Fig Jam: Holiday Gift Collective Item #2

'Twas the night before Thanksgiving and nothing is stirring in my kitchen! This year it is my little brother's turn having the honor of cooking dinner and he is not letting anyone bring anything! I'm certainly good with that! While others have been preparing all week, I've been going mad making fig jam and pepper jelly for what I have been calling our "Holiday Collective". (Essentially this is just 4 of us from work having fun in the kitchen under the influence of a few bottles of wine and under the guise of 'economical holiday gift giving.) We all met at Myra's house (and yes Myra, we are all jealous of your remodeled kitchen!) where we made several batches of Fig Jam and Pepper Jelly and experimented with some fancy cookies that we are going to make after Thanksgiving. Well we all left with a ton of unlabeled jam and jelly jars. I ended up giving much away almost immediately so I had to make more! I can't help it. I'm a giver!

Turns out I wasn't too happy with the labels I had ordered off the internet. I should have known that calico designs weren't going to cut it for me! Once again, Mrs. Fig (or is it Ms. Fig? After all, I do remember when it was Miss Fig!) came to the rescue and suggested I just get a stamp at Paper Source and make my own. What a store! Now I know were all those scrapbook ladies spend their free time! Wow. I've always been partial to stationery but this store could make it a near fetish. I will have to be careful when I go there! Anyway, what you see in the picture above is what I ended up with after barely an hour with a printer, stamp and a ink pads. Pretty easy and much better in my opinion than the slicker, overpriced online designs.

I'm going to post Mrs. Fig's Fig Jam recipe but be forewarned that in truth, there is no such thing as a fig jam recipe really. It is almost impossible to mess up and you will have to adjust the ingredients to your own taste as even though there are so few variables, each one is important. Some lemons are sweeter than others, etc. Even the quality of your cinnamon stick well have an effect on the outcome. The simple rule is that if you are happy with it going into the jar, you'll love it when it comes out.

1/2 lemon (unpeeled), thickly slice, seeded Myer lemon or other thin skinned lemon preferred.
1 1/2 pound fresh figs, halved (about 4 cups)
2 1/2 cup sugar 1 3" cinnamon stick
2 1/4 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground clove

Finely chop lemon in food processor. Don't settle for minced! Make it pulpy! Add figs and pulse. Put everything in a heavy saucepan and simmer until mixture thickens and registers 200 degrees, stirring often. Discard cinnamon stick, spoon into jars and process in hot water bath.

We also made Rosemary and Port Fig Jam from a recipe I found here. This version is quite good and we all decided it was more 'adult' and well suited for pairings with cheese as opposed to breakfast pastries. Again, don't just go by the recipe. I used two springs of rosemary and the taste was still quite delicate. Next fig season I will get more adventurous with this medium for sure.

So, are you on my Christmas List?

Next up, cookies!

Get what do YOU want for Christmas?

Christmas gift giving in my family is an elaborate dance that culminates in just about everyone getting what they wanted (more or less) while still managing to act completely surprised when opening gifts. There are very few actual surprises which is either good or bad depending on your point of view. We all employ our own strategies for achieving this prudent outcome but the most common one seems to be for family to start telling ME what they might want so I can then funnel the information to the most appropriate gift giver in the family. I'm the clearinghouse for suggestions. A role I don't really like as it seems somewhat silly and not really in the spirit of the affair. While I'm usually pretty good at putting together a gift list for my family. The others, not so much. It really isn't as hard as people make it seem. Just listen for the hints and remember to write them down when you hear them. (I've written before on ways to do this.)

But what about me? When Christmas rolls around I'm always a bit surprised when I'm asked about "my list" because I consider myself pretty easy to buy for -- if you know me. The thing is though, I feel very awkward suggesting what others should buy me -- even if they ask. And they always seem to ask one week before Christmas when I don't have the time to think about it. What does seems to work for me, however, is refering all interested parties to my Amazon Wishlist. Any Amazon account holder (and that is probably all of us by now) can "save" any item on Amazon into a personal Wishlist. This list can be searched for, linked to, or sent via link to anyone. An interested party looking at your list is just a click or two away from actually buying it and shipping it home to wrap or shipping it directly to you. I tend to use this list all year long to keep track of the books, CDs and DVDs, and computer gadgets, I want to buy so getting it ready for Christmas does not take long. Amazon sells so many types of products now that my list also has kitchen utensils, the hard to get shampoo I prefer, and even a watch I've had my eye on for years. Put stuff up there in several price ranges just for fun 'cause you never know!

If Amazon still doesn't have what you REALLY want you can now add anything to the list sold on the web. Each listing also includes as a link for your family and friends to the non-Amazon site that sells it! OH, and when someone actually buys something it removes it from your list so you don't get two of those CDs you asked for. Its up to you whether you want to configure the list to mask this information from you or not. The Wishlist is now a one-stop-shop for the people you exchange gifts with. Its really pretty easy to set up, and since starting this a few years ago I've managed to stay free of the malls after Christmas as there is nothing to return. My family seems to love it as buying for me is easy and stress fee.

So what DO you want for Christmas?

My Unsweet Truth about Pumpkin Pie

If I am to be honest here I must admit something. I don't really like pumpkin pie. Never really have. Oh, I eat it when it has been lovingly prepared for a holiday feast because I do appreciate the tradition itself and while I don't really like pumpkin pie, I don't really hate it either. It just is. When my very first subscription issue of Gourmet Magazine arrived in 1990 it featured this pumpkin bourbon sour cream cheesecake on the cover. The cover photo had it all wrapped in ivy for the presentation and it just looked amazing. I was so desperate for a change of pace at our holiday table I begged my mom to let me make it. She said I could but she went ahead and made her pumpkin pie as well. I garnished the presentation with ivy, just like the cover, and I received so much attention for it that I'm sure it spurred me on improve my skills and cook other fantastic things. We ate Mom's pie with the other leftovers. I don't make the cheesecake anymore as my brother enjoys making it. I prefer pumpkin in its more savory forms anyway.

So while the rest of you are feeling fall and getting giddy about the great pumpkin pie you will be eating, I will be pulling out my favorite savory pumpkin recipes. And if you are distressed by recent national news reports about a canned pumpkin shortage. Don't be. You shouldn't be using it anyway as roasting your own pumpkin could not be easier. And now that I think about it, I'm sure my indifference to pumpkin pie has a lot to do with canned pumpkin. (And worse, canned pumpkin pie filling! Ack.)

Just go to the store, get a Sugar Pumpkin (or "cooking pumpkin" as my local chain grocer has them labeled), cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Set the halves in a roasting pan with 1/2 inch of water in the pan.

Put in the oven at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes, let your kitchen fill up with this distinct fall odor until you can easily insert a small knife into the gourd and have it go right through.


Let cool until you can handle it easily and then scoop it out with a spoon and use right away or put it into an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to use. It will keep this way several days I have found.

So what was this pumpkin used for? Soup.

To be more specific, Tuscan Pumpkin and White Bean Soup. This soup is so easy and quick that it has become a staple this time of year. And what can be better than having home made soup ready to go in frozen containers at a moments notice? Pumpkin soup made with canned pumpkins is like using canned carrots for carrot soup, or canned asparagus with your cream of asparagus soup. At least that is my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Tuscan Pumpkin and White Bean Soup

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
3-1/2 cups of organic chicken broth (use low salt so you can control to your taste)
1/4 tsp oregano (or more to taste)
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large soup pot set over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes.

• Stir in pumpkin, broth, beans and oregano; simmer 8 minutes.
• In a blender (or using an immersion blender), process in batches until smooth or use an immersion blender. I like to keep it a bit chunky when I make this one but fully pureed it has a nice creamy texture due to the white beans.
  
• Season with salt and pepper carefully as flavors will get more intense as the soup 'settles'.

As with many soups, this is the usually better the next day. Garnish with the grated parmesan or save for a soup day!

Pepper Jelly: Holiday Gift Collective Item # 1

I don't really know why the memory of my grandmother's Pepper Jelly popped into my head a month or so. Just about every year she would make several batches of both the red and the green versions. She'd can them using the old style paraffin wax method of canning which I've never trusted but which she was an expert with. Only a very few jars would be given away as gifts while the rest would be used at her many holiday parties and ladies "card lunches" she would throw this time of year. Her preferred method of serving was the colorful and easy 'jelly over cream cheese with Wheat Thins party appetizer.

This year, when some of my workmates and I decided it would be both fun and frugal to have a 'gift making collective' this year her pepper jelly came to mind. Here is how our gift collective works: first, the four of us hold an 'offsite' meeting at lunch where we have an incredible lunch, eat too much, and talk about food. Then we decide on 2 or three food items we can make together in Myra's fancy, newly rebuilt kitchen, decorate or package well, and then give as gifts during the season. We've already had the fun meeting and this batch of the jelly was my 'audition' to the group for one of our chosen items. They loved it. Natch.

After giving the the girls one jar each, sending one to Cindy, (my blog mentor and constant inspiration), and then using my remaining jar up at home smearing on goat cheese and crostini (no recipe needed!), I'm all out already!

Jalepeno Pepper Jelly

· 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
· 1/2 cup chopped jalapeno pepper
· 5 cups white sugar
· 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
· 1 (6 fluid ounce) container liquid pectin

Remove stems, veins and most of the seeds of the bell and jalapeno peppers. Use gloves or avoid touching your face after handling peppers. Mince peppers in a food processor (and keep your face away from the opening of the food processor.) In a 5-quart pot over high heat, combine bell peppers, jalapenos, sugar and vinegar.


Bring to a rolling boil; boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes. Stirring constantly, add the pectin and let mixture continue to cool for 2 minutes more. Stir for 1 minute. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and top with sterilized lids. Process in a water bath for at least 15 minutes to create pressure seal.