

Prepare canner and canning jars.

Combine juice, water and sugar in a large, tall pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Immediately add liquid pectin and bring to a full, rolling boil. Boil rapidly for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, skim off foam (use a small fine mesh strainer) and pour into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch space between the jelly and rim of the jar. Secure 2 part lids and process for 10 minutes in boiling water canner. Turn off heat and leave jars in canning pot for 5 more minutes before removing to cool.

***Basic canning instructions can be found here.

Breakfast, Canning, Fruit, Jams & Jellies, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Mango Jam

August 14, 2012

Each year we wait patiently for our annual mango season which brings us an abundant crop of fruit. We share our mangoes with friends and family, many times lugging heavy bags of mangoes to work or wrapping them up carefully and taking them on the plane to Oahu. One of the most enjoyable ways to eat a mango is to chill it well, cut it into bite size chunks and serve. If you find yourself with too many mangoes you can also make mango salsa, bread, pie, smoothies, sorbet, and jam.

This little gadget works very well. Just cut off the top of the mango and place the center of the cutter over the seed of the mango and press down. In no time you will have your mango seeded and all you’ll need to do is remove the flesh of the mango from the skin by scooping it out with a spoon. It saves a lot of time when preparing mangoes for jam. There’s no need to peel and cut up the mango, just one quick swoop and you’re done.

Process mangoes to measure 4 1/2 cups.

Sterilize your jars.

Bring the mango mixture to a rolling boil that can’t be stirred down then add sugar. Return to a rolling boil that can’t be stirred down and boil for 1 minute. Use a very tall pot and long wooden spoon. Mixture can splatter as it cooks.

Pour hot mango jam into sterilized jars leaving about 1/8 inch between the jam and the top of the jar.

Process jam in boiling water for 10 minutes (covered) then remove to cool on a wire rack.

Canning jam is easier than you might think. You will need canning equipment which is basically the canner, a few helpful utensils and jars. These items are not expensive and the only downside is that they take up precious cupboard space. Once you have your little jars of homemade jam you can store them in the cupboard for up to a year. They probably won’t be around that long…

Mango Jam

Yield: 7 Half pint jars

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mango

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

6 cups sugar

1 pkg. dry pectin

1/2 teaspoon butter

Preparation

Wash fruit, peel, seed and cut into cubes. You can mash the fruit with a potato masher or run through a food processor in batches. I use the food processor (two batches to make 4 1/2 cups total) and pulse two times then I give it a stir with a large spoon and pulse two more times, mixing the fruit again, and one last pulse making sure not to puree the fruit leaving small pieces of mango for texture.

In a 8 – 10 quart pot, preferably with high sides, mix fruit, lemon juice, butter and pectin. The butter helps to prevent foaming. Place over high heat, stirring constantly with a long handled wooden spoon. Bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Still stirring, add sugar. Return to a boil that cannot be stirred down, then boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove from the heat. Ladle hot jam into prepared half pint jars leaving just about 1/8 inch of space between the jam and top of the jar. Wipe rims clean. Place lids on jars and screw on the rings until a point of resistance is met – fingertip tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Once cool, remove rings and wipe rims clean. Mark the date on the bottom of each jar and store for up to a year. Once opened, refrigerate leftovers. If any of the jars do not seal, store the jam in the refrigerator. For basic canning directions go here.

The jar on the left is mango jam with Hawaiian chili peppers. For this delicious option add to the above recipe 15 – 20 Hawaiian chili peppers which have been seeded and finely chopped. An exotic combination of sweet and hot it is especially delicious served on crackers with cream cheese.

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