Cranberry Fig Marmalade

makes approximately 64 ounces of jam

This sweet jam is a great substitute or compliment for cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner, but my favorite ways to eat it are on top of baked brie, or stuffed in chicken with brie. I really want to try it with calamari, but haven't gotten around to that yet, as it seems to magically disappear within a week!

The wine that you choose can make a big difference to the taste of the jam. For this batch, I used a 2008 Natura organic Carmenere, which has notes of ripe cherries and plums. It blends right into the jam flavors. In past years, I've used a cheap Shiraz, which really takes over and works well with the brie.

Ingredients
12 ounces fresh cranberries
2/3 cup dried figs, chopped
1 sprig fresh mint
1/4 lemon, pressed
1/4 cup orange, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine
7 cups sugar
3 pinches ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups water
1 package certo or Ball fruit pectin

1  Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Place jars, face up on top rack in oven. Leave in oven for 20 minutes, then set them aside to cool, slightly.

2  Place cranberries, 5 mint leaves, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.


3  While the cranberries are boiling, chop the figs, lemon and orange, and measure the sugar.


4  Remove the mint leaves from the cranberry mixture, and add the figs and orange. Crush the mixture with a potato masher.


5  Add the wine, cardamom, and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil over high heat, while stirring in the sugar.


6  Stir in the pectin quickly. Return to a full rolling boil for exactly one minute.


7  Ladle quickly into prepared jars filling to within 1/8 inch of the tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads. Cover with flat lids; then screw bands tightly. Invert jars for 5 minutes, then turn upright. (Or follow water bath method recommended by the USDA) After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.


8  Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store unopened jam in a cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate opened jams up to 3 weeks. Refer to USDA recommendations for further canning guidelines.

Pineapple Margaritas

I doubled this recipe for my wedding.  When Jen and I made it to the bar for our first
drink, only one hour after the reception started, the bartender asked me, "So, who made the
pineapple margaritas?".

I told him that I did, to which he replied, "I'm a little worried about them." 
I asked why, and he moved aside so that I could see that 1 batch was already gone!

I've found that for taste, the most important ingredient is the lime juice. For the
next morning, the most important ingredient is the tequila. My favorites? Simply Limeade
is even better than fresh squeezed lime juice, if you ask me. Margaritaville blanco
tequila is good enough that it doesn't induce a wretched hangover, and cheap enough
that you don't mind watering it down with pineapple and limeade.

For the Pineapple Tequila
makes enough for a darn good party ;)
adapted from "Mexican, healthy ways with a favorite cuisine" by Jane Milton

INGREDIENTS
2 large pineapples
4 oz dark brown sugar
3 litres blanco tequila (it's also good with anejo)
2 vanilla beans

1  Steralize a glass sun tea pitcher, making sure to remove any rubber gaskets beforehand.  To do so, wash the pitcher with hot soapy water, and place in an oven, set to 225 degrees, for 20 minutes.  Remove the pitcher from the oven and let cool.


2  I like to use a Chinese chef's knife for this next part.  Cut the top and bottom off of the pineapple, and then cut off the skin, removing all of the scales.  Slice the pineapple in half, and remove the core by making a triangle shaped cut around it, in each half.  Chop the rest of the pineapple in to bite sized chunks, making a few larger slices for garnish and presentation.


3  Combine the sugar and tequila in a pitcher, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. When the pitcher is cool to touch, add the pineapple and tequila.  Slice the vanilla beans, lengthwise, pry them open, and add them to the pitcher.


4  Refrigerate the tequila for at least 5 days before drinking, agitating the bottle at least once per day.  Drink the tequila straight, use it in margaritas, and eat the pineapple with and in desserts.  I like it drizzled with a caramel sauce and cream.

For the Pineapple Margaritas
makes ~6 margaritas

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pineapple tequila
1/2 cup triple sec
1 cup Simply Limeade
1 lime
Margarita Salt

1  Prep margarita or rocks glasses by chilling them in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice the ends off of the lime, halve it lengthwise, and then quarter each half lengthwise. Run one slice of lime around the rim of each glass, and dip the rim in salt. Squeeze a slice of lime into each glass, and toss it in.


2  In a 4 cup measuring cup, combine the tequila, triple sec and limeade.  Fill a martini shaker with ice.  Fill the shaker with the margarita liquid and shake.  Remove the lid, and pour ice and all into the glasses.  Repeat as necessary, garnish with pineapple and enjoy.

Baked Grapefruit with Pistachios and Mint

Jen and I had this on our honey moon. It's so easy and so good. You can see that I didn't have any pistachios in the picture. I substituted honey roasted peanuts and cashews. This serves 2.

1 grapefruit (pink or white - your choice)
1/2 cup of pistachios, shelled
2 fresh mint sprigs
raw or brown sugar to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice the grapfruit, and trim the sections along the dividing membranes. Divide the nuts between the halves, place the grapefruit on a baking dish, and bake for 10 minutes.

Set the grapefruit on a plate, and sprinkle with a little sugar. I like raw sugar because some of it will melt, but there will still be a little crispness to it, if you don't put it on, right out of the oven. Garnish with a mint sprig (but don't forget to eat it!).

Salsa Safranal

This aromatic slant on a classic Taquería Salsa Roja flirts with Thai and Indian notes and blends well with a variety of international cuisines. I love it on Carne Asada, served with guacamole and Salsa Ranchera (thanks to Jeffrey Steingarten from, 'It Must've Been Something I Ate'), Tortilla Pizza and a staple in my house, eggs on rice. It almost tastes like Sriracha on the latter.

This recipe makes enough for a good party, or to spread out over a couple of weeks. It's a great use for those tomatoes that get too ripe for your salad. Of course, depending on the size of the tomatoes and how spicy you like it, all of the other ingredients are subjective.

2 large ripe tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 chile de arbol
6 cups of water
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 saffron stigmas

Slice the tomatoes in half, place in a 4Qt Sauce Pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. At the same time, break the stems off of the chiles and toast them in a cast iron skillet. Take care not to blacken them. Discard any seeds that fall out.

Place the chiles, garlic and spices in a food processor. When the tomatoes and water create a pink foam, floating in the water, the tomatoes are ready. Just cover the contents in the food processor with the water (i.e. 1 ladle or so). Discard the skins from the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the food processor. Liquify the salsa so that the only solids are the seeds, and transfer into a salsa dish or ramekin.

yum.

Peaches in Brandy with Caramel

It's peach season, and there's one thing I like more than peach pie. After eating every last peach slice, I love mixing the caramel and brandy together, for a digestif (of course the alcohol is actually cooked off at this point).

For the Peaches
5 peaches, sliced
2 oz Grand Marnier
1 cup Brandy, less 2 oz
2 tbsp fresh mint

For the Caramel
equal parts butter, brown sugar and cream or half & half

Stretch the Grand Marnier into 1 liquid cup with the Brandy. Slice the peaches into bite size pieces. Chop the mint, reserving 5 or 6 sprigs for presentation. Layer the peaches in a flat dish and speckle with the chopped mint. Pour the Grand Marnier-Brandy mixture over the fruit, and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Make the caramel by melting the butter and adding the cream and sugar. Cook on high heat, stirring briskly. Once the mixture is even, and a layer of dime sized bubbles covers the entire top, lower the heat, stir and settle into a smooth caramel. Adjust ingredients as needed to obtain a dark, smooth liquid, the consistency of maple syrup. It will thicken as it cools. When finished, pour into a serving vessel, such as a creamer.

Without cleaning the pan, pour the peach mixture into it and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer the peaches until the smell of alcohol diminishes, the liquid begins to thicken, and the peaches soften. Pour the peach mixture into a serving dish, top it with the reserved mint sprigs, and serve it with the caramel, fresh raspberries, and vanilla ice cream.

-- &y