Crab Apple Jelly

Seductively warm and amber

Crab apples are rough and ready - don't overlook the rough diamonds.

We are in fully fledged Autumn now, I've spent the last few weeks denying this possibility, indulging in my annual lament at the loss of summer. Luckily the compensation is huge once you accept the departure of the luscious soft fruits, the bright greens, yellows and reds of the peas, pods and shoots and embrace the prospect of building up the larder, preserving the spectrum of Autumn's palate. Damsons, crab apples, plums, blackberries are abundant now, with the quinces and sloes to come.

In the midst of a South London estate lies Moorlands, a tiny treasure of wildlife, nurtured by a community of urban food growers. I was given these crab apples to experiment with.

Crab apples are easy to overlook, they are blighted with dark spots and blemishes and far from the perfect forms we are now accustomed to measuring our foods with. As my pot of crab apples simmered, the sweet perfumed smell of prunus filled the house.

I would implore you not to be put off with the straining and measuring that making a jelly calls for. It really is very little 'actual' time. If you don't have a jelly bag, then a sieve lined with muslin will suffice. And the results by far outweigh the effort.

Thank you lovely folk from Moorlands!

Now what can I preserve.......

This recipe is from the WI Book of Preserves.

(I did not use a lemon and it still worked fine)

• 1 kilo crab apples
• 450gms caster sugar
• Juice of 1 lemon

1. Simply wash the crab apples, removing the leaves.
2. Cover in water and bring to the boil, simmer for about 30 minutes, until soft. Mash.
3. Pour into a jelly strainer and leave overnight. DO NOT PUSH THE MASH THROUGH. (This will cause the jelly to be cloudy).
4. The next day pour the liquid into a saucepan and measure 450gm caster sugar for 600ml of liquid.
5. Heat gently and then boil rapidly for about 10 minutes.
6. Test for a set (crinkle test on a cold saucer).
7. Pour into hot jars and seal.
8. 

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

These beautiful jewels of cherry tomatoes come from Adrian Izzard, the PhD bio chemist turned organic farmer of salads in Cambridgeshire, who sells in farmers markets all over London. All through the winter Adrian produces a huge range of salads most of us have never heard of, such as mizuna, claytonia, Komatsuma, tatsoi, green in snow (fiercely hot mustard leaves), to name but a few from his extra ordinary range.

Having a jar of oven dried tomatoes to call on for dramatically upping the game on virtually anything is a great cook's secret. Just adding a few to a tomato sauce will deepen and enhance the flavour.

Also a perfect solution to dealing with a glut of tomatoes. Never mind how beautiful these look.

Wash to remove any dust or mud

Cut in half, sprinkle with some sea salt flakes, adorn with thyme and a very light anointing of olive oil, maybe a bayleaf or two and into the oven on 50C for 12 hours

12 hours later, the jewels are now little powerhouses of the most intense and concentrated tomatoness

Into a steralised glass jar, cover with olive oil and put in a clove or so of garlic and a sprig of fresh thyme

Quince, crab apples & medlars

Quince, meddlars and crab apples

Crab apple jelly

Quince & rosewater syrup

In much the same way as I madly preserve the last of the summer fruits, I have done the same as the last of the Autumn fruits begin to make their exit for another year. I have particularly enjoyed the old fashioned English fruits, crab apples, meddlars and the blessed quince.

Quince is my favourite. A member of the rose family, an old fashioned English fruit which can be hard to get hold of, although good old Waitrose sells them (so I'm told), of course the utterly dependable Tony Booth of Borough will have them at this time of year. And English ones at that. The more commonly available Greek and Turkish are indeed beautiful, but there is something very romantic about English quince. A delicate pink hue with a heady perfume, you can almost smell the roses.

I made a quince syrup to which I added some rose water, for an extra fragrant tone. With a nod to its Western Asian origins I would imagine some star anise and cinnamon working really well. Note to self: must pick up some more blessed quince at Booths.

.....And talking of the wonderful Tony Booth, I spent way too long smelling Tony Booth's white truffle stock last week. I ended up buying the smallest white truffle as I couldn't separate myself from its esoteric aroma. I placed the truffle with some eggs and enjoyed a truffle scented omelette.

Quince & Rosewater Syrup

1 kilo quince

1 kilo sugar

1 litre water

Some rosewater

Wash quince, quarter and take out very woody core. Chop up and add to water and sugar.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and bottle.

I would like to tell you that I used the quince for something, but did not. I think the way to go would be to peel the quince and add this to the mix and then use the quince flesh afterwards for a puree, maybe the filling for a tart. Add some cream, egg and sugar mix. The colour would be amazing. I will try to make this, in my next practical with quinces.

Jamming and Preserving

Clockwise: Plums, damsons, tomatoes & blueberries

Damson jelly, Plum jam and Blueberry jam

Damson jelly, Plum jam and Blueberry jam

I've had some great jam making sessions. The farmers market awash with autumn berrries and fruits. Including one of my favourites, damsons. The blueberries were on offer, 2 punnets for £1.50. All that you see in the this image cost £15 and I made 15 jars. Plenty of Christmas presents and all the jam we can eat throughout the winter.

The plum jam was really excellent. The recipe called for the addition of the plum kernal near to the setting point. A kernal? I didn't know there was a kernal in a plum; when I cracked the stone and to my childish astonishment found a fat pip of a kernal. What a revelation! On further investigation I have found that, as with almonds, applepips and apricot kernals, these seeds contain mild and safe does of cyanide. Check out The Little Cyanide Cookbook: Delicious Recipes Rich in Vitamin B17.

The plum jam is possibly the nicest jam I have ever made. The addition of adding the plum kernals helps the setting. As they are such an interesting taste, I left the pips in. The recipe was very easy, although quite time consuming in extracting the kernals.

Tomato and chili jam is a fridge staple, which transforms virtually anything into a tasty snack. Especially chicken, pork, halloumi, avocado, eggs or any combination of these with rocket in a sandwich. The following recipe is from Peter Gordon. A friend challenged me to a tomato and chili jam taste off. I was reasonably confident in Peter's reliable recipe until he told me he used Skye Gyngell's Roasted Tomato & Chili Jam; there I had to concede the challenge. Without even tasting it, there's no doubt that roasting the tomatoes are going to produce an easy to imagine superior result............ next time.

Here are the 3 recipes for my jamming sessions

Plum Jam

• 1kilo plumbs (stoned weight)
• 1 kilo granulated sugar

1. De stone the plums and cut up.
2. Crack open the stone and reserve the kernal.
3. Simmer the plums in a pan. If the plums are not ripe add enough water to poach until soft.
4. Add the sugar and heat slowly until melted fully and bring to the boil, add the kernals as the mixture comes to setting point.
5. Transfer to hot clean jars.

Damson Jelly

This jelly is essential for your game cooking. Especially good addition to gamey sauces.

• Damons
• Sugar

1. Simmer the damsons in a pan until soft
2. Push through a seive and throw away the stones.
3. Weight the pulp and add the same weight in sugar.
4. Bring to the boil until setting point is reached.
5. Add to hot and clear jars.

Tomato and Chili Jam

• 500gms ripe tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 6cm ginger
• 4 red chillies
• 30ml fish sauce
• 100ml red wine vinegar
• 300gms soft brown sugar

1. Wash the tomatoes and roughly chop half of them
2. Peel and chop the ginger, peel the garlic, wash and chop the chillies
3. Blitz the roughly chopped tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chili with fish sauce and vinegar.
4. Finely chop the other half of tomatoes and reserve.
5. Slowly heat with the sugar and bring to the boil.
6. Add the diced tomatoes.
7. Simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes until the jam looks thick.
8. Transfer to clean and hot glass jars.

Cinnamon and Blueberry Jam

Here's the recipe I referred to a couple  of weeks  ago.  This is not an economical preserve.  It is a fabulous jam and cinnamon was clearly invented just for this combination.

450gms blueberries

450gms sugar

half teaspoon ground cinnamon

Simply simmer the fruit over a low heat stirring well at first so the juice flows.  As soon as the berries begin to soften add the sugar.  Add the cinnamon. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has disolved then boil rapidly until setting point is reached.  Spoon into hot steralised jars and seal down.

Serve with white bread and lashing of unsalted butter.

Preserved Cherries

The short season nears the end and I always start to think about holding on to the last offerings as one of the summer's most delightful sights goes.  The cherry tree brings us glorious cherry blossom in spring.  The Japanese revere this tree, with the blossom being their national flower, they celebrate the spring blossom, honouring the custom of Hanami, by way of blossom viewing picnics.  I can only reserve faint hope for us being that sensitively atuned to nature's rythyms that we engage in blossom picnics........ it feels a long, long way off!

So, this very simple recipe preserving cherries in eau de vie and syrup will be a welcome treat in the winter with some ice cream or to add to a simple geonoa cake with cream.  The cherry infused eau de vie will be good too I suspect......

• Cherries
• Sugar syrup (2 thirds sugar, 1 third water, boiled and simmered)
• Eau de vie

1. Wash, dry and sort the cherries discarding any blemished ones.
2. Pack into a steralised jar.
3. Pour one third cold sugar syrup and two thirds eav de vie.
4. Cover and leave for at least 3 months.

Bakewell Tarts

Sometimes a major recalibration involves a rolling pin and the scales.  Whilst browsing some of my favourite food blogs I checked into teandwheatenbread.blogspot.  Where I was inspired by two good old soul food favourites.

As soon as I read them I went out to buy the relevant ingredients and set about a dinner I feel we haven't eaten the likes of for too long.  I mean, as vibrant, seasonal, innovative, healthy, local, shmokel that salads and fish, grilled meat, complex carbohydrates, exotic grains from Peru are; sometimes it is lasagne and bakewell tarts which the heart desires!  

The gooseberry & elderflower twist was courtesy of some imaginative homemade jam made by fabulous chef and caterer Barbara Landell Mills.  The pastry recipe below is one I have used for 15 years and it is very reliable and easy, especially if being made in a food processor.

Boy it was so good!  

Gooseberry & Elderflower Bakewell Tarts 

• 1 quantity of pastry (recipe below)
• Some Jam of your choice, they all work (Cherry, Strawberry, Raspberry) or if lucky like me, then gooseberry and elderflower!
• 125gms caster sugar
• 125gms soft butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon brandy
• 125gms ground almonds
• 2 Tablespoons of plain flour

The Pastry - This makes a double amount 

• 500gms Plain White Flour
• 290gms Unsalted Butter chilled 
• 1 Dessert spoon caster sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 egg
• 80mls ice cold water

Method

1. Put the flour and chilled butter in the blender and pulse until breadcrumbs.
2. Add the salt, sugar and a quick blitz.
3. Add the egg and water and pulse until the dough forms a ball.
4. Finish by hand and leave to 'rest'.
5. Roll out to fit a fluted tin, or in my case I used a bun tin.
6. When you have eased the pastry into the shell, allow the pastry to chill in fridge. At this stage pre heat the oven to 180C.

Finishing the Bakewell's

1. To make the frangipane, whisk the butter with caster sugar.
2. Add the eggs, one by one, fully whipping them in before adding the next.
3. Beat in the brandy.
4. Stir in the ground almonds.
5. Stir in the flour.
6. When the pastry is chilled, fill the bottom of the shell with a teaspoon of jam of your choice.  
7. Add a dessertspoon of frangipane, then sprinkle with flaked almonds.
8. Bake in the oven for 25/30 minutes, until the frangipane looks golden.
9. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.  Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream if feeling very naughty!

The Seville Arrives

Having found some Seville oranges at Tony Booths of Borough Market, I set to making some marmalade. I haven't made orange marmalade for 15 years. There's something so satisfying about using ingredients who make a brief appearance, so much more so when one preserves it's particular flavour. There's no doubt that Seville oranges make the best marmalade, of that there is no doubt.

This marmalade is reminicent of my childhood, when my mother would make enormous batches of a years supply for ourselves and both grandmothers. There was this large cast iron mincer which would perch on the side with a vice holding it in place and all the peel would go though it and turn it into the marmalade 'bits'. This device was also the meat mincer and baby food masher. (What would health and safety risk assessments make of this? There probably won't even be a category of disaster likelihood available to express it's utter horror at the cross contamination inevitability. ) There would, now I think about it, be rows of marmalade along with other preserves in the 'pantry'. Ahhh, they were the days!

The recipe

1Kg Seville Oranges
1 Lemon
2Kg preserving sugar
2Ltr Water

Large pan and a good size of muslin, 6 Jars

Juice all the oranges and lemon - reserve all the pips - discard the lemon halves.
Add the juice to 2Litres of water.
Cut all the orange halves in half again and scrape out all the pith and flesh, so the pieces are all very clean.
Slice all the peel into the size of 'bits' you want or use a devise - add to the water and juice in the pan.
Add the pips, pith and flesh to a piece of muslin and tie it up tightly - add to the pan.
Bring the water, juice, peel and muslin bag to the boil and let it gently boil for about 2 hours.
You want the peel to be soft and the liquid reduced by about half.
Now add the sugar and slowly bring to the boil.
Boil vigoursly until setting point is reached (usually 15/20mins)
Add to steralised, warm jars.

So, I set about making the marmalade, and cut up all the peel by hand. I had to restrain myself from deviating from the original plan of Seville Orange Marmalade, as the idea of Whiskey marmalade, or orange, lemon & lime marmalade, or ginger marmalade was hugely tempting. Within two and a half hours six jars of deep burnished orange marmalade with flecks of peel adorned my kitchen sill with the sun shining through them. It was one of those moments.

This is where some freshly baked bread, thick butter and marmalade is the only thing that will do!