Strawberry & Gooseberry Jam
Gooseberries and strawberries make a good partnership as the higher pectin levels found in gooseberries offset the lower levels in the strawberries. Makes about 5 cups INGREDIENTS 1 pint gooseberries, stems and blossom ends removed 2 pints strawberries, hulled 4 cups warmed sugar juice of 1 lemon INSTRUCTIONS Place the gooseberries in a […]
CREAMED COLLARD GREENS
There’s an old-fashioned charm to the sturdy collard green, whose tough stems and broad leathery leaves spring from garden beds throughout the year. Despite near year-round availability, collards are at their best in the cold months after the first frost, which sweetens the otherwise notoriously bitter green. Here, heavy cream and caramelized onions add luxurious […]
Raspberry Jam
Some people like jam with lots of seeds in it; some don’t. With raspberry jam you have a choice. If you love the flavor of this fruit but find the seeds annoying, push the softened fruit through a sieve for a smoother finish. The result will taste just as good as the kind with the […]
BRAISED BEETS WITH THEIR GREENS
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare beets. The dish comes together in about 15 minutes and makes use of the whole beet, root, greens, and all. I loathe wastefulness in the kitchen and make an attempt to find a use for every little bit of every plant and animal that finds its […]
White Currant & Red Chili Jam
White currants are another fruit with a lovely tart flavor, which makes them just perfect for jam making. This jam, with its additional chili kick, is subtle enough to eat on sourdough toast for breakfast but could also be taken up a notch, by adding more chili to taste, and serving as a relish to […]
PEAS AND CARROTS WITH CREAM
Peas and carrots remind me of my elementary school lunch line, where cafeteria workers served the vegetables from industrial-sized cans. I never cared for the combination then, but I’ve grown to love the pairing now. Peas and carrots, both sweet and both hallmarks of spring, make a nice marriage, particularly when gently steamed until their […]
NEW POTATOES WITH CHIVE BLOSSOMS AND SOUR CREAM
Chives bloom in the late spring. Their long, tough stems shoot up from bundles of slender dark green, grass-like leaves and erupt in a sphere of pale violet petals. I love the blossom’s faint but distinct onion-like flavor and enjoy adding them to salads, frittatas, and baked eggs. I particularly like the way they pair […]
Apricot & Vanilla Jam
This combination seems so French to me. With its softer, syrupy set, this preserve might be eaten as a dessert, perhaps with unsweetened whipped cream. Or enjoy it on a croissant with your coffee. Makes about 3¾ cups INGREDIENTS 1 vanilla bean 2 pounds apricots 3 cups sugar juice of 1 small lemon […]
BUTTERED SPINACH
I first came across this recipe scrawled in the pages of an old journal given to me by a close friend. Dated 1846 and yellowed with time, its fragile pages describe farm chores coupled with the details of household management, favorite poems, and recipes like the one below, which specifies the use of young spinach, […]
Apricot Jam
This jam contains slightly less sugar than most, resulting in a softer set, and the apricots are left in big chunks. Because of this, it is inevitable that the fruit will rise to the top of the jar, rather than being suspended evenly throughout the rise to the top of the jar, rather than being […]