Blackberry Jam - Testing

1 - It was as I was actually making this that I discovered that the real secret was just getting the fruit up to the required temperature for jamming, and this seems to depend on two factors: the amount of sugar added, which affects how long it will take to reach the gelling stage. Less sugar means that it will take longer, while more sugar means it won't take as long.

I'd like to make this an easily scalable recipe. So I took a recipe and tried to convert it. So I started out with :

9 cups blackberries

5 cups sugar

3 Tbsps lemon juice

and I did this calculation :

9x10 - 90/9 - 10/10 - 1 cup blackberries

5x10 - 50/9 - 5.5/10 - .55 - 1/2 cup sugar

3x10 - 30/9 - 3.33 - .33 - 1 tsp lemon juice

It seems to hold up. Now, to test it.

1. Run the blackberries through a food mill to remove the seeds, continuing until you have 1 cup of puree.  Reserve the blackberry puree and discard the seeds (I give them to our chickens).
2. Put the blackberry puree, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan. Be sure there are several inches of headspace to allow for foaming.
3. When it starts to boil, clip on a candy thermometer, reduce it to a rapid simmer and continue to cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer reads 220F/105C. This can take upwards of 30 minutes, less if you add more sugar, longer if you have less sugar.
4. You can also do the plate test.
5. Ladle the jam into sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace and wipe the rims clean before sealing.
6. If you're not sealing the jars the jam will keep in the fridge for several months.
7. If you're using the water bath canning method process the jars for 10 minutes.  Carefully remove the jars, let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours, then store in a dark cool place.  Jam will keep for up to a year.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds - Untested

 https://ohsheglows.com/2012/09/17/how-to-roast-perfect-pumpkin-seeds-easy-crunchy-addictive/

Vegetable Ragout - FAIL

https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/harvest-vegetable-ragout?utm_campaign=yummly&utm_medium=yummly&utm_source=yummly

1 - This was very boring. It doesn't look like it should be, but it was. I feel no compulsion to want to try it again, even that I'm slightly disappointed that there are leftovers. 

 
1Tbsp + 2 tsps oil 
3 cups (15oz) butternut squash (peeled and diced)
2 cups (8oz) leek (1/2-inch-thick sliced)
1 1/2 cups (7oz) sliced carrot (1-inch-thick)
1 1/2 cups (5oz) parsnip (1/2-inch-thick sliced)
1 cup celery (1/2-inch-thick sliced)
10 garlic cloves (halved)
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
19 oz chickpeas (garbanzo beans, drained)
3/4 tsp salt (divided)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
6 portobello 1lb mushrooms, sliced
thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Heat 1Tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. 
2. Combine squash and next 5 ingredients (squash through garlic), and sauté for 8 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. 
3. Add bay leaves and 2 thyme sprigs, and stir in tomato paste. 
4. Stir in flour and wine, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for 5 minutes. 
5. Stir in the broth and chickpeas. 
6. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
7. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and chopped parsley. Discard bay leaves and thyme.
8. Discard mushroom stems; slice caps. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. 
9. Serve ragout over mushrooms. 
10. Garnish with additional thyme sprigs, if desired.

Grilled Vegetable Terrine - Untested

 https://www.food.com/recipe/bobs-grilled-vegetable-terrine-281839

2 red peppers

2 yellow peppers (or any peppers you have)

1 large eggplant

2 large zucchini

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red onion, finely sliced

1⁄2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 2⁄3 cups tomato juice

2 tablespoons gelatin

basil leaves (to garnish)

DRESSING

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

ground black pepper

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DIRECTIONS

Grill the pepper under a hot grill and skin.

Grill or fry the eggplant and zucchini, with the olive oil and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in frypan and fry the onions and raisins till limp add the red wine vinegar and cook slowly, stirring often, until syrupy.

Lightly grease a loaf tin with oil. (Or line it with glad wrap, prefered).

Heat half the tomato juice with the gelatine; dissolve over low heat stirring.

add basil leaves to the loaf tin, and cover with a layer of the skinned peppers, cover with juice.

layer the eggplant, then zucchini, adding juice as you go. Then the onion mixture, keep layering till you run out, ending with red pepper.

Mix the rest of the tomato juice with the leftover tomato/gelatine mixture, and pour into the terrine.

Tap the sides to settle the mixture. (Or stab the middle with a skewer and shake the hell out of it).

Cover and chill till set.

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.

Have a glass of wine.

Pistou - Testing

 https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/pistou-soup/9048/

1 - Generally speaking this is a very good soup. I mean, the dollop of pesto is a no-brainer for an explosion of flavour. We both felt that 1 cup of cooked beans was far too little, so I upped it to 3 cups for the next try. I also realized that I have a bias against the word 'garnish'. I think it's always seemed like more of a presentation thing, an aesthetic flourish that had nothing to do with the dish, but I now understand that it is usually (but not always) integral to the dish. I've removed the word and will endeavor to do so in my other recipes. Not because I want to ban the word, but because this is my recipe book, and I want to be able to follow the recipe, not analyze the semiotics of the words in it when I'm cooking.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion (6oz/170gr), chopped

1 cup green beans (100g), cut into ½-inch/1 cm pieces

1 potato (8oz/215gr), peeled and diced

1 cup carrots (2oz/57g), diced

Salt and pepper

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

3 cups cooked white kidney or cannellini beans

1 cup (4.5oz/125g) zucchini, diced small

2 tomatoes (12oz/340g), seeded, and diced

Pesto, approx. 1 Tbsp per bowl

Parmesan cheese, approx. 1 Tbsp per bowl

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan and gently cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. 
2. Add the green beans, potato and carrot dice. 
3. Pour over 4 cups/1-litre vegetable water or stock. 
4. Season with salt and pepper, add the bay leaf and the thyme. 
5. Bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Add the beans and the zucchini and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes longer. 
7. Stir through the tomato. 
8. Ladle the soup into bowls. (Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs). 
9. Add a spoonful of pesto to each bowl, and grate over Parmesan cheese.

Marinated Vegetable Salad - Untested

 https://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipe/marinated-vegetable-salad/9023/

Haricots Vert are simple green beans, but the French filet beans.

8 small shallots, peeled, quartered or cut into eights, depending on size

7 oz (200 g) carrots

7 oz (200 g) haricots verts

7 oz (200 g) Savoy cabbage

7 oz (200 g) cauliflower florets

3 Tbsp mustard seed

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 Tbsp turmeric

About 1/2 cup (125 ml) grapeseed or peanut oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Salt, pepper, and lemon juice, to taste

Gratin de pâtisson et de pomme de terre - Untested

 https://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_gratin-de-patisson-et-de-pomme-de-terre_24974.aspx