What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2016–)

[FrogPrincesse]

Christine Ferber's Quince Christmas jelly (with orange, lemon, cardamom, cinnamon). This was a very small test batch with a single pineapple quince. I cooked it briefly (10 minutes, without checking the temperature - I have since watched a couple of her videos and she seems to boil her jams much more vigorously than I do) and it doesn't seem to have completely set (let's call it a "soft set"...), so I am giving it a few days before I try it. I did thoroughly lick the pot however, and it was really delicious then.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2016 by FrogPrincesse
added a picture (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

I also made this Fig & Vanilla jam (Christine Ferber). I used black mission figs from Specialty Produce that are local (and organic). I went into the area where they keep all the local produce, and asked someone who works there what fruit was at its peak right now and that is what they recommended. And I wasn't disappointed! From the minute I cut them, I had to fight the urge to eat them all before using them in my jam. I had to go back after the jam was made to buy more so I could eat them as is.

 

The jam set very easily after about 12 minutes of vigorous boiling. At my thermometer it never reached 105C that she says to target, it was closer to 95C but I am pretty sure it will be fine.

 

Day one - preparing the fruit and pre-cooking

 

 

 

 

Day two - cooking and transferring into jars

 

 

 

[Anna N]

On October 27, 2016 at 10:29 AM, Shelby said:

Finally got the second batch of jalapeños used up.  I never have problems cutting up hot peppers, but these ...phew.  My left hand still burns this morning.  More pickled, more cowboy candy and more mustard.  I reduced the sugar in this batch of mustard and left most of the seeds in.  OH it's good.  I can't wait for kielbasa and kraut.

 

.......

 

This isn't complaining because I'm super grateful for all of this yummy stuff....but I need a break from jalapeños for a while lol.

 I was completely up for making a couple of small jars of jalapeño mustard yesterday only to discover I was out of one critical ingredient…… White vinegar. Now how in the heck could that happen?   I have a grocery order arriving this morning and I hope that my addition of white vinegar made it before the cut off time for modifying an order.  

[ninagluck]

I made a small batch of eggnog for christmas today, it tastes good already, but will be even better after a few weeks

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, ninagluck said:

I made a small batch of eggnog for christmas today, it tastes good already, but will be even better after a few weeks

OH this looks good.  We love eggnog.  Could you share your recipe please?  I very much would like to make some...although I don't have such pretty bottles to store it in.  Mine will be in mason jars lol.

[ninagluck]

the vessel doesn't matter @Shelby ;-) my recipe: beat 5 eggyolks with 1 tbsp vanilla sugar for 5 min. pour 125 ml 96% alcohol over 250 g sugar and stir, put that to the eggs, beat for further 5 min. mix in 250 ml cream and 125 ml fullfat milk, mix to incorporate, done!

[Shelby]

3 minutes ago, ninagluck said:

the vessel doesn't matter @Shelby ;-) my recipe: beat 5 eggyolks with 1 tbsp vanilla sugar for 5 min. pour 125 ml 96% alcohol over 250 g sugar and stir, put that to the eggs, beat for further 5 min. mix in 250 ml cream and 125 ml fullfat milk, mix to incorporate, done!

Thank you!  Definitely doing this.  And this is ok in the fridge for several weeks?  Like 4-5 weeks?

 

Edited to ask one more question:  Do you use rum or brandy or both or?

Edited October 29, 2016 by Shelby (log)

[ninagluck]

no, I just use the pure alcohol, as this has a neutral taste. I find brandy or rum too dominant. and you can keep that outside the fridge for ages!

[scubadoo97]

Small batch?

Nicely done Nina.   The Spirit of the holiday.    

 

Being a whiskey fiend and far from a purists I like the flavor it brings to the table.   Need to start saving empties for the nog 

[JohnT]

36 minutes ago, ninagluck said:

the vessel doesn't matter @Shelby ;-) my recipe: beat 5 eggyolks with 1 tbsp vanilla sugar for 5 min. pour 125 ml 96% alcohol over 250 g sugar and stir, put that to the eggs, beat for further 5 min. mix in 250 ml cream and 125 ml fullfat milk, mix to incorporate, done!

And another question - where would a person get 96% alcohol from? A pharmacy?

[ninagluck]

yes, pharmacy, or you go to Italy, there you can buy it in any supermarket ;-)

[Anna N]

8 minutes ago, JohnT said:

And another question - where would a person get 96% alcohol from? A pharmacy?

Everclear. Used to be available in Ontario  and still available I think in some States.  

 

 Edited to add I think it is 95% ABV 

Edited October 29, 2016 by Anna N (log)

[Shelby]

7 minutes ago, Anna N said:

Everclear. Used to be available in Ontario  and still available I think in some States.  

 

 Edited to add I think it is 95% ABV 

 

Yeah, I was thinking Everclear, too.  I can get that here in Kansas at the liquor store.

[Anna N]

Just now, Shelby said:

Yeah, I was thinking Everclear, too.  I can get that here in Kansas at the liquor store.

Lucky, lucky you!   We used to use it for making our own liqueurs. Way cheaper than brand-name vodka, even the rotgut kind. 

[JohnT]

Thanks @ninagluck, I will visit my local pharmacy next week and see if I can source some. Italy is not an option as it is a bit far for some alcohol - I am located at the bottom, pointy end of Africa. It appears, from the response to your post, that there will be quite some boozy experimentation going on around the world in the next week or two! Thanks for the recipe - it is a bit different to the nog I have made in the past.

[ninagluck]

I would love to hear how you guys liked it, if you give it a try.

[FrogPrincesse]

And here is the fig & vanilla jam on toasted bread this morning. It is a bit sweet but super flavorful, and the pieces of fig are almost candied. Excellent in small doses. I am going to serve some with foie gras in a few days for a dinner party...

 

 

Edited October 29, 2016 by FrogPrincesse
typo (log)

[JohnT]

4 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

And here is the fig & vamilla jam on toasted bread this morning. It is a bit sweet but super flavorful, and the pieces of fig are almost candied. Excellent in small doses. I am going to serve some with foie gras in a few days for a dinner party...

 

 

Oooooo, that will go down well with a good wedge of Camembert or Brie!

[FrogPrincesse]

3 minutes ago, JohnT said:

Oooooo, that will go down well with a good wedge of Camembert or Brie!

Haha. I can see that, although being French and somewhat of a purist, I rarely think of mixing fruit with my cheese!

But you are right, that sounds pretty great. 

 

[blue_dolphin]

Has anyone made pyracantha (aka firethorn) jelly?  

I sampled a few of the fruits and found them rather tasteless and mealy.  I thought they would be more tart and bitter but I'm still curious.  I'm going to give it a try with a recipe from Kevin West's Saving the Season that uses 2 lbs of these little fruits to produce 1/2 pint of jelly.  If that doesn't manage to concentrate the flavor into something I can taste, I'll give up.  

Anyone have any words of wisdom for me?

[JoNorvelleWalker]

11 hours ago, ninagluck said:

no, I just use the pure alcohol, as this has a neutral taste. I find brandy or rum too dominant. and you can keep that outside the fridge for ages!

 

When I was in collage and under age I used lab ethanol one year.  The proteins in the eggs precipitated.

 

[Smithy]

@blue_dolphin: No words of wisdom,  but words of encouragement.  A huge pyracantha bush lived in our yard when I was growing up. We were told that the berries had to be cooked - as in, made into jelly - to be edible, and that the raw berries were poisonous to humans.  (That didn't stop our dog and the local birds from eating them, with no apparent ill effects except possible intoxication.)  I no longer have access to the berries, but I hope someone can satisfy your curiosity - and mine. If you make the jelly, I do hope you'll post about it.

[ninagluck]

@scubadoo97, consider if you take something with lover alcohol percentage, you reduce the shelf life.

[scubadoo97]

19 hours ago, Anna N said:

Everclear. Used to be available in Ontario  and still available I think in some States.  

 

 Edited to add I think it is 95% ABV 

 

Everclear is listed at both 190 and 151 proof or 95% and 75.5%. 

I only see the 151 on on shelves.  I keep a bottle for use in making spray disenfectants when traveling on planes and in hotel rooms.  I also used it to boost the proof of a cheap bourbon used to season the  5 liter barrel on my bar which is used mostly for Manhattans 

[scubadoo97]

12 minutes ago, ninagluck said:

@scubadoo97, consider if you take something with lover alcohol percentage, you reduce the shelf life.

Understood. 

 

what's the longest you've held your nog?