New Year, New Start, New Blog

Welcome 2012 - I'm so excited to get to know you.  It's going to be tough to follow 2011, that was a pretty good year for me.  I got engaged, I got married, and I made my own wedding cake.   I grew both personally and professionally and I grew by leaps and bounds in confidence in the kitchen, experimenting with home made puff pastry, learning how to sterilize and made 80 jars of homemade jam, and having the faith in myself to make my own 3 tiered wedding cake.  And yet I am so excited for you 2012 even if you aren't off to the best of starts.  Ok so my UK work visa expired and I had to stop working, and yes I will have to move back to the US before my husband and we will live apart while he waits on his green card, and sure its a little stressful looking for work in this economic climate; but its no big deal.  I made my own wedding cake - I can do anything!

I promise I will shut up about the cake now, since this blog will be about so much more.  Its about being on a mission to improve myself.  Its a mission to get healthier, be nicer, and most importantly continue to kick culinary ass.  

Just to get things started - here is the recipe for my Scottish Raspberry Jam that I made for our wedding favors.   If you have been avoiding canning for a long time like I was, paralyzed by the fear of the thought of presenting your friends and families with a lovely can of botulism, rest assured this does actually work.  Our jars were bottled in July and I am still opening some of the extras and the jam is as good as ever!  The recipe itself is super easy and only calls for 3 ingredients.  Yes 3.  So easy and so delicious and you will wonder why you haven't braved the world of canning before!

For the Jam (adapted from Epicurious 2001):

4 cups granulated sugar

4 cups fresh raspberries (washed and patted dry)

1 lemon, juiced 

Screw top and sterilized glass jam jars (you will need 6-8 8oz jars per batch)

1. Put the sugar into an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250°F oven for 15 minutes. 

2. In the mean time, place the raspberries in a thick bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, mashing the berries with a potato masher as they warm.  When the berries begin to boil let them boil vigorously for about 1 minute

3. Add the warmed sugar and the lemon juice making sure to stir thoroughly and let boil until the mixture forms a gel (see note below) 

4.  Ladle into jars and process in a hot water bath

5.  Let cool and enjoy!

To sterilize and process the jars:

Place the jars and the lids in your dishwasher and run them through a high heat cycle.  When the cycle finishes - do not remove the jars until you are ready to can.  The hot jam will need to go into the hot jars!

After you finish ladling the jam into the jars, wipe the rims with a damp paper towel to remove any excess jam and screw on the lids tightly.  In the mean time put a small cake round in the bottom of a large pot (large enough to hold several of the jam jars at once).  Fill the pot with enough water to cover the jars and have 2 inches of water above the can and bring to a rapid boil.  After the jars are filled and sealed drop them in the hot water bath and let the water return to a boil.  Once the water returns to a boil let them process for 5 minutes before removing and placing on some kitchen towels to cool.  Cool for 24 hours before eating! 

More detailed instructions can be found here: can processing

How to tell you have a gel:

Before you start the process stick a spoon in the fridge and let it chill.  When you are ready to test your jam, dip the cold spoon into the jam mixture and immediately lift it out keeping it horizontal.  If the jam is dripping off the spoon in several loose, syrupy drops it isn't ready.  The jam is done when the mixture looks thicker and more set and two drops run together before falling off the spoon.   

Another way to test the doneness of the jam is to spoon a little of the mixture onto a plate and let sit for a minute.  If the jam is ready it will have started to gel and will be wobbly like jello, as opposed to totally runny.