Kilner's Pectin and Acid Chart

(via Kilner Jar)

I teach Jam and Chutney making courses and workshops and when explaining the different pectin and acid levels amongst fruits and vegetables this is the chart that I share with my students. I have found it's informative and graphically easy to understand.

Plum Jam - Jam & Chutney Making course 13/11/14

Here are some photos and the recipe from the second week of the six-week jam and chutney making course at Daubeney Children's Centre in hackney, London. You may recall that we made pineapple and passion fruit jam in week one. The feedback was that all the families enjoyed the jam, even children who generally do not eat much jam. I always tell customers and students that jam isn't just for toast, I put a spoonful in porridge for breakfast in the winter and in natural yoghurt in summer or an all-year round snack. I also use jam as a binder when making oatcakes, use it in muffins and in jam tarts.

This week we made plum jam. I always keep it seasonal for Smy Chutney and for the courses so this was the perfect time of the year to make plum jam.

 

This recipe makes such a beautiful, deep red jam, notice it up the sides of the pan and the wall.

 

Here is lovely Lola stirring the jam. She makes stunning cakes so we chatted a lot about different recipes that can be added to cakes, tarts and puddings. 

Plum Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

2 k Plums

2 k Sugar

2 Lemon

1. Select fully ripe plums with which to make the jam
2. Wash and rinse the fruit.
3. Carefully remove all stems, pits, skins, and blossoms, if necessary, from the plums.
4. Cut the fruit into pieces and make sure to remove each plum stone and discard.
5. Measure the fruit and place in a large saucepan.
6. Stir in the correct amount of sugar for the recipe and keep stirring as you bring the mixture to a boil.
7. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
8. You will need to test that the mixture has reached its setting point, or readiness for jarring, keeping in mind that the mixture will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.  There are two methods for testing: Refrigerator test – Place a plate in your refrigerator while you are making the jam. When you think that the jam is ready, remove the plate and allow a few drops of the mixture to drop onto the plate. After a few minutes, check to see if the mixture has gelled.  Push the droplet with your finger and if it wrinkles it is ready to place in your sterilised jars. Temperature test – Using a thermometer to test that the mixture has reached the optimum temperature for your altitude:  Anywhere from a sea level of 300 metres to 8,000 metres will be alright to reach a temperature of 220°C.
9. Once the mixture is ready, remove it from the heat and skim off any foam that may have formed on the surface.
10. Pour the mixture into sterile jars (see above), leaving .5 cm headspace.
11. Use a clean, damp piece of kitchen towel to wipe the rims of the jars.
12. Top each jar with a lid, screw on the cover tightly and allow to cool.
13. The jam will be best if eaten within one year, refrigerate once open.

Banella Oatcakes

I love yoghurt with granola and a spoonful of one of my jams for breakfast.  I used to have a box of granola bars to stick in my handbag I should need to be "up and out" super early.  Unfortunately they are not satisfying, relatively expensive and quite sugary.  Now I always have a batch of oatcakes handy to take with me so if I want a mobile breakfast, or a snack, I have something that's homemade, hearty, inexpensive and super easy to make.  

There isn't really a recipe but for these banella oatcakes I took a jar of banella jam which is a spread made of bananas, dark chocolate and Courvosier XO then added two bananas and oats. 

 

I mixed and mashed these together until the mixture was bound together.  Then I spread in on a sheet of backing paper to a thickness of about 2cm and then use a cutter to cut out the oatcakes. If they aren't holding well together you can remix with a bit of golden syrup if the mixture is too dry and more oats if seems too wet.  The drier the mixture the more crunchy they will be and the wetter will produce a chewy oatcake.  Once they've been cut I sprinkle a tiny bit of demerara sugar on them and bake them in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 20-30 minutes.  They also make a great snack and I have also used them as a pudding base for individual crumbles.

Six-pepper Sunday Roast Chicken

I love a Sunday roast.  I love six-pepper jelly.  So I massaged six-pepper jelly into a chicken and roasted it up.

 

I've tried this technique many times and the resulting chicken is crispy, spicy and super moist.

There's nothing like sharing a home-cooked roast dinner with friends and family but I knew that I had a hectic week and that by roasting a chicken I would be setting myself up for some easy but tasty meals to eat throughout the week. I made three tasty salads with some of the left over meat and ate those on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  This one has the chicken, mixed greens, shredded carrot and beetroot, mixed seeds and a dollop of rhubarb chutney.

With the left over carcass, some onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, parsley, salt and pepper I made a chicken stock.  I use stock cubes in emergencies but I always try to have an arsenal of homemade stocks in the freezer as they make such a difference in soups and gravies.

From which I then made red cabbage, chicken, parsnip and pinenut soup to have for lunch on Thursday and Friday and I was able to freeze two large portions as well.

I'll share some of my other leftovers meals as there are so many, I have a post nearly ready to go on rissoles and risottos. I'll also post the full recipe for the above soup.

Smy Rhubarb Curd & Lemon Curd Tart

 

I'm all about experimenting when I cook and I love to find new ways to use my homemade chutneys, jellies and jams...and curds!  It's exciting times in the studio as I am sharing space with some interesting and creative people as seen in the above video - Aimee, Lucia and Sam.  I mentioned to one of said interesting people, Aimee, that I really fancied making...and eating...a rhubarb tart.  It wasn't until later on in the evening that I realised I didn't have enough butter to make the pastry.  I think I need to stop right now and say that this NEVER happens as I adore and believe in butter.  This is mainly as I've been taking a bit of a break since Christmas and I always have kilos of butter in the fridge to satisfy lemon curd orders.  Back to tonight's tart, I was feeling a bit lazy and couldn't face popping to the shops when it occurred to me that I had a half pound kilner jar of lemon curd in the fridge and that essentially there was a lot of butter in there.  So I decided to make an alternative pastry with lemon curd binding it together rather than butter.  For the pastry I used:

100g of rice flour

50g of plain flour

50g of strong brown flour

100ml of lemon curd

4tbsp of water

I blended them all together and left it to sit and rest in the fridge for about half an hour.

 

I then lightly dusted the pastry, board and rolling pin and rolled the pastry to about a half a centimetre in thickness and placed in on a dish that I had lightly dusted with rice flour.  I like using rice flour in pastries as I think it gives it a lighter texture.  I then lightly pressed the pastry into place and used a fork to flute the pastry.

 

I put about four tablespoons of lemon curd and spread this over the pastry.  I then took four tablespoons of Smy rhubarb curd and gently layered that on top of the lemon curd.  I then repeated another layer of about four tablespoons of lemon curd and arranged rhubarb segments in the curd layers.

 

Then I popped the tart into an oven that had been preheated to 180℃ for half-an-hour and then I left it to cool.

 

 

The tart was light and tangy and proved a perfect Friday afternoon treat for the studio.  Rhubarb season is just about to kick off and it's one of my favourite ingredients and you can expect rhubarb chutney, rhubarb curd and rhubarb and ginger jam to all be back in stock shortly.  You can also expect more tasting videos this year and lots of new and exciting flavours and recipes.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...
it's Smy Chutney.


please follow Smy Chutney on facebook and twitter...

Alison Pearson's Sausages with Apple & Pepper Chutney Recipe

 

My amazing and dear friend Alison Pearson kindly gave me a massive bag of bramley apples a few months ago that she had collected from her mother-in-law's garden.  From the apples I made a lovely Apple and Pepper Chutney with pink peppercorns and a secret ingredient - Smy Chutney six-pepper jelly.  The resulting chutney proved really tasty and became a popular seller at Whitecross Street Market with the apples, pink peppercorns and six-pepper jelly combining to create a lovely crisp chutney with just a tad of background heat.  I gave Alison several jars to enjoy with her family and to give to her mother-in-law.  Alison and I used to work together and it was one of, if not the best working relationships that I have ever had.  I love Alison and totally respect everything about her; she is so professional, creative and family oriented and has been such a good friend to me the entire time I've known her.  My last gush is that she also has an utterly wicked sense of humour. 

Cooking and mealtimes are a total family affair at the Pearson residence and Alison rang me to tell me that everyone was really enjoying the chutney and she gave me the following recipe that her family had created using the apple and pepper chutney.  It sounded so lovely that I had to try it right away and I have since made it several times and wanted to share it here.  It couldn't be easier, couldn't be tastier and is perfect for chilly autumnal evenings.

You simply grill sausages in a bit of olive oil for 15 minutes or until they are nicely browned and then transfer them to a tray lined with a large piece of aluminium.

Using the pan that you cooked your sausages in, add a little more olive oil, heat it and add sliced brampley or cooking apples, a sliced onion and lightly grill for a few minutes until they have a nice colour.

Add the grilled sausages back into the pan and grill all together for a minute or two.

Transfer the sausages, onion and apple back to the aluminium foil and place two big tablespoons worth of apple and pepper chutney on top.  For an extra kick you could add a bit of six-pepper jelly as well.  Fold the aluminium to create a sealed parcel and place in an oven preheated to 180 ℃ for 15-20 minutes.  Remove the tray from the oven and carefully open the parcel.  Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and peas or broccoli, delicious!

Thanks again Alison for the apples and inspiration!

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow us on facebook and twitter

and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by Emma Crouch about Smy Chutney:

Wheelz' Six-pepper baked chicken

Thanks to Sarah for sending this recipe suggestion for six-pepper jelly.  She marinated some chicken breasts in six-pepper jelly and then baked them.  A nice gravy resulted during cooking and she served them with boiled potatoes. Thanks Wheelz!!!

and remember...

it's not your chutney...
it's Smy Chutney.


please follow Smy Chutney on facebook and twitter...

Butternut Squash and Chorizo Soup

 

I came back from my last trip to Orford with a butternut squash from Auntie Chrissie's allotment.  I love all manner of squash and find them tasty, indicative of the changing season and also beautiful.  



Meet Buddy the Butternut Squash.  As part of our Ready, Steady, Cook evenings, my friend Aimee brought me a squash several years ago and we gave him a face and a name.  I found it very hard to cook him, but eventually I did.  In our Ready, Steady, Cook nights we each bring ingredients bought for under £5 and they should not involve too much thought but rather what catches your eye, is on offer or in season.  After a catch-up glass of wine or two, both sides unveil their ingredients and a menu is spontaneously put together based on all the ingredients.  It's a brilliant way to try new things....Aims, we are well overdue!

Back to the soup.  I decided to make a soup with the squash and went through the fridge to see what might go well with it.  All the ingredients were ones that I had but substitutions could easily be made accordingly:

Butternut squash - 800g

Chorizo - 200g

Oxtail stock - 500 ml

Peeled plum tomatoes - 1 tin

Red onion - 1

Garlic cloves - 1

Carrot - 1

Celery - 1 stalk

Olive oil - 4 tablespoons

Fresh thyme - large bunch

Smy Chutney six-pepper jelly - 1 heaped teaspoon

Smy Chutney red onion marmalade - 1 heaped teaspoon

salt and pepper to taste

First, I halved the squash and removed the seeds.  

 

Then I quartered and roasted the butternut squash, after topping it with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme.  I popped it in the top tray of the oven which had been preheated to 200 degrees C.  I left it in there for about half an hour.

 

While the squash was roasting I chopped one red onion, several garlic cloves and 200g of chorizo.  

I finely shredded a carrot and sliced one celery stalk as thin as I possibly could.  I love the background flavour of celery but do not like it to dominate any dish that I am making.  

The roasting squash filled the flat with such a nice smell and they looked stunning when they were done.  I removed them and allowed them to cool slightly before handling.  

 

I used the remaining olive oil from the roasting tin that the squash had been in to slowly sweat the red onions.  I then added the garlic and celery and cooked for several minutes before adding the chorizo and cooking for three to four minutes on a low heat.  

I then added a tin of peeled plum tomatoes, increased the heat slightly and left it to gently bubble.

Next I removed the skin from the roasted squash which I then chopped into rough cubes ensuring to keep the roasted thyme. 

The roasted butternut squash and the shredded carrot was added to the pot.

Then I added half a pint of homemade oxtail stock to the pan but you could use vegetable or chicken stock, the stock was left over from an oxtail soup made earlier in the week and needed to be used.  It made the soup a heartier version than if vegetable or chicken stock had been used.  I wanted a bit of spice to the soup so I added a heaping teaspoon full of six-pepper jelly as well as a heaping teaspoon full of red-onion marmalade.  I added half a pint of water, covered the soup and left it on a nice simmer for half-an-hour.  

The butternut squash and chorizo soup was served with a crusty granary bread.

I was really happy with how the soup came out, it was rich, a bit sweet, a bit spicy and full of flavour.  It's fitting that I was reminded of Buddy the butternut squash and Ready, Steady, Cook sessions as now is the time of year when it's so easy and so comforting to have homemade soups at hand.  I find that there are always some potatoes, vegetables or pulses in the kitchen and once combined with a bit of onion, garlic, celery and stock you have a tasty and inexpensive option for lunch or dinner.  I always try make a big batch of soup and freeze portions for those evenings when you may not have time or be bothered to cook.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

Pumpkin and Pomegranate Chutney

 

When I recently visited Orford I took this photo of some pumpkins that my Auntie Chrissie's grew.  I think that they will be used by my cousin's daughter and children in the village for a Halloween celebration and they will make jack-o-lanterns with them.  It's been so suddenly autumnal this week, the leaves are changing, the sky has been blue, the air is crisp and I've debuted my gloves, hat and winter cape.  The hypothalamus in my brain also gets super active this time of year and decides that my normal sleeping patterns are inadequate, that I should probably stay warm by drinking lots of red wine and eating as much as possible.  Having seen some lovely orange pumpkins I thought that I would make a pumpkin chutney.  I was thinking of what ingredient to team up with the pumpkin and with pomegranates being in season I thought that they would nicely accompany one another and that some Asian spices would work with the flavour and texture of the both.

 

They certainly looked nice and colorful together.

I peeled, deseeded and chopped two pumpkins...

I separated the seeds of two pomegranates...

I added them together with two onions, garam masala, curry powder, some cider vinegar and a bit of water to help the pumpkin to soak up all the lovely flavours.  You can add more or less spices according to your own taste and use less water if you prefer a chunky chutney or more if you prefer a smoother one.

Combine all the ingredients and stir for an hour or so.

 

Place the chutney while piping hot into sterlised jars and lid.  I ended up with about 16 x 275g jars.

 

So here are a few of the finished jars.  This week I've been eating the pumpkin and pomegranate chutney with some cheese melted and toasted in a tortilla wrap for lunch.  Well actually, I've been having a range of Smy Chutney cheese wraps for lunch this week and as a snack.  I've had rhubarb chutney, tomato jam, and six-pepper jelly cheese wraps as well, all were very nice if I don't say so myself.  Getting back to the pumpkin and pomegranate chutney, it also went really well as an accompaniment to a chick pea and chorizo rice dish that I make at least once a fortnight. 

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.