“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”
Etty Hillesum
The other day I got a package from Britannia Foods with samples of their recently launched snacks, which offered the promise of a break from baking; something that looked like the kids would enjoy. I must be a glutton for punishment because even though I was absolutely exhausted, I decided to make some Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam to go with it!The morning saw a tiring pizza session, absolutely delicious, but gosh, so much work!! Preheating the oven to make a batch of balsamic roasted strawberries for these Hot Cross Buns I was annoyed with myself. It was bugging that the oven was on, had some extra room and I hadn’t got my act together in time to bake something alongside. It’s a happy feeling to know you can kill two birds with one stone … catch my drift?Does that happen to you sometimes?Pouring in the balsamic vinegar I remembered earlier references to an onion jam that used balsamic vinegar but the recipes I recall were all stove top. Figured I could roast onions in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar alongside the strawberries. Something sweet and something ‘savoury sweet‘ …nice!
Garlic had to be in there because roasting garlic brings out the sweeter side of it. We are a garlic loving family. It’s something that just seems to make life better, even on tiring old days! Being in the kitchen, creating, baking, stirring is all pretty unwinding and relaxing on most days! Summer is here so I’m up pretty early much to the dogs excitement. She takes a chunk out of my earlier free mornings, but she is so CUTE that I don’t mind it!
I served them with the Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam and the ‘now beginning to get pretty tiresome‘ pre-teen lapped it up asking for more.
Ran them past the ‘not so tiring any more’ teen and she loved them. Offered her onion jam, and she went “EWWWW. Nevah!!” After much cajoling and convincing, a little blackmailing, I finally got her to taste some. She enjoyed it, though hesitatingly said, “Would you mind not calling it jam please? I don’t like the idea of onions in jam!!” Hmmm …So go on, grab some onions and make some Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam. Make more than what I made because its pretty darned addictive and hits all the good spots in the most delightful way. I LOVED it. Sweet and savoury is right up my street, add garlic and I sing out LOUD! This did not disappoint!
{Disclaimer: I have not received any remuneration from Britannia or any agency for this post. This is my personal opinion on the product which I have reviewed.}
[print_this]Recipe: Caramelised Onion & Garlic Jam
Summary: A different take on what we traditionally think of as jam. This is pretty darned addictive and hits all the good spots in the most delightful way. A ‘smoky oniony garlicky’ jam that pairs well with crackers, rolls, canapes, bread, pizza etc!
Toss the onions in 2 tbsp olive oil, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Place the whole garlic cloves in a piece of foil and drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over it.
Turn the onions into an oven proof casserole, make a small nest in the centre and place the foil in the middle.
Roast at 190C for about an hour until the edges begin to brown. {I like to do this as I bake something else alongside, or then bake a large portion as this keeps for long}
Remove from oven. When the garlic cloves are cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out. Discard the peels and place the roasted onions, garlic and sea salt in a heavy bottom pan.
Taste and adjust the brown sugar or/and balsamic vinegar as required. Simmer on low with little water added if it is too dry for about 10 minutes for the flavours to mature. Cool and store in a glass jar in the fridge.
“Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did”
William Allen Butler
I don’t think there ever was or can be a more luscious, a more colourful and a more passionate berry than the strawberry. It’s beautifully shaped… c’mon, how many more berries would give us perfect hearts on being cross sectioned? Each time I see them, my heart skips a beat.
I’ve done loads of strawberry stuff this season, and would have happily done loads more had I not felt guilty of dessert overdose. I think strawberries are the perfect dessert ingredient, and compliment most cheeses and tropical fruit. Strawberries in pastry, in cake, in scones, in salad, in cream, with OJ, in a parfait, as ice cream sauce …infinite options and each charmingly different in it’s own way.
With little boxes of these colourful berries flooding the market, I can’t stop myself from buying them. So I bought 4 more little boxes the other day. The daughter loves her PB and J sandwich and goes through jars of peanut butter (home-made of course as Barbara would ask…), and jam quite rapidly. She slaps on a sandwich (brown bread is the only bread I buy) when she gets back from school, and if in a good mood, does one for her ever doting kid brother too.
The other day she scraped out the last remaining bit of the store bought jam from the jar, and I knew what I wanted to make next! Most searches on the net led to the same strawberry conserve recipeso that was decided. It was a great recipe on many fronts, primarily because it doesn’t pressurise you to make the jam immediately. I made a few changes like adding a vanilla bean to bring out a slightly different flavour, using vanilla sugar instead of regular sugar, and increasing lime juice in the recipe from 2 limes to 3.
In the recipe, these very delicate and perishable fruit is layered with sugar, lime juice added and is allowed to rest for 24 hours. BLISS! Takes the pressure right off. I loved it because I was really pressed for time, and was afraid the strawberries would spoil if they weren’t put to use very soon. Next day, a five minute simmer after a boil, and rest again… and then things are pretty much under control. By day 3, I was quite eager to begin the jam making process and the conserve was finally ready! It did take about an hour on simmer before it reached setting point, but was super easy to make.
Got 3 nice jars of conserve, and am enjoying using it. Have made some delicious Double Chocolate Strawberry Energy Bars with it (yet to post recipe). Also used some in my last post of Strawberry, Chocolate & Mascarpone Cakelets. This is a nice way to preserve extra strawberries, and I dare say that if you have the time, the jam can well be made the same day like I did the Bitter Orange Marmalade here. A friend of mine makes it like I make marmalade, and it works just fine she says. I find the luxury of additional time very therapeutic in some way!
Strawberry Vanilla Bean Conserve adapted fromhere Ingredients:
1 kg of either very small strawberries or halved hulled larger strawberries
1 kg granulated vanilla sugar (or regular sugar)
1 vanilla bean, split
Juice of 3 limes (or 1 lemon)
Method:
Place alternate layers of strawberries and sugar into a bowl; add the lime juice and vanilla bean, cover and leave to stand overnight. (Make sure the bean is submerged in the liquid to help infuse well.
Next day, transfer the fruit and sugar to a pan, bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour back into the bowl, cover and leave again for another day.
Finally, transfer to a pan, bring to the boil and simmer until setting point is reached. Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little until the fruit begins to sink in the syrup. Stir and pour into small, hot sterilized jars and cover immediately.
Carrying on from my last post, time to blog eloquently about the third Indian flatbread I had a go at making. You can find the earlier two, Naan & Tandoori Roti, in this post here. While the naan I made is a leavened bread but not with yeast, the tandoori roti is unleavened. This current flatbread, ‘KhameeriRoti‘, is also leavened, & yeast is the rising agent in this case. (‘Khameeri‘ means fermented.)
This is a rustic, moreish flatbread, made entirely with wholewheat flour (aata) & has delicious crust. Like most baked flatbreads, it tastes best eaten hot out of the oven. The dough is kneaded twice; the second kneading is a little involved as you try & incorporate extra liquid into the dough. This results in a smooth silky dough, which is then left to rise. It’s a nice bread to serve with curries, vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
KhameeriRoti (Leavened Bread) from ‘The Indian Menu Planner’ Ingredients: Wholewheat flour – 2 cups Clarified butter (ghee) to grease baking tray. (I line the tray with foil instead) Salt to taste Active Dried Yeast – 1 1/2 tsp Flour to dust Method:
Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 a cup of warm water, & leave to proof.
Sieve the flour with salt onto a platter.
Make a well & pour in about 3/4 cup of water, mix gradually & knead to a tough dough. Add a little more water if required. Cover with a damp cloth & keep for 15 minutes.
Slowly sprinkle the dissolved yeast mixture, & keep kneading till the dough is smooth & pliable & not sticky. Cover with a damp cloth & leave for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 8-10 equal balls & dust with dry flour.
Press & flatten into 8″ wide discs. Place on a greased tray & bake for 4-5 minutes in an oven pre-heated at 180 degrees C.
Drizzle with melted ghee or butter(very optional, yet most delicious).
Serve hot with curry.
This rustic flatbread is off for Yeastspotting at Susan’s @ Wild Yeast Blog, for her weekly wrap on yeast baking.
