Apples for Jam

A Colorful Cookbook

by Tessa Kiros

Price: $29.95
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-6971-9
ISBN-10: 0-7407-6971-5
Format: Hardcove
Size: 6 11/16 x 9 7/16 in.
Page Count: 432 pages

“[Apples for Jam] is a beautiful cookbook full of unique and wonderful recipes.  Some are simple, others more complicated, but all of them perfect for everyday family comfort food.” ––Bird and Little Bird http://bit.ly/b3mg3z

“Tessa Kiros’ Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook is unique in its kind. It artfully blends memoir and cookbook and takes us on a voyage back to our own childhood. Apples for Jam consists of  a collection of easily followed recipes interwoven with wonderfully colorful photos and prettily designed pages. … But what is maybe the nicest about this book is its capacity to enchant. If you do not feel like cooking you can still enjoy the artwork, relish in the photos and read the little stories and Tessa’s childhood memories and let her take you back on a trip to your own cherished past.” ––Mama Used to Cook This http://mamausedtocookthis.wordpress.com/2010/08/07/apples-for-jam-a-colorful-cookbook-by-tessa-kiros-2007/

“I love this cookbook and find the recipes and the writing so inspiring (not to mention the gorgeous photography). In addition to the recipes, Tessa Kiros, the author, also offers lots of vignettes on childhood memories and on mothering her own children. It’s a delight!” ––Salt and Chocloate http://saltandchocolate.blogspot.com/2009/11/meatless-supper-7.html

” I’m not a foodie, barely a baker, and hardly a cook, but I love Apples for Jam, Tessa Kiros’s cookbook that is organized by color.  It’s impossible to ignore this gorgeous book design–spot gloss glowers on top of a pink and red cover that vibrates with joy. Inside, the book is a delight as well. The book is divided into sections by color (red and pink are my favorites!), filled with full page beauty shots of the food, family snapshots and doodles, and memories of Kiros’s childhood kitchen.” ––Each Penny Pretty http://eachpennypretty.blogspot.com/2009/09/weekend-read-apples-for-jam.html

“Apples for Jam is the third delightful book from Tessa Kiros. Inspired by the excitement and simplicity of childhood, Tessa has brought together recipes based around colourful, pure, fresh ingredients that create uncomplicated and delicious family meals. From the comfort of soups and roasts, to the striking colours of beetroot gnocchi and mango sorbet, to the simplicity of rice pudding with nutmeg, this book weaves recipes with reflections and hopes. Alternative ingredients and options for serving suggestions are given for many of the recipes, extending their appeal. The evocative text and innovative recipes are complemented by beautiful photographs and illustrations Filled with comfort food and warm memories, Apples for Jam is a vibrant and charming cookbook for people who love food and life.” ––Cook-Books.com http://www.cook-books.com.au/ccp0-prodshow/apples-jam-tessa-kiros-new-hardcover-cookbook.html

Filled with comfort food and warm memories, Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $29.95) is a vibrant and charming cookbook for people who love food and life.

Author Tessa Kiros has circled the globe, working in restaurants in Australia, Greece, Mexico, and London. Her extensive travel and multicultural background lend authenticity to more than 200 diverse and easy-to-make recipes in Apples for Jam.

Chock-full of savory dishes and liberally garnished with anecdotal memories about family, friends and the joys of childhood, Apples for Jam is a keepsake cookbook for everyone with a passion for flavor.

“This is food for families, for young people, for old people, for children, for the child in all… for life.” —Tessa Kiros in Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook

Viewing life with a prismatic and practical eye, Tessa has grouped the recipes by color and illustrated Apples for Jam with lavish photography and whimsical children’s art. With memories of daisy chains, ice cream cones, circuses, and four-leaf clovers, Kiros shares her belief that good food sparks cherished memories that intensify life’s melting pot of flavor.

Enjoy your kaleidoscopic journey down memory lane in Apples for Jam. Who knows? Soon you may be swapping recipes over the fence, making a daisy chain, or sliding emergency cookies into your apron pocket.

ABOUT 1 POUND SWORDFISH, ABOUT 3/4 INCH THICK
ABOUT 1 POUND FRESH TUNA, ABOUT 3/4 INCH THICK
14 OUNCES RAW SHRIMP
1 POUND 5 OUNCES SMALL SQUID
3 HEAPING TABLESPOONS CHOPPED PARSLEY
1 LARGE GARLIC CLOVE, FINELY CHOPPED
ABOUT 1/2 CUP DRY BREAD CRUMBS
SALT
OLIVE OIL, FOR THE GRILL DRESSING:
1/2 CUP OLIVE OIL
2 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND SQUASHED A BIT
JUICE OF 1 LARGE JUICY LEMON
SALT AND PEPPER

Your fish has got to be super-fresh with that almost-sweet smell. Tuna should be lovely and bright red; swordfish white. You can choose another type of fish here, as long as you can cut it easily into squares and thread it onto skewers. These are passed through a bread crumb, parsley, and garlic mix and then grilled so they turn golden dark and crispy in places. It is important that they are still soft and moist inside but cooked through. You could add some chopped herbs, or even finely chopped red chile, to the dressing.

Cut the swordfish and tuna into 3/4-inch blocks. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Clean the squid and cut the bodies into thick rings (you won’t need the wings or tentacles here, so save them for something else).

Using short metal skewers, or bamboo ones that have been soaked in cold water for an hour, thread a block of swordfish, a block of tuna, a squid ring, then a shrimp (spiking this through in two places), then another block of swordfish and finally tuna. You should have enough to make about 12 skewers, and you might need to juggle the order around a bit at the end depending on how much of each fish you have left.

Heat the grill to high. Mix the parsley, garlic, bread crumbs, and a little salt together on a large plate. Pat the skewers on all sides in this mixture so that they’re lightly coated.

For the dressing, mix together the oil, garlic, and lemon juice, and add some salt and black pepper.

Brush the grill rack with a little oil and grill the skewers until they are charred deep golden in some parts, but not for so long that they dry out. Reduce the heat or move the rack farther from the coals if the crust starts to burn before the fish cooks through. Serve hot, with some dressing drizzled over and a sprinkling of salt.

Makes about 12 skewers

MERINGUE:
4 EGG WHITES
¾ CUP SUPERFINE SUGAR
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
2 TEASPOONS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
½ CUP FINELY CHOPPED WALNUTS OR HAZELNUTS
½ CUP FINELY CRUSHED UNSALTED CRACKERS

TOPPING:
1 CUP CHOPPED SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE
1 CUP WHIPPING CREAM
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT
1 CUP STRAWBERRIES
CONFECTIONERS’ SUGAR, TO SERVE

This is my friend Sue’s meringue. It’s well—dressed, showy—quite over-the-top—and easy to make. You can add a little confectioners’ sugar to your cream as you whip it, if you like your sweet things very sweet. I whip it without and just shake a little sugar over the top of the cake to serve. This is lovely with strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries, served in slices with a big cup of milky tea.

Preheat the oven to 250° F. Cover the bottom of a 9½-inch springform cake pan with a sheet of parchment paper before clipping the side in place. The paper will stick out of the side, making it easier to remove the meringue later. Grease the side of the pan.

Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they lose their foaminess and look like very thick, stiff shaving cream. Whisk in the sugar bit by bit until it is all incorporated, then whisk in the vanilla and the vinegar. Gently but thoroughly fold in the nuts and crackers. Spoon into the pan and level the surface, making a slight indent in the middle.

Bake for about 1¼ to 1½ hours, until the meringue is lightly golden and coming away from the side of the pan. Turn off the oven, prop the door just slightly ajar, and leave the meringue inside until it is completely cool. Take the meringue out of the pan and put it on a serving plate, removing the paper.

Melt the semisweet chocolate in the top of a double boiler, making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle over the meringue in a criss-cross pattern and then leave to harden completely. Whip the cream with the vanilla until it holds thickly on the beaters. Dollop onto the meringue, leaving a small border to show off the chocolate. Dot the berries on top and cover with a gentle shake of confectioners’ sugar to serve.

Serves 8