Fig and Peach Jam

Spoon cradles delicious fig and peach jam
Small-batch fig and peach jam is the perfect way to make the best of sub-optimal end-of-season fruit

Summer is coming to a close, thank everything that is sacred, and I have learned a poignant lesson: Peach season is over before farmer’s market vendors say it’s over.

Sure, you might get a juicy, sweet peach at the end of August, but you’re more likely to bite into a mouthful of mealy fruit than not.

BUT FRET NOT. Raid your neighbor’s fig tree (or come down in the morning to a bin full of them on the front step, delivered by the neighbor himself), and get ready to make the most delicious, small-batch fig and peach jam. It’s fast and easy and brings out the succulent peachy goodness that’s hiding behind that mealy texture.

Fig and Peach Jam
This makes about four half-pints of jam, with a little leftover to eat immediately over ice cream or spread on toast with goat cheese.

Ingredients

2 cups of peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped*

2 cups figs, chopped

2 cups sugar

2-4 tablespoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ to ½ teaspoon almond extract

Method

If you plan on water bath processing your jam, prepare your jars first. Wash jars and lids in warm, soapy water while you bring a stockpot of water to boil on the stove. Boil clean jars for two minutes, then move to a clean dish towel. Dip lids, ladles, and anything else you will use in the canning process into the boiling water and set aside.

Put a clean plate in the freezer to test the fig and peach jam for doneness. This will become clear soon.

Place figs, peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large (at least 4-quart) pot. Leave lots of headspace for the jam to foam. Bring to a boil.

Play something nice on the radio or load up a podcast. Lower the heat to medium-low, and stir as the jam boils/simmers. Stir the foam down as it rises.

Boil for 15 minutes, then get out a masher or an immersion blender. Use either tool to mash some of the fruit or all of it if you like. I prefer some texture in my jam. Return the jam to a boil.

To see if your jam is ready, remove the frozen plate from the freezer and spoon some jam onto it. Let cool for a few minutes, then drag a finger through the jam. If it makes a path that does not get filled immediately by liquid-y jam, it’s ready. If the path fills in quickly, keep boiling and stirring. Wash the plate, dry it completely, and put it back in the freezer. Test after another ten minutes until the path your finger makes stays clear.

When it’s ready, remove the jam from the heat and stir in almond extract. You could skip this, but I would not recommend it. The almond adds a depth of flavor that really comes through in the final jam.

Ladle fig and peach jam into prepared jars, leaving ¼” headspace. If you are not planning on water bath processing, set aside and let cool at room temperature without moving overnight, then move to the ‘fridge or freezer.

To water bath can, heat a large stockpot of water to boiling. Carefully lower the jars of jam into the boiling water (make sure the water is at least an inch above the jars). Boil for five minutes, then remove to cool on the counter overnight. Listen for the lid to “pop,” indicating a seal. This might take a full 24 hours. If the lids don’t pop, you could either remove the lid, add a new one, and reprocess, or you can place it in the freezer or ‘fridge.

Unprocessed fig and peach jam is good in the fridge for a few weeks; canned jam with a proper seal lasts for years.

*Note: I used slightly more than two cups of peaches, and nearly exactly two cups of figs, as that is the fruit I had. You could change the ratio and add more figs than peaches if you like.

Let Me Bake For You: GF Treats To Order Starting October 1st.

Yes, friends, it’s true: the oven is fired up and ready to go for fall and holiday baking. If you need a delicious gluten-free cake or some cookies or maybe even some gluten-free cranberry walnut biscotti, let me bake for you.

Ordering opens October 1st – drop me an email at the link above and let me know what you’d like. Order at least a week in advance ($25 rush for anything shorter), and pay via Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle when your order is confirmed.

Looking forward to sharing my sweet treats with you.

Rainy Day Medicine: Ginger Lime Scones With Rose Sugar

Last night I took an herbal cocktail/mocktail class with my friend Brittany from Eudemonia Herbs. The emphasis on seasonal libations that harness the bursting herbal energy of spring included a little cup of rose sugar for rimming the glass, and I swiped that as part of my goodie bag.

When I woke up this morning, the rain and wind called me to the kitchen. Did I combine the rose sugar from Eudemonia and the basic principles of spring Chinese medicine that my friend Martha at Full Moon Acupuncture is teaching in her seasonal Renewal to come up with a sharp, pungent, sweet, and soothing baked treat?

You bet your ass I did. And here it is.

Ginger Lime Scones With Rose Sugar

Ingredients
2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (or regular AP flour, but don’t knead too much)
⅓  cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped
Zest of two limes
8 tablespoons butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
½ cup sour cream or yogurt
1 egg
Rose sugar for topping (see Notes)

Method:
Preheat oven to 400⁰.

In a medium bowl (big enough to get your hands in), mix together flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, and lime zest. Add cubes of butter and rub flour into the butter until the mixture resembles cornmeal (this can also be done in a food processor in pulses).  

In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and egg. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients, pressing and stirring the sticky dough until it comes together.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead it slightly to bring it together. Shape the dough into a circle that is approximately 8” across. Cut into eight triangles and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about one inch apart. If you want smaller scones, you can also cut the triangles in half; you can also shape the dough into a rectangle and use a circular cookie cutter. If you opt for the cookie cutter, use a metal one with a sharp edge (this allows the scones to rise).

Sprinkle each scone with rose sugar.

Bake scones for 17-20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving.

Wintering With Preserved Lemons

As you may just be visiting for the recipe and I have not mastered the “Jump to Recipe” button, I won’t go into a long screed about wintering. If you are interested in what that means and how it’s going, hop on over to my Medium page. I hope you’ll follow me there, too. It’s a more contemplative space that I have separated from my recipe writing.

And what better way to bid winter adieu than to make preserved lemons? Salty, tart citrus softens with time and is an excellent addition to salad dressings, soup, meat, and casseroles. Stick it on your charcuterie board in thin slivers and pile it on a cracker with meat and cheese. Use them any way you would any other pickled vegetable, and be prepared to be amazed.

I had leftover lemons and five minutes this morning, so I went ahead and threw this together. They sit, gathering their thoughts for 30 days, so start now and you’ll be able to welcome spring with them.

Preserved Lemons

Ingredients

4 lemons, organic or well-scrubbed

¼ cup kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1 cup of lemon juice (enough to cover lemons)

Method

Scrub your lemons well and cut off both ends. Cut an “X” into one end, almost to the other but leaving the four quarters connected. Place the lemons in a large bowl. 

Mix together salt and sugar and pour over the lemons. Pack each lemon with the mixture, then cover the bowl and refrigerate for 24 hours.

The next day, wash and sterilize a glass jar (boil in water for five minutes). Pack the lemons, salt, and any juice they released into the jar. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns, and add lemon juice to cover. Seal the jar and return it to the fridge.

Let the lemons sit for at least three weeks before tasting. They will have softened considerably; the skin will be tender and entirely edible. Consume within six months.

Homemade Almond Butter

Spoon with homemade almond butter
Creamy and delicious homemade almond butter for the win.

We’ve been lied to, friends. It’s hard to imagine, but for years we’ve been buying ultra expensive almond butter as a nice alternative to your standard peanut, paying at least double the cost. And I feel a little dumb, it’s true, for not figuring this out sooner, but it is possible to DIY almond butter. Making homemade almond butter is neither hard nor complicated, but for some reason it never crossed my mind. Which is weird, since I have made cashew butter AND I buy those huge sacks of almonds from Costco for baking.

As it is mid-January, and many people are tightening their wallets, here for you is homemade almond butter. It could not actually be any easier if it tried. It’s essentially one ingredient – two if you count salt – costs about $2, and takes 15 minutes (if you roast the almonds and/or have a tired food processor like me).

Here you go. You might never buy almond butter again.

Homemade Almond Butter

Ingredients
3 cups of almonds
Pinch of salt

Method
If you want to roast your almonds before making almond butter, preheat your oven to 400° and spread a single layer of almonds on a baking sheet. Roast for five minutes, then give the pan a shake and roast for five minutes more. Allow to cool slightly (although I did not, and it was all fine).

If the almonds you have are already roasted, pop all 3 cups in your food processor. Use the pulse function to get things started. This chops the almonds into little tiny bits, and then progressively into almond meal, and then finally into a gritty paste.

Do not despair. Turn your food processor on high and let her go. You can add a pinch or two of salt at this stage. After a while, the almonds will begin to break down completely, and turn into almond butter. It’s like magic.

This recipe makes a little under three cups. Store it in your old almond butter jar in the fridge for about three weeks.

Notes
You can also get funky and artisanal like our Canadian neighbors to the north and add all kinds of delicious things to your homemade almond butter. Maybe some cinnamon. Add some cocoa powder and a little sugar. Toss in a handful of chia seeds and coconut.

If you are making additions that need to be incorporated, but not necessarily puréed, add them after the DIY almond butter comes together and pulse to incorporate.