Jam with only 30% sugar… and I thought it can’t be done !!!

January 31, 2012 in Uncategorized

No Comments »

Tags: jam, plumbs

I love jam! Yes I admit it and yes I do know it is definitely not good for my hips ! I just love a slice of toast smothered with cream cheese and topped with whole fruit jam. I have been searching the internet for ages to find a recipe that uses very little sugar, does not need gelantine or artificial pectin and was really convinced it could not be done until recently when I read the blog from one of our bloggers here ( so sorry I just cannot remember who it was and posted a delicious recipe for strawberry jam that took 10 minutes to make) . The recipe worked amazingly well using my new wok with a glass lid (in order to see what cooking underneath …

Plumb Jam

I first started using her method ( gosh I wish who it was so I could thank her ..) and made apricot jam using 50% sugar. I left a few pips in just in case
and it took exactly 15 minutes and I had the most perfect whole fruit jam thatwas not watery nor rock solid. However I still have this bad conscience whenever
I eat my favourite toast with jam… so now…. Eureka !!! today I made plum jam with exactly 30% sugar and it is PERFECT !
so here goes the how to:

1 kg fruit ( apricots, plums, peach)

300 g sugar

1 wok

1 side plate in the freezer
Cut the fruit into big pieces, add the sugar, add a few pips and cover with a cloth.
Let the fruit stand for a few hours until all the sugar has “melted”.
Transfer the fruit / sugar into the wok and on high heat with the lid on cook for 5 minutes ( or until all the mixture is boiling).
Wait for another 5 to 7 minutes (depending how much fruit is there) and then do the plate test by spooning a little of the jam onto
the cold plate. If it is not runny, its done !!
Ladle the jam into jars right away but insert a silver fork into the empty jar while filling it, like this the glass won’t break.AND THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT ! perfect jam a la minute !

Zimtsterne – Swiss Christmas Cookies

December 14, 2011 in Uncategorized

No Comments »

Its this time of the year again that we all remember certain things from our childhood. For me it was always the incredible smells of my Granny who was Swiss baking mountains of Christmas cookies for 4 weeks before the actual day. My most favourite was always the Zimtsterne ( Cinnamon Stars) which I still bake today to give away as presents to family and friends.

Ingredients for
approximately 50 cookies (depending on the size of a single
cookie):

3 fresh egg whites

1 pinch of salt

250 g icing sugar sugar

1½ tbsp cinnamon

½ tbsp kirsch or lemon juice

350 g ground almonds

Preparation:

Stir white of egg and salt in a bowl until it is real stiff.

Add icing sugar, stir until ingredients are evenly distributed. Put ½ cup aside for the icing.

Add cinnamon, kirsch (or lemon juice) and almonds, knead to a soft dough.

Roll out dough on a flat surface (it should be slightly covered with sugar), approximately 7 mm thick.

Cut out stars or other shapes and put them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.

Let them rest for about 5 to 6 hours or over night in a dry place.

Carefully paint the cookies with the frosting set aside in step 2. Bake
for about 3 to 5 minutes in the center of the pre-heated oven at 250 °C
.

Let cool completely before removing from the tray.

Beetroot Mousse

December 7, 2011 in Uncategorized

2 Comments »

Tags: beetroot, mousse, verrine

Last night I hosted another dinner for 14 Americans and as a couple of them were vegitarians I did not do my normal “fishy” sort of starter. I am currently reading loads of recipes on verrines from books a friend of mine lent me… Oh so many incredible variations are there and all easy to make and delicious. What appeals to me particulary is that the quantities are small, basically just a taste and not any more these huge quantities of food from yesteryear…
Look at these awesome colours !!



Ingredients: (for about 10 smallish glasses/portions)
1 pkt Beetroot ( about 8 pieces)
1 tub Creme Fraiche
1 tub Cream Cheese
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper
Boil the beetroot the night before. Peel and cut into quarters. In liquidizer mix beetroot, creme fraiche and cream cheese to a smooth consistancy.
Add lemon, salt and pepper… and that’s it !
Let is go very cold in fridge and serve with celery sticks or whatever else you prefer.

Pizza at Home

December 3, 2011 in Uncategorized

No Comments »

A couple of months ago my son was asked by an old friend of mine to do a promotional dvd for his new Earthfire pizza oven that is now also available at Yuppie Chef . They decided that my home is the right place to film it and many hours and many pizzas later I was hooked and bought this amazing contraption and have never bought a pizza again from anywhere else!… It is so easy and quick and I think the best and cheapest fun way to entertain during this time of the darn recession !!!



So today is another one of those days that boys have invited their mates to come and “do” pizzas. I agreed to make the tomato base with those lovely fresh herbs from my garden and also supplied the pizza topping for the Dessert Pizza :

Ingredients for Dessert Pizza:
Sliced banana ; pieces of Camambert, chopped walnuts, dabs of sweet chilli sauce, NOMU chocolate sprinkles :) totally awesome !

To see just how easy it is to make your own crispy fresh pizza check out this short video :
In one of my earlier blogs I also gave the recipe for Flame Tarts which is one of the typical Pub Foods one gets in the Alsace where I originally hail from. I have tried to make them in the new pizza oven and they work perfectly well.