Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Cherry Apple Pie Jam



We made a crazy jam in my cooking class today. Ten students, some of whom had never made jam and some who where seasoned jammers all gathered together in the fantastic Orson H. Gygi Culinary Institute in Salt Lake City. I couldn't resist teaching this class. I learn something new each session...and this was no exception. One of my students even brought me a jar of jam she made. Thanks Cassie! Along with her dad Kent and her mom Susan, Cassie compiled this recipe for the class. We had three groups cooking a different jam each, then when the class was over, each student got to take home 4 jars of jam. Not bad for a two hour session.
This cherry apple pie jam is a great jam to add to your jam sessions. I have come to adore it. I hope you will too. It has all the flavors of a spiced cherry and apple pie, in a jam.
Cherry Apple Pie Jam
About 6 (1-cup) jars or 80 servings, 1 Tbsp. each

5-1/2 cups applesauce
1 1/2 cup chopped plums
3/4 cup water
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 pouch liquid Pectin
1/8 tsp. LorAnn flavored oil - butter nut
1/8 tsp. LorAnn flavored oil - vanilla
1 tsp LorAnn vanilla bean paste
4 cups granulated sugar, measured into separate bowl
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. 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. Drain well before filling.
Measure 5-1/2 cups applesauce, plums and dried cherries into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot. Stir in water, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice and flavored oils.
STIR pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugars. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 4 min., stirring constantly. Stir in liquid pectin and boil one minute. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. (or adjust for altitude) Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)
There you go.

Black Forest Macroon Conserve


We just made this amazing Chocolate Cherry Conserve for our Jam class and I wanted to share it. We adapted it from the Ball home canning website. The flavor additions are indeed a stroke of genius.

Black Forest Macaroon Conserve


Makes 7 cups

4 cups sugar
1/3 cup bakers cocoa (high quality is important)
3 lb coursly chopped pitted frozen dark sweet cherries
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 3 oz pouches of Ball Liquid fruit pectin
1/3 cup unsweetened macaroon coconut
1/8 tsp Bavarian Cream LorAnn flavored oil
1/8 tsp Amaretto LorAnn flavored oil
1 tsp LorAnn Vanilla Bean paste

7 (8oz ) half pint canning jars

Directions:
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat and sterilize jars. Simmer lids in hot water 5-10 minutes, do not boil.
2) Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Set aside. Combine cherries, lemon juice, and cocoa mixture in a large 2 quart saucepan. Bring to a full boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly. Stir in the pectin flavoring oils and vanilla paste. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add coconut. Stir well. Remove foam if necessary.

3) Ladle hot conserve into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim with a clean cloth. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until it is fingertip tight.

4) Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes at sea level (adjust for altitude). Remove jars and place on a clean kitchen towel. Allow to cool undisturbed at least 12 hours. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

There you go.

Edible Decorative Bread dough (inert dough for flowers on bread)

Now that we've had the decorative bread class in Utah that was absolutely heavenly, I thought it was fair to share some of the magic. Actually we had two three hour classes back to back. It was a bread marathon during which I came to adore the gals who spent the day with me. I loved meeting them and sharing our mutual passion for bread creating. At this class where the students where given out the recipe for the rye inert dough 18 strand decorative bread tutorial

we discussed how I make my edible embellishments for bread. First of all, I use whole grain rye. When the grain is milled fine, it looks like regular rye flour. The recipe uses rye because of the relatively low gluten content of the rye flour. This is ideal for a sculpting dough, as you don't want a lot of gluten development. I also very much adore the use of oat groats or barley instead of the rye.The dough can be colored using food color, or folding in some coffee granules.

Oat or Barley Decorative dough Recipe

1 cup oat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup plus 2T water (or colored water if you want the dough to have a tint)

Combine all ingredients and knead until a pliable dough is formed.

Lightly flour a table top. Keep dough that is not being worked in a covered container.

You can use Wilton Gum Paste cutting tools for ornate decorative bread dough as well as for gum paste. I will be using them in my tutorial.

Roll a ball of dough to 1/16th of an inch thickness, keeping the surface of the table lightly floured.

For roses, cut out several small circles. Be sure to cut all the way through the dough.

Stack the disks of dough like so...

Begin curling the dough towards the inside of the circle, being sure to catch the bottom overlapping disks of dough as you roll. This will start to form the roses.

Continue to roll, lightly pinching the center of the roll.

Each side of the roll will look like this:

With your finger or a pencil, lightly dent the middle of the roll.

Pinch the dough in the center until the two roses separate.

Gently roll down the outer petals of the rose.

Place on a metal cooling rack to dry for a bit.

Roll out more dough for leaves. Cut leaves. I also make knife marks at the veins of the leaves and pinch the leaf a little for added realistic depth.

This flower is made using the three pronged flower tool.

For daisies, use the Daisie cutters, and stack the dough. For decorative dough, use a pencil or a sharp tool to seal the petals together.

Transfer to the cooling rack, pocking the flower a little into the mesh to create depth in the flower.

Put a small ball of dough in the center of each flower to finish it. Mist lightly with water, this will seal the flowers together.

Braid the decorative loaf or make a crown loaf out of the 5 day bread dough or Bare Bones bread dough recipe (1 lb of dough).

Transfer braid to a baking pan or stone. Allow to raise uncovered 40-45 minutes. Do not over proof.

Heavily mist the loaf with water. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange the flowers and leaves on the loaf. Mist the flowers with water. This will help seal the flowers to the loaf.

Bake 350 degrees 45-50 minutes.

I think it should be at a wedding. I used the technique for the painted breads I've given tutorials on in the past. Here's how it looked before it was painted...

This is after using some of the pearl glaze and pink tones. What do you think a gal should charge for a loaf like that?

I'm pretty sure I'm in love.

Don't forget to join in on our Upcoming Giveaway! A 5 quart Paula Deen Cast Iron covered casserole. It's almost as stunning as this bread.

There you go!

Monday, June 28, 2010

Artisan Bread Class and Decorative Bread Class


Saturday I had the unique privilege to teach a bread making marathon, so to speak, with a sweet group of ladies at Orson H. Gygi's Culinary Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. The facility was amazing! We had ten ovens.

There where beginning bakers who had never made a loaf of bread before. We had bakers who had been baking since the sixties. One sweet gal flew all the way from Texas to join us.

I loved our Mother and daughter team, learning side by side. I loved them all. I hope they know it.


Even more fun was to pull the loaves of bread from the ovens with them. Sometimes the creative minds of my students blow me away.
Lace's bread. Yes...you did it honey!

Elizabeth's artful design that we called the Frank Loyd Wright.
Jamie's star loaf. That's a new one for me!



Perhaps one of the highlights of my day was pulling a loaf of bread out of the oven that Jean had made. It was her first attempt at bread making...ever! Look at it. I'm just saying... we cheered and clapped and hugged each other. It was awesome!

Decorative bread class followed the Artisan bread session...and the class once again produced some great pieces of bread. Randi's classics...





Neive's wedding loaf...


Jamie's dream catcher.

Lorraine's braided loaf.

Elizabeth's leaves and floral.

I wish I had space to put a picture of every loaf up. They where all so amazing to see. Thank you ladies for a truly wonderful class. I will look forward to hearing of your continued baking joys!
There you go.