Pickled Beets

For this batch of beets, I seem to have undercooked them by just a bit. They boiled for an hour too, but apparently it wasn't long enough. These were small to medium sized beets. Despite some being "fork tender", others still had some crunch. I suppose beets can be eaten raw. I just haven't eaten it that way. I also boiled these whole without removing the stems or roots. Just scrub them clean before cooking.

I've read that the only difference between kosher salt and pickling salt is what else is in it. Table salt cannot be used since it is usually laced with iodine, which can make a cloudy brine. Pickling salt has no added iodine; sea salt has minimal iodine and is an acceptable substitute; and kosher salt has added yellow prussiate of soda (at least the Morton's brand does) which also discolors the brine.  

The pickling liquid is enough for 5 pints of beets and can be doubled.

Pickling Liquid

3-5 lbs of raw whole beets
1 c organic granulated sugar
1 tbsp sea salt
1 c apple cider vinegar
1 c distilled white vinegar
whole cloves, 4 per jar
whole peeled garlic cloves, 2 per jar
1 c beet water (water that the beets cooked in)

Directions

1. In a large pot, add raw beets and fill with enough water to cover them. Boil for at least an hour or until the beets are fork tender. Remove from heat and add whole beets to a large bowl filled with ice water. This will help cool the beets down. With the faucet running cold water, peel the beets with a paring knife and trim the stem and root off. Set aside until all the beets are peeled.

2. Using a sharp knife and cutting board, thinly slice the beets.

3. Sterilize jars in the oven (washed and air dried in a 225 degrees F oven for 15 minutes) or boiled for 10 minutes; sterilize lids and jar bands in boiling water.

4. Add to each jar: two peeled garlic cloves and four whole cloves. Add beet slices and fill to the top with pickling liquid with a 1/4" headspace at the top. Secure lid and band to the jar.

5. Process jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Remove jars from water and set onto wood racks or a wood cutting board. As the jars cool down, the lids should each make a loud "pop" noise as the pressure sucks in the lid and seals the jar. Let the jars stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

This batch made 5 pints.

Parisian Ham and Butter Sandwich

I had the Jambon Beurre sandwich at Le Panier at Pikes Place Market in Seattle and it was such a classically simple sandwich that I had to make it myself. As far as the cost of the ingredients, it was surprisingly low; even with Applewood smoked ham ($2.49 for fresh baked baguette, $4.49 for the preservative-free ham). I suppose I'll have to visit Paris, France some day to get the true sandwich baguette eating experience. Considering that I'll get a few sandwiches out of the baguette, the ingredients are well worth it at just under $8.

Ingredients

1 baguette
deli sliced ham
unsalted butter

Directions

Slice the baguette lengthwise and butter. Line one side with deli sliced ham (thin slices). I used two layers of ham. Replace top side of baguette and slice to desired lengths.

Enjoy.

Coconut Sorbet

This is a Cuisinart recipe and frankly, it doesn't have that much coconut flavor to it. Maybe I should have used coconut cream instead of coconut milk. It tastes like sweetened vanilla water that has been colored white. Even though the coconut milk was unsweetened, there is still too much sugar in the recipe. Next batch should cut the sugar down to 3/4 c.

Ingredients

1.5 c water

1 1/3 c granulated sugar

1 whole vanilla bean, halved then seeds scraped

pinch of salt

2 cans (13.5 oz each) unsweetened coconut milk

Directions

1. Combine water, sugar, vanilla bean pod and seeds and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to just a boil then remove from heat. Let the ingredients steep for an hour and strain into a separate bowl. Add coconut milk. Stir. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Process in Cuisinart (or similar) ice cream maker. Transfer sorbet to a container and freeze for at least two hours until firm.

Crockpot Pear Butter

This is the first attempt at making pear butter. A new crop of D'anjou pears were on sale at the grocery store so I bought enough to make six pints of fruit butter. For apples and pears, one pound of fruit typically yields one pint. I though this came out too sweet. Two cups of sugar is way too much if the fruit is ripe and sweet.

Ingredients

6 lbs ripe pears, cored and cubed
2 c sugar (need to cut to 1 1/2 c sugar, or less)
1 tsp grated orange zest
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 orange, juiced

Directions

1. Wash, core and cube pears. Mix with the rest of the ingredients. Place all ingredients in a crockpot. Set for 8 hours on LOW.

2. If storing butter for long-term use, process using sterilized jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Candied Citrus Peels

It seems that all you really need is a dry summer day. Laying the sugared peels on a rack then waiting 24 hours for the peels to dry is nonsense. I was able to make a batch of lime peels and a batch of orange peels in the same day. And, a batch of candied lemon peels the next day. Probably could have made it all in the same day if I had more drying space.

In terms of quantities, the peels of six limes filled an 8 oz jar; one medium mandarin orange filled 1/4 of an 8 oz jar, and two large lemons filled 1/2 an 8 oz jar.

Use a sharp edged (not serrated) vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the fruit. Thinly slice the peel into strips. The less pith (white stuff) that is on the peel, the more translucent the peel will become when it is boiled in the sugar syrup.

I used one batch of sugar syrup for all these fruits. I still have 10 oz of sugar syrup leftover.

Sugar Syrup

2 c organic granulated sugar
1 c water

Combine water and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside.

The Process

1. Peel the fruits and slice the peel into strips. Place the strips into a pot and fill with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Drain the water.

2. Place the boiled peels into the sugar syrup. Bring to a boil. With a candy thermometer, maintain the heat until the thermometer reads 230 degrees F (syrup stage). The peels should begin to turn translucent. This is best observed with lemon and orange peels. You'll have to make a judgement call when doing lime peels. Boil at 230 degrees F for at least 5 minutes.

3. Remove peels from the syrup using a fork or chopsticks. Lay in a single layer onto a Silpat mat or drying rack. I prefer using a silicone mat for easier removal of the sugared peels. This is just so that the peels cool down a bit.

4. Once the peels have cooled. Fill a shallow bowl with 1/2 c granulated sugar. Transfer peels to the sugar and stir until the peels are coated. Set aside. Every few hours, stir the peels around the sugar. When the moisture has sufficiently evaporated from the sugar-coated peels, remove the peels to a separate container.

I use a canning jar with its inner lid removed and use a square of a paper towel as the temporary lid; using the sealing band to keep the paper towel in place. This way the peels can still dry out and the jar can sit on the counter without bugs getting in.