Dessert By Candy

Use That Apple Butter

Any avid jam maker can tell you it is all too easy to overstock the larder. I try to keep mine in manageable supply which explains why I am down to my last jar of apple butter. That beloved batch was made with lots of apple cider vinegar. At first, the apple butter tasted too sharp to my liking. But a few months in, the flavour mellowed and I grew to really like it. I wanted to use it for something special.

It is now maple season in eastern Canada and saps are flowing. Maple baked goods are everywhere I look. Last weekend I stopped at Cora’s for brunch. On my way out, I picked up a recipe card that caught my attention. It was a recipe for Apple and Maple Muffins, “the ideal lunchbox recipe”. I generally don’t get distracted by randomly distributed recipes but something about the ingredients spoke to me. Three things were aplenty: diced apples, maple syrup, oats. The recipe actually sounds healthy!

Small Token Of Appreciation

I love presents, you love presents, everybody loves presents! One of the main reasons I became a jam-maker is to have a stash of homemade gifts at the ready all year round. Sure I love to give a box of assorted cookies (labour intensive) or a jar of jam (jam again?), but recently I want to branch out. My first name is a giveaway that confectionery holds a special place in my heart. Candy By Candy sure has a nice ring to it! My latest foray into the world of candy making is candied citrus peels.

I don’t know why I thought candying citrus peel would be difficult. I made countless batches of marmalade before, even in someone else’s bachelor kitchen. I put up jars of candied kumquats. I have no fear of playing with heat and sugar. This is a classic treat to introduce newcomers to the wonderful world of homemade candies.

Use That Rumtopf

The phrase “use it or lose it” always rings a tone of desperation to me. It makes me feel panicky. Unfortunately, it is how I feel about my 8L of homemade rumtopf (read about its story previously). For a “dry” household, why did I feel the need to make such a ridiculous amount of fruit in rum? It all started with a very logical decision for risk management. Four smaller jars would surely give me a higher chance of success than one big jar, right? Lucky me, all four jars turned out to be awesomely delicious and I am stuck with the enviable problem of having too much rumtopf than I can realistically consume.

I have no head for alcohol. Even a small serving of boozy tutti frutti would quickly get me smashed. Among the great list of ideas from Well Preserved, using the rumtopf to bake a cake caught my attention obviously. Fortunately, my appetite for cake and my ability to share cake fare much better than my drinking prowess. Besides, I was confident a drunken rum cake can make a serious dent in my rumtopf supply. I need to come up with a recipe.

There is certainly no shortage of rum cake recipes but I have one specific requirement. I want a recipe that can accommodate large amount of rum-soaked fruit pieces. Not only do the fruit add extra moisture to the cake, they are heavy too.

Preserved Not For Eternity

When I see jars of pickles, my mind involuntarily wanders to the biology classroom of yore with its rows of creatures suspended in poisonous formaldehyde cocktail. Spearing a well preserved piece of cucumber pickle from its bath of seasoned vinegar, I feel a tinge of weirdness about its past life. I cannot help myself. Preserving the summer bounty is a regular part of my culinary life now but the mad scientist imagery never fades away.

Reading the National Center for Home Food Preservation guideline, the stern warnings for food safety intimidate effortlessly. I feel like one misstep and I’ll have an arsenal of bio-weapons in my kitchen pantry. Knowledge and advance in science are wonderful and they certainly contribute immensely to food safety. But at some point I wonder how we all managed to survive the dark ages without making ourselves sick after every meal.

In the interest of my own safety, I do follow the guideline and stick with lower risk projects such as jams and refrigerator pickles. I have an occasional cravings for pickled cucumbers especially when making egg or potato salads. Every time I walked by the knobbly kirby cucumbers at the market, I wanted to take them home. Last winter I received many jars of pickles from my CSA but the supply has finally dwindled. It was time to put on my mad scientist lab coat.

Canning Double Fail

Being a regular canner jam maker for the last two years, you would think I’m deft at the whole water bath canning process. Yesterday I made a batch of preserved peaches in Amaretto spiked Tahitian vanilla syrup which ought to be rather simple. I thought so too until I had not one, but two glaring mishaps that left me scrambling. My butt was kicked mercilessly by these peaches.

I love freestone peaches. Just twisting the peaches open to pry out the pit is a satisfying experience much like popping bubble wrap. Early season varieties are typically clingstone and it’s not unusual that you find me quizzing the farmers when the freestone arrives. Can you believe it’s already the last few days of August? Pretty soon, even the freestone peaches will disappear until next year. It is hard not to feel a little sad even though I’m not a fan of oppressive summer heat. Preserving this last bit of summer was what I tried to do yesterday.

When Enough Is Enough

My infatuation with canning and preserving led me to many impulse purchases at the farmers market. Before I became a jam maker, I had plenty of self control even when I stood in front of a whole table loaded with perfectly ripe fruit. Common sense only allowed me to purchase as much as I could consume before the fruit go past their prime. Alas, knowledge of preserving opened a flood gate. In the last two years, I often found myself stress out over another batch of jam that absolutely must be cooked tonight. My pantry was an embarrassment of riches.

Some time last winter, I suddenly came to my senses and realized my wasteful ways. Obviously the food was not wasted, per se. The jam, jelly, sauce, and butter were heartily enjoyed in frigid winter days when summer was but a memory. But the truth is, between Little Brother and I, we have no reason to eat over three dozen jars of preserves. Many of my jars went to friends and it made me very happy to see that they loved what I made. However, the ugly truth is this is a form of hoarding.

Sharing Is Caring

There has been no shortage of goodies coming out of my borrowed sweet kitchen in Fort Lauderdale. Not only did the food curb the cravings of my sweet tooth (and a wee bit of homesickness), there are also enough to go around to share with friends old and new in Florida. Last weekend, I sent a little brown paper bag with some homemade granola and strawberry jam to a new friend so she too could enjoy this luscious breakfast parfait I love so much.

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day. Egg dishes of any kind, dairy galore, and steaming cups of aromatic coffee, need I go on? Of course there are also special occasions calling for special breakfasts that are just dessert in disguise. Those are my absolute favourites though I don’t indulge too often. Gotta keep my girlish figure (well, no. Actually any extra weight just slows me down when I climb hills on skates. That’s the true and practical reason behind the weight obsession.). I’ve written more than once about my love for homemade granola and how dangerous it is for me to be home alone with a fresh batch. Considering all the tough training I’ve been through in recent weeks, I earned my granola. Not just any granola, mind you. This is a recipe lauded by many including the team at food52 and food writer Melissa Clark. Yup, I joined the bandwagon at last and I too want to rave about Nekisia Davis’ Early Bird Granola.

Field Trip To Redland

This is a story of a field trip inspired by ten empty canning jars. My impromptu marmalade making left me with ten brand new half-pint jars that begged to be filled every time my gaze fell upon them. In a moment of brilliance, I started looking up information on South Florida strawberry farms in hopes of filling the jars with farm-fresh strawberry jam. It did not take long before I came upon information on Redland, Miami’s countryside. Last Saturday, I armed myself with a few addresses and set out on a little road trip after I wrapped up training at Key Biscayne.

My search for strawberries brought me to Burr’s Berry Farm. As one of the best strawberry growers in the area, Burr’s supplies their excellent berries to some top restaurants in Miami. I chatted with the gracious owner who told me of the different varieties of berries they plant. His personal favourite Sweet Charlie did not fare well this year but the currently harvesting Chandler are big, juicy, and flavourful. I took a leisurely stroll through the hydroponic field with their shoulder height planters surrounding me. I took a deep breath and was instantly enveloped by the sweet smell of ripe strawberries. This was an experience unlike any strawberry farms I’ve been to because the shrubs are typically too low to the ground for the fragrance to travel up. Behind the rows of strawberries, Burr’s also plant a vegetable garden laden with lettuce, cauliflower, sweet peppers, peas, and tomatoes. Just looking at the harvest was enough to make me smile. I left the farm with a whole flat of the most gorgeous strawberries.

There was another reason I could not wipe that smile off my face when I visited Burr’s. Their famous strawberry milkshake and strawberry shortcake were my well-earned post-workout recovery meal! I’ll simply let the photo do the talking.

Best Souvenir For Canning Enthusiast

How do you tell I love canning a little too much? Here is how. When I packed for my month-long sojourn in Fort Lauderdale, I included a few kitchen essentials since I anticipated some simple cooking to keep my living expense in check. By simple, I had every intention to keep things uncomplicated. Perhaps a couple batches of cookies or brownies for a treat but nothing ambitious. As I became more comfortable in my daily schedule, the temptation of the gorgeous local fruit grew ever stronger. Finally, I broke down and bought a few organic blood oranges.

At first I mistook them for clementine because of their diminutive size. But upon closer inspection, they were unmistakably blood oranges with their deep crimson glow. I ate one and was immediately seduced by the sweetness. I knew right then that I had to make marmalade. Can you think of a better souvenir for a canning enthusiast? A few months from now, when I open a jar of my own marmalade made from in season local blood oranges, I’m sure it’ll be the most vivid reminder of my time here in South Florida.

Two Gifts In One

An unwrapped present is my blank canvas. It is where I let my creativity shine without even lifting a paintbrush or sculpting a lump of clay. When I found out about Well Preserved’s Pimp My Preserve in the spring, I was very disappointed that I missed out on a contest so right up my alley. Lucky for me, they are once again hosting the contest this year and I prepared my entry well ahead of submission deadline! I present you Dessert By Candy’s Pimp My Preserve Flower Pot!

I set a 250mL wide mouth mason jar inside a galvanized flower pot padded with shredded Aspen wood fibres. The jar lid is decked out with a riot of individual handmade blossoms. A chalkboard marker and matching lilac ribbon completes the look. I know it’s chilly outside but this bit of spring can hopefully remind us of warmer days when I made that vanilla apricot jam.

Gift wrap can sometimes be a little wasteful once the recipient undress the gift to reveal the present within. Well, I’m happy to tell you this design is in fact two gifts rolled into one! The flower pot and chalkboard marker can be reused to plant some small herb. Plucking fresh rosemary from your window sill is always a treat especially in the dead of winter.

A group of these flower pots would make a fantastic centre piece if you’re so inclined. I can see it being used in a spring wedding if you are already thinking of giving your guests homemade preserve as favours. Simply customize it with names of bride and groom written on the chalkboard.

I encourage you to check out other contest entries at Well Preserved’s Facebook page. If you need help with voting, here are some helpful tips and directions. Of course, if you want to totally make my day, vote for my little flower pot!