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The Blue Chair Jam Cookbookby Rachel Saunders
Price: $35.00
ISBN-13: 9780740791437
ISBN-10: 0740791435
Format: Hardcover
Size: 7 1/2 x 10 1/2 in.
Page Count: 384 pages
“In The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook, author Rachel Saunders introduces jam making to a whole generation of people who, unlike their grandmothers, probably never tried making their own preserves. The book is a fantastic introduction to this subject, with clear explanations of every step you’ll need to take during the jam making process and dozens of recipes to try. That said, the recipes will easily stand on their own for experienced jam makers looking for new flavor ideas, and is not simply aimed at cooks with minimal experience with preserves.” ––Baking Bites http://bit.ly/nfruuY
“For anyone interested in making preserves or who, like me, just likes collecting beautiful cookbooks–stop what you’re doing right now and run as fast as you can to your local book purveyor and get a copy. Every aspect of jam-making is explained in clear, thorough and beautiful detail, from process and equipment to the stages of cooking and the dreaded “setting point.” There are neat tricks for sterilizing, seasonal recipes and a whole back section that just talks about fruits. In fact the whole book has a quality I find irresistible in a cookbook–it’s a great read.” ––Sadie’s Table http://bit.ly/eNgwWI
“What I love about The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook (beyond the photos of course) is that it brings that same sense of wonder to each mixture… and encourages you to get the basic techniques of jamming, jellying and marmalading (is that really a word?) down so you can then make your own concoctions.” ––Lara Ferroni http://bit.ly/gR3lB3
The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook is the definitive jam and marmalade book of the twenty-first century, approaching the nostalgic fruit kitchen with a modern, sustainable eye. Organized by the seasons, its recipes make the most of the freshest fruits and flavors, enabling both home and professional cooks to make vivid-tasting preserves throughout the year. The name for Blue Chair Fruit, Rachel Saunders’s Bay Area jam company, was inspired by Rachel’s vision of the nostalgic kitchen. The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook presents a personal approach to preserving that draws on Rachel’s ten years of jam- and marmalade-making experience. Unlike other works on the subject, this book clearly describes and illustrates each stage of cooking and testing for doneness, and addresses a wide array of technical questions about individual fruits and types of preserves.
Each of the over one hundred recipes contains the technical guidance and information needed to help ensure its success, and every season features flavor combinations ranging from the most simple to the most complex. An in-depth section examining different fruits and their varieties from a jam maker’s perspective makes this much more than a cookbook. All of this invaluable information springs to life in Sara Remington’s exquisite four-color photography, intimately inviting you into Rachel’s jam-making world.
ForewordThe Roots of Blue Chair Fruit
Chapter 1
Jams, Jellies & Marmalades: Getting the Most out of Fruit
Chapter 2
Fruit: Understanding the Essential Ingredient
Chapter 3
Preserving: Process & Equipment
Chapter 4
Winter through Early Spring
January
Bergamot • Lemon • Grapefruit • Lime
February & March
Lemon • Orange • Kumquat
Chapter 5
Late Spring through Midsummer
April
Rhubarb • Strawberry
May
Cherry • Kumquat • Aprium • Peach • Blackberry • Apricot
June
Cherry • Berries • White Nectarine • Meyer Lemon
July
Sour Cherry • Plum • Rangpur Lime • Currant • Mulberry
Chapter 6
Late Summer through Fall
August
Fig • Raspberry • Apple • Greengage • Melon • Peach
September
Yellow Nectarine • Pluot • Strawberry • Grape • Damson Plum
October
Tomato • Plum • Elderberry • Pear
November & December
Quince • Cranberry • Pomegranate • Citron • Orange
From The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders
A preserve may either set or thicken, depending upon its ingredients and the type of preserve it is.
A preserve “sets” when it reaches a high enough temperature to form a jelly when left to cool undisturbed. This temperature (220°F) can only be reached in mixtures containing a high proportion of sugar to moisture. Be careful to avoid cooking any preserve to a temperature higher than 220°F, as this will result in an irrevocably tough, leathery preserve.
Jellies and marmalades, because of their high pectin, sugar, and water contents, must reach the setting point, or they will end up a syrupy mess. However, many jams do not necessarily need to set; because their fruit tends to be less concentrated than a jelly’s or a marmalade’s, they require much less sugar to have a good flavor. Depending upon the type of fruit, quantity of sugar, and techniques employed, a jam may be more or less jelly-like.
Testing for Doneness
When testing for doneness, remember that most preserves thicken significantly as they cool to room temperature.
There are several ways to see if a preserve has finished cooking. For preserves that are cooked to reach the setting point, you may use a candy thermometer. However, I believe it is important to know what to actually look for to tell if a preserve is done, especially because not all preserves will reach the 220°F setting point. Thus, I prefer a combination of the freezer test and a visual examination of the preserve to test for doneness.
For the freezer test, place a few metal spoons (I suggest five in the recipes) on a saucer in the freezer before you start cooking the preserve. When you think the preserve might be ready, remove it from the heat, take a small representative half-spoonful (one containing both the liquidy and the more solid portions), and carefully transfer it onto one of the frozen spoons. If you are testing a jelly, marmalade, or high-sugar jam, it should resemble a shiny bead of liquid that is resisting the metal of the cold spoon slightly. If it is a low-sugar jam, it may not look as shiny, but it should look cohesive and not watery. Put the cold spoon back in the freezer for three to four minutes. Then, remove it from the freezer and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment. Tilt the spoon vertically to see if the preserve runs; depending on the individual preserve, it should run either slowly or not at all. If it has not yet reached the appropriate point, bring it back up to temperature, cook it for another three to four minutes, and test again.
Testing for doneness interrupts the heating process, so preserves should only be tested when you think they really are close to being done. Preserves change a lot as they cook. Here is what to look for:
Bubbles and Foam: The fruit often foams a lot during the first stage of cooking; this foam eventually subsides by the time the preserve is done cooking. A preserve’s bubbles become progressively less watery and more sugary as it cooks. Depending on the concentration of sugar, the bubbles may become progressively larger and more sputtering (low-sugar jams) or tiny and shiny (most jellies, marmalades, and high-sugar jams).
From The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders
Even at the very beginning of summer, I keep the cooler months in the back of my mind, always trying to stash away a few wintry jams when the occasion presents itself. Cherries are particularly suited to spice, and this is one preserve I love to make in mid-May, when the first flush of summer cherries arrives. Its flavor is very concentrated, almost like mincemeat’s, and it makes a staggeringly good holiday pie filling. This recipe may be varied any number of ways: Use a different combination of dried and candied fruits, or replace the plum brandy with plain brandy or cognac. But the combination of citron, cloves, and plum brandy is my favorite: Christmas in a jar.
3 pounds pitted sweet red cherries, divided
1 1/4 pounds white cane sugar, divided
3 ounces strained freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
2 ounces dried currants
1/2 pound chopped candied citron (see page 91)
2 1/2 ounces slivovitz or other dry plum brandy
3 to 4 drops almond extract
3 cloves
Place a saucer with five metal teaspoons in a flat place in your freezer for testing the jam later.
Combine 1½ pounds cherries with 10 ounces of the sugar and 1½ ounces of the lemon juice in an 11- or 12-quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle. Bring the mixture to a boil over
high heat, stirring frequently, and cook until the cherries have softened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cherries rest for 5 minutes. Put them through the fine holes of a food mill, scraping any fruit that will not go through back into the resulting puree.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cherry puree with the remaining cherries, sugar, and lemon juice, and the currants, citron, brandy, and almond extract, stirring well to combine. Let the mixture macerate at
room temperature for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 45 minutes, transfer the mixture back to your preserving pan. Put the cloves into a fine-mesh stainless steel tea infuser with a firm latch and add it to the mixture, pressing down on it to be sure it is submerged. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring often.
Boil vigorously, gently scraping the bottom of the pan with your spatula every minute or two to be sure the mixture is not sticking. Continue to cook, monitoring the heat closely, until the conserve acquires a darker, shinier look, about 20 minutes. At this point, remove from the heat, discarding any cherry pits that may have found their way into the mixture, and test the conserve for doneness. While you are testing, use a metal spoon to carefully scrape all the stiff white foam from the top of the mixture and discard.
To test the conserve for doneness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of conserve to one of your frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment. Tilt the spoon vertically to see how quickly the conserve runs; if it runs slowly, and if it has thickened to a gloppy consistency, it is done. If it appears watery, cook it for another couple of minutes, stirring, and test again as needed. When the conserve is ready, remove the mesh tea infuser. Stir the conserve briefly to evenly distribute the cherries, then pour it into sterilized jars and process according to manufacturer’s instructions or as directed on page 83.
Late Spring through Midsummer • May
Approximate Yield: six 8-ounce jars Shelf Life: 8 to 10 months
From The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders
This marmalade boasts both an aromatic tropical flavor and a very tart bite, without a trace of bitterness. It has been known to convert even the most skeptical of marmalade eaters.
2 1/4 pounds perfectly ripe white guavas, cut into eighths
1 1/2 pounds seeded Meyer lemons, halved crosswise,
each half cut lengthwise into quarters and sliced crosswise medium-thin
2 pounds 11 ounces white cane sugar
2 to 3 ounces strained freshly squeezed Eureka or Lisbon lemon juice
Day 1
First, prepare the guava juice: Place the guava eighths in a medium nonreactive kettle and cover with enough cold water for the fruit to bob freely. Bring to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook the fruit for 2 to 3 hours, or until the guavas are very soft and the liquid has become syrupy. As the guavas cook, stir them every 20 to 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary. The level of water should stay consistently high enough for the fruit to remain submerged as it cooks.
Strain the guava juice by pouring the hot fruit and liquid into a medium fine-mesh strainer suspended over a heatproof storage container or nonreactive saucepan. Cover the entire setup well with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to drip overnight.
While the guavas are cooking, place the lemon slices in a separate nonreactive saucepan and cover with enough water to reach 1 inch above the tops. Cover tightly and let rest overnight at room temperature.
Day 2
Place a saucer with five metal teaspoons in a flat place in your freezer for testing the marmalade later.
Bring the pan with the lemon slices to a boil over high heat, then decrease the heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, at a lively simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the fruit is tender.
While the lemon slices are cooking, remove the plastic wrap from the guavas and their juice and discard the guavas. Strain the juice well through a very fine-mesh strainer to remove any lingering solids.
When the lemon slices are ready, place them with their liquid into a large mixing bowl with the sugar, cooked guava juice, and 2 ounces lemon juice. Stir well to combine, then taste, and slowly add a little more lemon juice if necessary. You should be able to taste the lemon juice, but it should not be overpowering. Keep adding lemon juice only until you are just able to detect its tartness in the mixture. Transfer the mixture to an 11- or 12-quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Cook at a rapid boil until the setting point is reached; this will take a minimum of 35 minutes, but may take longer depending on your individual stove and pan.
Winter through Early Spring • January
From The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook by Rachel Saunders
The term conserve typically refers to a jam involving both fresh and dried fruit, often with the addition of liquor, spices, and nuts. These preserves are traditionally served alongside savory dishes or with cheeses, as well as for breakfast. In this delicious fall conserve, Italian prune plums are accentuated by dried currants and a generous splash of plum brandy.
4 pounds pitted and halved Italian prune plums
1 1/2 pounds white cane sugar
3 ounces strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ounces slivovitz or other dry plum brandy
2 ounces dried currants
1/2 teaspoon white cardamom seeds
Day 1
Place the prune plums, sugar, lemon juice, slivovitz, and currants into a glass or hard plastic storage container. Stir well to combine, cover tightly, and refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours, stirring once each day.
2 to 3 Days Later
Place a saucer with five metal teaspoons in a flat place in your freezer for testing the jam later.
Transfer the plum mixture to an 11- or 12-quart copper preserving pan or wide nonreactive kettle. Place the cardamom seeds into a fine-mesh stainless steel tea infuser with a firm latch and add it to the mixture.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently with a large heatproof rubber spatula. Continue to cook, monitoring the heat closely, until the conserve thickens, 35 to 45 minutes. Skim off any surface foam with a large stainless steel spoon. Scrape the bottom of the pan often with a heatproof rubber spatula, and decrease the heat gradually as more and more moisture cooks out of your conserve. For the final 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, stir the conserve nearly constantly to prevent burning.
To test the conserve for doneness, carefully transfer a small representative half-spoonful of conserve to one of your frozen spoons. Replace the spoon in the freezer for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and carefully feel the underside of the spoon. It should be neither warm nor cold; if still warm, return it to the freezer for a moment. Nudge the conserve gently with your finger; if it seems thickened and gloppy when you nudge it, it is either done or nearly done. Tilt the spoon vertically to see how quickly the conserve runs; if it runs very slowly, and if it has thickened to a gloppy consistency, it is done. If it runs very quickly or appears watery, cook it for another few minutes, stirring, and test again as needed.
When the conserve is ready, remove the tea infuser, then skim any remaining foam and discard. Pour the conserve into sterilized jars and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions or as directed on page 52.
Approximate Yield: five to six 8-ounce jars Shelf Life: 18 months
