The Canning Graveyard

So 2011, it's been a year. I had to dispose of all canned items that were more than a year old, so that meant EVERYTHING. So sad. Here are some pictures of the condemned:

I would like to honor their memory by a series of letter:

Dear Fig Jam #1,

I'm so sorry things didn't work out between us. You see, I couldn't resist the calling of free figs, and thought that we could have a great partnership. I cooked you too long and you became a thick paste. I just didn't know what to do with you. I'm sorry. RIP.

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Fig Jam *2,

Once again, I couldn't resist the dark, plump Italian fruit from my aunt's backyard. I thought things would be better this time around. I was wrong. Unfortunately, whereas your predecessor was too firm and unyielding, you, by contrast, were soppy and limp. I didn't cook you long enough, no doubt trying to overcompensate from my last relationship. It turns out I'm not a fig conserve kinda gal. I promise to resist the urge when it hits next summer....

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Spiced Plum Sauce,

I really liked you. You were rich and flavorful, but in no time flat, were stiff and crystallized. Still, we worked through the hard times, and I used up as much as I could on sauteed pork medallions. My husband just doesn't approve of your fruity spice, and it's all I could do to m(eat) you in secret. Next time, I will restrict myself to sauces of the tomato family.

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Peach Orange Blossom Jam,

From the beginning, we fought to stay together. From the tiny, hard fruits bore from our urban peach tree, we were not destined to succeed as a couple. I don't know why your lovingly diced flesh shriveled up in the jar, but it wasn't pretty. This is too hard. sniff.

Sincerely,

miukat

Dear Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme Jelly,

I thought we had something, and we did for a while. Then things started to change, I got busy, you started to withdraw to the back of the cabinet, and we just stopped seeing each other. What happened? You were great with meat. I just wish we had more time together.

Sincerely,

miukat

Wow. I feel emotionally drained. All my hopes and dreams gone down the sink. Here is the canning graveyard:

I hope this doesn't happen again. It was really sad and wasteful. To 2012 and 365 days of pickles!!! Huzzah!

So long 2011!

Whew! It's been a year all right. I had no use of my kitchen until about June, since I live in NY on top of a restaurant, and we had some issues in there, the living room needed updating, so I painted and decorated all summer, and I didn't start really getting back into the cooking groove until Thanksgiving. Well, there have been lots of lows, and a few highs, but I'm glad this year is over. Next year is shaping up to be great, and I look forward to seeing what it brings. (Hark, is that optimism I hear?!) I have recommitted myself to this blog and what it represents, and next year I will be eating/drinking things I've made myself everyday. First things first, I will kick it off today with an Old-Fashioned. How is it homemade, you ask? Well, I don't have a still in the craft room, if that's what you're thinking! Let me tell you about my morning and we'll get there.

I woke up this morning with the macerating citrus looking me square in the eye and telling me to can 'em up. Remember, I had kumquats, orange slices and grapefruit marmalade. There was also a can shortage. And a money shortage. Ugh. It was waaay to early to find canning supplies in this neighborhood, so I took a look at my dedicated canning cupboard to really see what I could do. Sadly, since I haven't done any canning in at least 2 years, I realized all my stock would have to go. My husband is Gourmet Foodie Enemy #1 because he only eats a handful of things, such as pizza, fried chicken, and pork (in all of it's glorious forms, as long as it's unadulterated with other things, such as an awesome mustard rub, sauerkraut and apples, spiced plum glaze...) No veggies, no pie, no fruit ('cept the occasional apple, orange or banana, when the sun is lined up with Venus and Aquarius is in the fifth house, yada yada yada) He's not eating any of this stuff with me, so I have to A) eat it all myself (which clearly didn't work out) B) gift it all to my friends (which is not an option because cans are expensive and you never get them back or C) throw more parties and use it up. I happen to be a fan of C, so hopefully that will come to fruition this year. If I ever finish sewing my slipcover....

Well, I'll be back with a new post, since if I wrote everything in this one post, you'd be reading forever!

I love the fruit market!

So I just came back from shopping (and by the way I'm brrroooooke!) I spent $10 on fruit for canning and I feel like a shopping champion. Grapefruits were on sale 7/$1 so I bought 7, and oranges were also on sale 7/$1, so I bought 14. My intention was also to candy some kumquats for cocktail garnishes, so when I didn't see them where they were supposed to be, I panicked. Then I realized they repackaged them in clamshells, so I ended up getting about 1 1/2 pounds. That's not much, but I think it will be ok for a tiny batch. The water bath will be going any way, so who cares? Lastly, I decided grapefruit marmalade is bo-ring, so I stopped at the liquor store to get some moscato wine to dump in there. Now we're talking! So the oranges will become "Orangerie", sweet/sour spiced orange slices, and that should take care of today's marathon canning session. Well, maybe the camera will get unearthed and I'll take some pictures...

Tortas de Aceite

So it's finally happened. I'm so smitten with these flatbreads I've taken it upon myself to make it happen at home. From time to time, I find Ines Rosales Tortas de Aceites in the supermarkets and it happened again this week. $4.99 later, I'm daintily unwrapping each layer of waxed paper, and stuffing my face full of the sweet, crunchy goodness. As I peruse the ingredients, I realize that this is something I could make myself. With that in mind, my Google-Fu springs into action. After about an hour, I make the stunning discovery that no one on the interwebs has decoded this secret formula in English. Sure, there are plenty of recipes out there, but most are reviewed and reported as being sub-par to the original crispity, crunchity Ines Rosales brand. So I turn to the dark side: I'm searching en Espanol. Within minutes, a little recipe pops up and the next half hour is devoted to translating. It even says in parentheses
"Typo Ines Rosales". Well, the recipe is from Spain, and they said they'll be like my fave brand so I translated and made a few adjustments. Recipe and results soon to follow :)

Christmas is over and a New Year is about to start!

Hello all my loyal readers (cough, cough)! I'm excited that the new year is so close. Oh the plans I have! So the Apple Pie Liquor, the Pomegranate Cordial and the Malted Milk ball cream liquor all went over super well. Next year, I'll need to make more cream liquor, since that was a real hit. I will be making pumpkin pie cream liquor, too. Also, I made some cinnamon chocolate popcorn as a last-ditch effort to spruce up some small gifts and that, too, was well received. Next time, I'd like to try a sweet and spicy caramel popcorn, or a mexican chocolate chile popcorn. Those would be great at cocktail parties. There are big plans for canning this year-Woo hoo! On the agenda this week is candied kumquats, and spiced orange slices. There will be some marmalades, soon, too. Also on the drawing board is pear relish, carrot cake jam, pickled red cabbage and apples, and much more. I'm hoping that this year will make this blog proud!

Bottling Days are Here!

Well, today I bottled up and started labeling my liquor. I think they turned out well, for my first try. I had the mint tea liquor, which I only made a small batch, but will continue to tweak the recipe a bit. The spiced pomegranate cordial is good, but is a bit strong, so it may be better in a mixed cocktail. The apple pie liquor turned out OK, but I liked my first batch better. TJ's was out of the other apple juice, so I only used one variety instead of two and it seems to have really mattered. Also, the caramel could have been darker. Lastly, I made Malted Milk Ball Cream Liquor. It's the bomb. Let is be said it could be drunk by the gallon. Here's the recipe:

Malted Milk Ball Cream Liquor

3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup malted milk powder
1 1/2 cups whiskey
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fox's U-Bet Chocolate Syrup

Mix in a blender. Bottle. Good for 2 months (Allegedly. Don't think it will last that long...)

The Winter Bar

So I've been drinking now for a few months and have realized something. Summer cocktails are not for winter. I don't like the idea of a light, citrus-y gin and tonic when it's snowing outside, so I've been doing some research and have come up with some ideas for the winter bar. First off, I tend to be a brown liquor type of person rather than a clear liquor type of person, so right off the bat, my home bar is brimming with winter promise. A few winter staples: blended whiskey, bourbon whiskey, rye, brandy, dark rum, and spiced rum. I don't have all of these but a girl has to dream...

Next we have the liquors. I made apple pie liquor for the holidays, so that is a winner right there. Ginger liquor highlights the spicy holiday notes, and orange liquor is a must have. All nut liquors have a place in the winter bar, like Amaretto, Frangelico, Nocino. I have honey whiskey, but any honey liquor would add a nice flavor dimension to a winter cocktail, and I've been thinking of making gingerbread liquor to really liven things up. Don't forget the peppermint schnapps!

An interesting concept is the wine cocktail. Red wine cocktails rule the abbreviated days and help warm up the bleak winter blues. A full-bodied, oakey red such as Cabernet sauvignon would be a good candidate for a rich winter libation. Port is also nice to have on hand. Here's a nice recipe for a Suburban from a blog called Looka! Definitely one to try!

SUBURBAN

1-1/2 ounces rye whiskey
1/2 ounce dark rum
1/2 ounce ruby port
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 dash orange bitters

Combine with cracked ice in a mixing glass and stir for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish.

Lastly we have the mixers. I have to say, tonic water is out for the time being, though I love the stuff, and have discovered Fever Tree tonic water, akin to the water of life in my opinion. Mmmm. Anyhoo, I'm thinking root beer, ginger ale, ginger beer, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, apple cider/juice, pear nectar, and well, anyone have any other ideas? Anyone? Bueller......