Posts Tagged ‘make it do’

I read somewhere that red currant jelly is the “Caviar of Jellies.”  The famous Bar-le-Duc (red currant jam) from the Lorraine region of France sells for $40 a bottle, making it one of the most expensive jams in the world.  The red currants used in Bar-Le-Duc are hand-seeded with a goose quill by woman called epepineuses.  That must be painstaking work to say the least.  They have been making jam the same way for centuries… It was a favorite of Mary, Queen of Scots and other famous nobles.  More recently it was favored by Alfred Hitchcock…  Which reminds me, maybe I should watch “To Catch a Thief” while making jelly.

All the fanciness aside, I just think red currant jelly tastes great.  So when a local farmer offered free red currants to me and my friend, Cherie’, in exchange for a little finished jelly… well, he didn’t need to ask twice.

We were back in no time with buckets in hand.  His small shrub was so heavy laden with fruit that, in no time, we picked almost a gallon of currants each.

Being a “Make it Do” girl, hand-seeding red currants for the better part of a few days was not going to happen… especially this week.  So I did the smart and easy thing.  I washed the currants in a colander, carefully picking out the stray leaves and leaving the stems on, I threw them all into a Steam Juicer.

In just over an hour I had 6 1/2 cups of beautiful, clear, ruby red juice (the perfect amount for making one batch of jelly.)

For making the jelly, I used a package of Sure Jell brand pectin and followed the recipe on the box.  (After trying different pectins, I have settled on Sure Jell as my favorite brand.  I get consistent good results with it.)

I ended up with 10 of the most wonderful jars of jelly you could ever hope for.  Now I just need a loaf of crusty french bread, and I’ll be living like a queen.

The long awaited peach season is upon us here in my hometown of Alpine.  And according to Rachel at S & R Fruit it’s going to be a bumper year.  My general philosophy is “Eat as much as I can and bottle the rest.”

In keeping with this idea, I made Fresh Peach Pie this weekend.  This pie is so refreshing and delicious… it’s been a family favorite for years.  The flavor is so wonderful when the peaches are not cooked.  It’s one of my favorite recipes from my Mom.

Here’s the recipe:

Mom’s Fresh Peach Pie

• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Sugar
• 4 heaping Tbsp. Corn Starch
• Yellow Food Coloring
• ¼ cup fresh Lemon Juice
• Pinch of Salt
• ¼ cup Butter (1/2 stick)
• 6 Peaches, peeled and sliced
• Precooked 9 inch Pie Shell

Combine water, sugar, cornstarch, food coloring, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan.  Whisk until combined.  Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until thick (and hard to stir.)  Remove from heat and add butter, stir until melted and combined.  Add peaches and gently fold to coat.  Pour into precooked pie shell.   Refrigerate for 4 hours to set.

Top with whipped cream and serve.

You can click over to Tasty Kitchen for the Printable Version.

Here’s the steps:

1.  Make sure to pre-bake your pie shell.  Today I am using a Marie Calender’s frozen pie shell.  They are fast, easy and really good… though not as cheap as making your own.  I happened to have this one in my freezer and appreciated the time savings…

I do know how to make a pie crust… I have been working on my pie crust skills and may write about it one of these days.  But it is still a work in progress… with some spectacular failures and some good successes.  I am determined to become a great pie maker someday…

2. Next peel and slice your peaches.

3.  In a medium sauce pan, whisk together 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 4 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch, a few drops of food coloring, 1/4 cup lemon juice and a pinch of salt.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.

(Here’s what I mean by heaping tablespoons of cornstarch)

4.  Once your glaze is really thick (almost hard to stir,) remove from the heat and stir in your 1/2 stick of butter.

5.  Now fold in your peaches.  Ignore that whisk.  Gently fold them in with a wooden spoon or a spatula.

Like this… nice and gentle.  It’s now good enough to eat and I did…  You have to sample and make sure you’re on track.  But we’re not done yet.

6.  Pour into your baked pie shell.  And refrigerated for 4 hours to chill thoroughly… if you can wait that long.

7.  Top with whipped cream and serve.