Saturday, October 27, 2012

Salted Caramel Pear Butter



First off, what is it?  Does it have butter?  Is it good??  Fruit butter is like thick apple sauce. It’s a spreadable fruit paste that is so good!  There’s no butter in it, and it is delicious!

I learned a few lessons from this one.
One: Crockpots didn’t give me the texture I wanted.
Two: Time isn’t something a crockpot cares about. I cooked the butter on high for about 36 hours before I gave up and blended it, then used the stove top to cook the pear butter down. I think that had I used the stove top, there would be more of a caramel flavor too. Good lesson learned!   

Bottom line, would I make this again. Yes!  It is so good!!

Recipe:

  • 9 lbs of ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped (do this after you gather all of your ingredients, so you don’t end up with oxidized fruit.
  • Booze. (it is me, afterall). I used 4 tablespoons of dark rum
  • 1/4 apple juice (I used non-filtered)
  • 6 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 heaping and packed cups dark brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons nutmeg (fresh grated)
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger (dried)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 1 star anise
  • 2 teaspoon sea salt



The spices I used were to taste and fall-oriented. If you like more, put in more!
I combined the sugar, spices and liquids together in the crockpot and turned it on high while I prepped the pears. Once they were all chopped, I threw it all together and mixed it up, making sure I scraped the bottom of the pot and that the pears were coated. I out on the lid and waited. And waited.
And waited.
Oh, how I waited. After 36 hours, I was tired of waiting, and blended it all up, and put it in a dutch oven and cooked it down until it had the consistency I wanted.  I sterilized 9 pint , filled with a ¼ in headspace, and did a water bath boil for 10 minutes.
It has a rich, caramel color, smells like fall and taste like happiness! It is so good on greek yogurt, but would go well with chicken, as a glaze.


Saturday, October 20, 2012

Comfort food

Hello, dear readers!  I ended up sick last week, which led me to hold on writing for a little while!  I made more comfort food than anything and ate a lot of hot and sour soup from my fave Thai place.  This week, I'll be doing a recap of some the last menu I posted, with recipes, and finally posting the salted caramel pear butter that I made too!

Please keep visiting over the weekend, for new recipes, lessons learned, and a delicious new menu for next week !

Yours in food
Raina

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Crunchy deliciousness....

I love textures mixing with my tastes. I like sweet, and bitter and something neutral that sucks up flavor like a yummy sponge.  One of my favorite sides is Apple, Jicama and Fennel slaw. It's quick, easy, yummy, and gets better with a little time.  It reminds me of spring and early season BBQ's with a new IPA and bratwursts, as well as fall picnics with warm sweaters and fluffy quilts. It's definitely a household favorite~  Enjoy!

Apple, Jicama and Fennel slaw


1 green apple, cored
1 large bulb fennel, fluffy fronds removed close to the bulb
1 bulb jicama, peeled
I wait to chop everything, so the apple doesn't brown. I gather the following-add to taste. You'll want enough of the following to really coat the salad.
Olive oil (I don't use much, maybe a Tbspn or so)
Coconut vinegar (you can also use rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar)-1/4 c-with sharp vinegar's,  use a little less and add more as you go!
large pinch of salt
large pinch of pepper
1-2 Tbspn of honey (I tend to go more if I have a sharp vinegar)
pinch of garlic powder
One large spoon full of Dijon mustard
I chop everything in to thick-ish match sticks and place in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. I like to chill it for a while and stir up before I serve it. Its crunchy, sweet and sour, and yummy. Perfect for picnics!  If you wanted, you could add sweet onion or orange slices for extra variety too. 

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

This weeks menu

To kick off fall, I'm going to be cooking some of my favorite items, along with some new dishes!  I'll post an update with the better dishes, or those that I get requests for!

Sunday and Monday~Roasted spaghetti squash, with tomato balsamic glazed chicken meatballs and spicy homemade spaghetti sauce
Tuesday~Sausage, lentil and rainbow chard soup with spiced cider and Full Sail Berliner Weiss to drink
Wednesday~Modified Beef Wellington with Chai tea and Merlot
Thursday~leftovers with micro green salad with balsamic roasted figs
Friday~Breakfast for dinner!  Creme brulee stout french toast with orange maple syrup
Saturday~ Green chicken chili enchiladas with fennel, apple, and jicama slaw

Stay tuned for last minute changes, and recipes to follow!

Yours in food
Raina

Well, Hello!

My first new shiny post on my new blog all about food!  If you want to get a little crafty, or need a laugh, you can check me out here~ http://tigerlilydesignsseattle.blogspot.com/.

This blog is about my culinary adventures and mishaps, recipes and trials, as I hone my skills and explore what sounds delicious.

The blog is named after one of my favorite combinations~ blackberry and sage ~ both are rich, earthy, and remind me of fall, my favorite season.

I hope you enjoy the recipes, and the culinary adventures here. Please feel free to comment, take the recipes and make them your own!

Cheers,
Raina