strawberry

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

By in Condiments 2 Comments Tags: , , ,

rhubarb strawberry jam

A week ago my fridge was full to the brim with strawberries and rhubarb. I put out the call on facebook - what would you make? And, I was shocked to see how many people said jam! We must be friends.

So that settled it in my mind, the first thing I was going to make was jam. When I went on my search for the winning recipe I had some criteria in mind. 1) I didn’t want to use commercial pectin. I prefer a looser and more natural set to my jam and I find that the pectin makes it too stodgy for me so I generally try to stay away from it. 2) Less sugar. Seriously, so many jam recipes have a ridiculous amount of sugar in them. I understand that it helps with preservation and with set, but when recipes are calling for 10 cups of sugar and only 8 cups of fruit, that’s a little lot overboard for me. 3) I wanted it to be fresh tasting. Which is a big reason why I wanted less sugar, because it can give the jam more of a candy flavour and hinder the freshness of the fruit from shining through.

When I found this recipe I knew it was the one to try. There’s no pectin and it has a fraction of the sugar compared to the other recipes I came across. But, the biggest thing that caught my eye and sealed the deal was the way it was cooked down. You start by cooking the fruit just enough to release the juices, then you strain the fruit, set it aside and then cook the juices until reduced by half. After that, you return the fruit to the pot and cook it until the jam is set to your liking. The reason I love this is because the fruit is cooked less, preserving more of a fresh flavour. Bingo! All criteria check marked!

This particular recipe is heavier on the rhubarb. This means that the rhubarb flavour really shines and the strawberry helps to sweeten it up and round it out. It has clean, crisp flavours and is just the recipe I needed to kick off the spring canning season. I already know that I’ll be making a double batch yet, before spring is through, because we are inhaling this stuff pretty quickly. And, we’re using it in so many yummy things. Which reminds me, make sure to whip up a batch soon because I have a delicious treat to share with you soon that uses this jam as it’s star ingredient!

P.S. If you’re not up to canning this recipe you don’t have to miss out. Just freeze it instead!

rhubarb strawberry jam

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

New to canning? Freeze this recipe instead, or read up on the process in my canning basics post.

  • 2 lbs fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
  • 1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and diced (about 3 cups)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Place rhubarb, strawberries, water and sugar in a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the juices are released and begin to cover the fruit. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate the fruit from the juices. Set the fruit aside. Return the the juices to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by approximately half (an easy way to check this is to use the handle of a wooden spoon. Dip it into the liquid to “stain” it. Then use that as a measuring guide for how much it’s cooking down). Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, as you go. Add the fruit back to the pot, along with any accumulated juices. Stir in lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until a spoonful of the mixture mounds on a frozen plate without spreading. Once ready, you can pack it into jars, or tupperware, and freeze. Or, follow the process below for canning.

To can: While jam is cooking, sterilize 5, 1/2 pint jars along with lids, as instructed in this canning basics post. Fill the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top with jam; wipe the rims, top with lids and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes (see: “things you need to know” for processing times above 1000 feet). Remove jars from water bath and set on a kitchen towel to cool for 24 hours. Check for seals before storing in a cool, dark place until ready to use.

Makes: 4 cups

Adapted from Smells Like Home. Originally from Canning for a New Generation

Vanilla Chia Pudding with Honeyed Strawberries

By in Creamy, GF Sweets, Snacks, Sweets 4 Comments Tags: , , , ,

vanilla chia pudding

Are you familiar with chia? Besides the pet. ;) I’ve been seeing a lot of chia puddings out there these days, and for good reason. These little seeds boast so many healthful properties – tons of protein, fibre, Omega 3′s, antioxidants and much, much more.  I’ve tried a couple different versions, even chocolate ones, but this was the first chia pudding that turned out just right for me and that we actually found crave worthy. It’s delicious on it’s own but the addition of in-season strawberries doesn’t hurt one bit.

These little seeds get a gel coating that expands as they soak up the liquid, turning milk into the thickness of pudding. The end result is very reminiscent of tapioca pudding except that the chia seeds retain their crunch. Keep in mind that while they are perfectly fine to eat without soaking them first, they can potentially dehydrate you, because of their eagerness to soak up surrounding liquids. But, this shouldn’t be a problem as long as you make sure you’re drinking lot’s of water, which you should be anyways!

Growing up, my mom used to chop up our fresh hauls of strawberries and toss them in sugar. I’d eagerly wait for them to soften and release their juices so we could start spooning them onto ice cream, pancakes, or anything we could get our grubby little hands on. Going with the healthier theme of this dessert I decided to toss them in honey just to give them that little bit of extra oomph they need to become soft and saucy. This is also one of our favourite topping for homemade yogurt.

With all the warm days ahead this is a refreshing, energizing and healthful treat to help power you through your day.

P.S. I buy my chia seeds from Costco. You should also be able to find them at your local health food store.

Vanilla Chia Pudding with Honeyed Strawberries

Chia Pudding
  • 2 cups milk (or almond milk)
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chia seeds

In a medium sized bowl or tupperware container, whisk honey and vanilla into milk until honey is dissolved. Gradually whisk in chia seeds. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours, whisking to break up clumps after one hour.

Honeyed Strawberries
  • 1 cup diced strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Mix together strawberries and honey in a small bowl. Let sit five minutes, stirring occasionally, until strawberries have softened and release their juices. Spoon over pudding to serve.

Makes: 4 servings

Pudding adapted from Weelicious.

Grapefruit Smoothies

By in Beverages, Cold, Snacks 4 Comments Tags: , , ,

grapefruit smoothies

I’m majorly in the mood for spring and flavours that are bright and fresh. And, since grapefruit is in season right now and so much sweeter, me and the kids haven’t been able to stay away from it. It’s a great fruit to bridge the gap before all the wonderful spring fruits and veggies come into season. Which is officially less then a month away. I could not be more excited about this fact!

We’ve been slurping up this gem of a smoothie for a couple of weeks now. I’ve got it all down by memory and can be seen throwing things into the blender on autopilot. It is our new favourite.

For this smoothie we use the real deal – one whole (peeled) grapefruit sliced up and thrown in the blender with plenty of other sweet and creamy things – this means you get the full nutritional value of the grapefruit rather then just drinking the juice. Grapefruit is definitely the dominant flavour but the strawberries and banana help round it out and sweeten it up, while the vanilla and yogurt give it a creamy, rich flavour. The result is a refreshing smoothie that tastes like a grapefruit in creamsicle form. Yum!

Grapefruit Smoothies

If your grapefruit is on the tart side feel free to add more sweetener, to taste.

  • 1 ruby red grapefruit
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 ripe banana, peeled
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Cut the ends off the grapefruit so you can see the pink flesh. Using that as a guide trim away the skin and the white pith until you have a naked grapefruit (see visual of how to do this here). Slice the grapefruit into thick rounds and remove any seeds. Place the rounds of grapefruit into a blender along with remaining ingredients. Process until smooth.

Makes: 2 large servings or 4 small (about 3 cups total)

 

Three Easy Valentine’s Day Breakfasts

By in Breakfast, Valentine's 4 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , ,

valentine's day breakfasts

I know some people king of have a thing against Valentine’s Day – that it’s a hallmark holiday. But, I think February would be awfully dreary without it. A day set aside to celebrate love? Why not? Count me in! Besides, I don’t go out and buy stuff for Valentine’s Day, I make it myself (it being FOOD). Which, in my opinion, is one of the best ways to show that you love someone – make something.

And what better way to kick off a day of love then with an extra special breakfast. Even if the rest of the day, you all head off in different directions, a special breakfast brings you together at the start of the day, guaranteeing some time well spent enjoying each others company.

In light of that, I’ve got three delicious recipes for you today. They’re all uber simple and easy to make. And, they’re all different enough that hopefully you’ll find one here that brings a smile to someone you love.

P.S. For more Valentine’s Day recipes head here.

Egg in a Heart

egg in a heart

For a savory treat take a favourite – egg in a hole – and switch it up with a fun heart shape. It’s so easy to make and should satisfy any toast and egg lover.

If you don’t have a heart shaped cutter you can use a sharp knife to cut the shape. It’s probably obvious that, that’s what I did in the photo above, because for some strange reason I still have yet to buy a heart shaped cookie cutter. But, I personally like it when things look a bit rustic (and homemade) so I’m fine with it. Plus they still made my kids happy and that’s all the matters, right? :)

Egg in a Heart

  • 1 slice bread
  • butter
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • dried parsley, optional

Cut a heart shape out of a slice of bread. Place a nob of butter into a skillet that has been preheated over medium heat. Once melted add bread, along with heart shaped cut out. Break egg into the centre of the hole, season with salt and pepper. Once the bottom is toasted and browned flip the bread, egg, and cutout. Cook until bread is toasted and egg is cooked as desired. Sprinkle with a bit of parsley, to serve.

Serves: 1

Sweetheart Smoothies

sweetheart smoothies

This two-layer smoothie is so luscious, it just tastes like a special treat. It’s starts with a layer of creamy strawberry smoothie and is topped with another layer of raspberry. It doesn’t make perfect layers but when you swirl them together with a straw it creates an ombre effect – so gorgeous! The taste is so decadent, the mouth-feel so smooth, it kind of feels like dessert for breakfast.

Sweetheart Smoothies

Strawberry Layer
  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon liquid honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Raspberry Layer
  • 1 cup frozen raspberries
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon liquid honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients for strawberry layer in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2 large, or 4 small, serving glasses. Immediately fill blender with raspberry layer ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour over strawberry layer. Swirl with a straw, if desired, to make an ombre effect. Serve immediately.

Makes: 2 large or 4 small servings

Strawberry Heart Pancakes

strawberry heart pancakes

Strawberry pancakes in the shape of hearts may sound like a lot of work, but I promise, it’s not. To make the hearts you simply put the batter into a ziploc bag, snip the end and pipe heart shapes onto a preheated skillet. And, these light and tender pancakes have only one extra step to regular ones – pureeing the strawberries to put in the batter. See? What’d I say? Easy peasy.

I chose to use frozen berries since the fresh ones at the store are so expensive and bland this time of year. I also chose to puree them because I find that chunks of strawberry tend to give pancakes a still-raw texture wherever the strawberries are. Definitely not the case here. The strawberry flavour is quite subtle but they do lend the pancakes such a pretty shade of pink, and when served with a spoonful of warm strawberries on top, it tastes like strawberry pancake heaven.

Strawberry Heart Pancakes

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 heaping cup frozen strawberries, thawed
  • 1/2 cup milk (approximately)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large egg
  • thawed strawberries (warmed) and maple syrup, to serve

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Place thawed strawberries into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour strawberry puree into a liquid measuring cup, add milk to equal 1 cup total. Whisk in oil, egg and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until evenly moistened (lumps are fine).

Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spoon in 1/4 cup batter. Allow to cook until edges have set and bubbles pop on top. Flip over and cook until browned on other side. Place cooked pancakes on a plate and put in an oven turned to the lowest setting, to keep warm. Continue with remaining batter.

Serve with additional thawed strawberries and maple syrup, if desired.

To make heart shaped pancakes: Pour batter into a zip top bag, push out excess air and seal the top, snip of a corner of the bag (alternately you could use a pastry bag with a round tip). Squeeze the batter into heart shapes, filling in the centres as you go. The batter will be quite runny so you will need to turn the bag upside down to stop the flow (I put mine upside down in a cup while I wasn’t using it). Cook as instructed above.

Makes approximately: 9 pancakes

Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake

By in Cakes, Easter, Sweets 16 Comments Tags: , , , , , ,

strawberry lime cake

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since I first posted about our brand new baby girl. Ahhhh! *tears* She’s growing up too fast! I love the baby stage. Just look at those cute baby cheeks (below) and tell me you don’t want to squish them all day long. I know there’s a lot of wonderful times ahead and I’m looking forward to it all so much. But, it’s ok for me to be a little sad that my baby girl is taking one more step to adulthood right?

I wanted to give her a simple but girly birthday party so I decided to go with the theme of Strawberry & Lime. I know that at this age she really couldn’t care less about her birthday so I tried to keep everything simple and stress-free. After-all I wanted to spend lot’s of time with the birthday girl.

The main star to the show (besides the sweet baby) was the Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake – a white cake sandwiched with coconut lime curd and smothered in whipped strawberry frosting. Fruity, refreshing and girly.

The decoration was extremely easy to do and the result was so precious. Perfect for a little girl’s birthday party. I followed a tutorial from Sockerru, where you pipe big dots of frosting and smooth them out with a spoon (I used the Ateco tip# 808 to pipe on the dots). Seriously, it was so simple and quick, anyone could do it. The key is to make the crumb coat as smooth and flat as possible so that everything looks even (I follow this method to smooth my frosting). The only thing I couldn’t figure out was how to finish it up in the back where the pattern met. The solution I came up with? Put the seam in the back where no one can see it. :D

Happy Birthday to my favourite baby girl!

Strawberry & Lime Layer Cake

White Cake
  • 3 cups cake flour*
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 8 large egg whites, room temperature (save the yolks for the curd below)

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and 2 cups sugar for several minutes until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Mixing on low-speed, add flour in 3 additions, alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour. Beat just until combined.

In a clean bowl, beat egg whites on low until foamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar and beat on high just until stiff, glossy peaks form when beater is lifted.

Gently fold 1/3 egg whites into butter/flour mixture to loosen batter. Fold in remaining whites.

Divide batter between 2 9-inch round cake pans lined with parchment paper rounds and spayed with cooking spray; smooth tops. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool 20 minutes before removing from pans and peeling off parchment. Cool completely on wire wracks before wrapping in plastic wrap to store.

*To make your own cake flour place 2 tablespoons cornstarch into a 1 cup measuring cup, spoon in enough all-purpose flour to fill. Sift several times to combine. This makes 1 cup cake flour.

Coconut Lime Curd
  • 1 (15 oz) can coconut milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 6 eggs yolk
  • green food colouring, if desired

Place 1 cup coconut milk and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until sugar is dissolved. Mix together the remaining coconut milk and the cornstarch. Pour into the saucepan, stirring to combine. Lower heat to medium, add butter and whisk until melted together. Whisk in lime juice and egg yolks. Cook, stirring often, until thick and it coats the back of a spoon. Do not overcook or eggs will start to scramble. Stir in food colouring, if desired. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then pour into a heat-proof bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to stop condensation. Allow to cool completely before refrigerating. Beat, to loosen, before spreading on cake layers.

Whipped Strawberry Frosting
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups icing sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 cup strawberry puree (from frozen, thawed berries is fine)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a stand mixer, beat butter for 6 minutes, until pale and creamy. Add remaining ingredients and beat for an additional 6 minutes, until light and creamy.

If not using all of it right away beat by hand with a spatula, to remove any air bubbles, before using.

To Assemble

Trim tops of cakes flat. Carefully cut each cake in half to make 4 layers of cake (here’s a great video to show you how). Place one cake layer on serving platter, spread with some of the coconut lime curd. Place another cake layer on top and spread with more coconut lime curd. Repeat one more time and then top with the last cake layer (you will have leftover curd). Crumb coat the cake to glue the crumbs to the cake and to make sure none of the curd shows through the frosting. Refrigerate 10 minutes to set. Frost as desired. Refrigerate until serving.

White Cake adapted from Martha Stewart. Coconut Lime Curd adapted from Donna Hay Dec/Jan 2012.

(Small Batch) Mixed Berry Jam

By in Condiments, GF Sides 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

mixed berry jam

Making jam seems to be my preferred Sunday afternoon activity. There’s something relaxing and comforting about getting a pot of fruit bubbling on the stove and relaxing on the couch while it fills your house with the scent of berries and maple. This recipe especially, is so simple. No slicing and dicing, just a quick rinse and a toss in the pot, and you let your stove top do the rest.

This recipe calls for fresh berries and I already had some (surprisingly) delicious fresh blueberries in my fridge (thanks to an awesome sale from my grocer) but since I didn’t have any fresh strawberries I used a bag of frozen ones instead. To my delight the frozen ones worked great, I just needed to add a few minutes to the simmering time. I imagine you could use all frozen berries and have it turn out, as long as you feel comfortable going by sight rather than cooking time. Allow them to thaw first and don’t drain away any of the tasty juices.

One of the big draws to me for this jam was that it uses maple to sweeten it, instead of sugar. By now I’m sure you’ve noticed my love of anything maple. It adds just a little something extra to the jam and it’s not overly sweet like some homemade pectin-free jams seem to be. I also love that it makes such a small amount. It feels like no work and you get delicious results in no time.

We enjoyed it while it was still warm, wrapped up in fresh crepes with a side of bacon. Mmm.

Mixed Berry Jam

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered (about 4 cups)
  • 1 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Place berries in a medium-sized saucepan, lightly mash berries. Add remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 50-55 minutes or until the mixture passes the jam test (below). Cool completely before storing, covered, in the fridge for up to 1 month. Freeze for longer storage.

Jam Test:

This applies to any jam that is made without using pectin.

Place a small plate in the freezer while you make your jam. Once you think the jam is ready place a dollop on the frozen plate and return to the freezer for two minutes. Remove the plate from the freezer and push through the jam with your finger, there should be a slight film on top that wrinkles as you push. If it’s not ready yet, boil it for a few more minutes and repeat the test.

Makes approximately: 1 1/2 cups

Adapted from Giada at Home.

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