Blueberry-Habenero Jam: The Bounty of Summer with a Mean Kick

Blueberry – Habenero Jam

Yield:  approximately 5 pint or 10 1/2 pint jars

It has been much too long since my last post.  Finishing my dissertation was first on my priority list.  I must admit, despite the protest of distractors, that I thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of writing my thesis.  Yes, there were times when I felt defeated, incapable, and terribly confused, but as a whole, having the time to concentrate on one thing, to think hard on a topic that is so important, was amazing, and the privilege of having this time is not lost on me.

It is height of summer, and I just spent two weeks in Oregon, where beautiful berries grow so plentifully, that they are easy to take for granted.  But, returning to Illinois, I found myself missing them.  Alas, they are not the same having to be shipped hundreds or even thousands of miles to my local store.  Yesterday, I stumbled upon a stash of local berries, so I decided to run with the inspiration I had at the Portland Farmer's Market.  An aside on the PDX market....it makes me cry.  It's true.  Real tears.  The organic, locally grown fruits and vegetables lovingly and artfully placed in carefully arranged baskets; the handmade pastries, preserves, and cheeses made by the clearly-passionate sellers; and the abundant, brilliantly arranged flowers put a taste in my mouth of both melancholy and sheer joy at the same time.  Melancholy because Central Illinois is so woefully incomparable to Oregon, and, joyous because of the sheer beauty of all this labor of love.

Back to jam.  At the market, I tasted a virtual cornucopia of jams.  One theme of the jams I found at the Portland market was that of peppers. I found them in combination with most everything.  Growing up, my mother made the most beautiful red pepper jelly.  I recall the many hours it would take her to hand chop beautiful red peppers. I recall the taste of the peppers and vinegar in contrast to the sweetness of the sugar.  I loved this jelly and make it each year in my mother's honor.  These jams I tasted at the market reminded me of my mother's jelly, so I decided to combine her recipe with the inspiration of the fruited jellies of the market.  What follows is a recipe for a most interesting and firey concoction.  It's sweet, like a jam.  It smells and tastes of beautiful, fresh blueberries, but it has a smoky kick to it from the chiles, that is backgrounded by a hint of sourness from the vinegar.  Though not unbearably hot, this jam is spicy.  I had it this morning on some homemade whole wheat bread with butter.  I loved it.  I can also imagine it being served with a cheese plate, or as my mother would serve her pepper jelly, spooned atop cream cheese to be eaten with water crackers.  I'd love to hear what others do with it!  

Jam may seem intimidating, but this one is easy.  It is a great starter jam.  If you are worried about the heat, you can add fewer chiles, or you can strain them out before adding the cooking liquid to the blueberries.  Whatever you do, make sure you are wearing gloves when working with the chiles, remove the seeds and chop them very finely.  Big chunks would be unpleasant in this recipe.

Ingredients:

5 cups blueberries, picked through and well washed

1 cup white wine vinegar, divided

1 ½ cup water, divided

6 habenero chiles, seeded and finely minced

5 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

4 oz. pectin

Directions:

If you are going to can this jam, you will need to sterilize 5 or 10 1/2 pint jars.  You can do this by boiling a large pot of water and submerging the jars for 10 minutes.  Also sterilize 10 new lids and screwtops in the same manner.  Combine chiles, ¾ cup vinegar and ½  cup water.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, add blueberries, sugar, ¼ cup vinegar, 1 cup water, and salt in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Skim off any foam that rises.  Add the pepper mixture to the blueberries and carefully taste to make sure the sugar, vinegar, salt ratio is right.  It will be spicy, so be careful, this is not for the faint of heart.  If needed, add sugar, salt or vinegar to your liking.  Let this simmer another 5 minutes or so.  Add the pectin*, stirring with a whisk to make sure it is all blended in well.  Bring to a boil for one minute. Bring your large canning pot filled with enough water to cover the jars (when full—think displacement) by about one inch back up to the boil Spoon the jam into the jars leaving about ¼ inch of space between the jam and the top of the jar (this is called “head space”).  Wipe the jar lid free of any drips with a damp paper towel.  Screw on the lid (but not super tightly).  Repeat until you have no more jam.  Place the jars carefully in the boiling water and continue to boil for 5 -10 minutes (five will be fine if the jam was just off the boil).  Remove the jars. Let them sit until you see that the centers of the lids have been vacuumed to the jar (you’ll see an indent).  At this point, you can remove the screw tops part, wipe them off, label them with a scull and crossbones and the date (month and year) and put them up for a later date.  I hope you enjoy this fun process!

* This is a lot of pectin and makes a very firm jam. If you like your jams to be more runny, what I recommend is that when you add the smaller amount of pectin (start with 2 ounces), put a tablespoon in a small glass that is filled with ice and water.  After the one minute, remove the spoon and drop a few dribbles of jam on it.  It will cool quickly and you can see what the consistency will be.  If needed, you can add more pectin at this point and again, boil it for a minute, then repeat the testing process until you get the consistency you prefer.

Special Tiramisu: rich, creamy, and delicious

For a party today, Darren and I made tiramisu, as we were asked to bring a dessert.  Tiramisu is a wonderful party dessert as it is beautiful, delicious, easy to serve, and relatively easy to make.  This is no ordinary tiramisu, though, it is particularly beautiful,and delicious.  With 3 different liquors and homemade espresso, this tiramisu is a definate 'pick me up'.  If you want to make this recipe in a trifle dish, it will be particularly beautiful as you can see each of the beautiful layers through the sides of the glass. It can also be made in a baking dish.  This amount will serve 10-16 people.

Chocolate Decoration Directions:
Melt 1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each 30 second interval until the chocolate is melted.  Let this cool for a few minutes.  Drizzle the chocolate onto a piece of waxed paper in a decorative fashion. Let this sit to harden while you make the rest of the tiramisu. (or, alternatively, just sprinkle the top of your completed tiramisu with cocoa powder).

Custard Ingredients:

2/3 cups water

2 tablespoons cup dark rum

2 tablespoons brandy

6 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese 

2 cups chilled whipping cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Finishing Ingredients:

1 cup espresso

7 tablespoons Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 6.15-ounce or four 3.5-ounce boxes Champagne biscuits or Boudoirs (about 60 crisp ladyfinger cookies)

Custard Directions:

Whisk 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup rum, 3 tablespoons brandy, yolks, and nutmeg in metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk constantly until mixture thickens and candy thermometer inserted into mixture registers 140°F for 3 minutes, about 5 minutes total. Remove bowl from over water. Whisk mascarpone, 1 container at a time, into warm custard until blended.

Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream, vanilla, 1 tablespoon brandy, and 1 teaspoon rum in large bowl until cream holds peaks. Fold in cream cheese mixture.

Finishing Directions:
Add 2 tablespoons sugar to the espresso while it is hot; stir to dissolve. Mix in liqueur and cream. Submerge 1 biscuit in espresso mixture, turning to coat twice; shake excess liquid back into pan. Place dipped biscuit, sugared side facing out, around bottom side of 14-cup trifle dish, pressing against side of dish (biscuit may break). Repeat with enough biscuits to go around bottom sides of dish once. Dip more biscuits and arrange over bottom of dish to cover.

Spoon 2 cups mascarpone mixture over biscuits; spread to cover. Sprinkle 1/4 cup ground chocolate over, making chocolate visible at sides of dish. Repeat with more biscuits dipped into espresso mixture, mascarpone mixture, and ground chocolate in 2 more layers each. Cover with 1 more layer of dipped biscuits and enough mascarpone mixture to reach top of trifle dish. Sprinkle remaining ground chocolate over, covering completely. Cover and chill overnight.

Decorate the top of the tiramisu with the chocolate decorations.  (Can be made 8 hours ahead; chill.)

"Cheesy" Kale Chips: Not your ordinary snack chip

While on a recent visit to Oregon, I stopped in at Whole Foods (or as I call it, Whole paycheck).  While there, I saw this small bag of vegan kale chips.  Now, I must be honest. I am not interested in vegan anything, really.  I mean, I love cheese.  Well, these "chips" claimed to be "cheesy".  I dared not spend the $7 for the 2 oz. bag, thinking I would be able to figure out how to make them myself.  Since this visit, I have been working on this recipe and think I have it nailed.  These may not sound tasty, so you'll need to trust me.  They are crunchy, and yes, cheesy, though there is no cheese anywhere.  Everyone who has tried them has fallen in love.  I hope you enjoy them.


Ingredients
1 bunch kale, cleaned well
3/4 c. cashews or almonds
1T plus 1t. soy sauce
2 cloves garlic (or one large)
1 lemon (juice and pulp--heck, use the zest too if you want!)
1/3 c. nutritional yeast
1 T. olive oil
1/2 red or yellow pepper, seeded (optional--adds a hint of sweetness)

Directions:
Blot your clean kale dry.  Strip off the woody stems and break the leaves into bite sized pieces. Soak the nuts in water for at least 1 hour.  Process all other ingredients in a food processor until pretty smooth.  Mix the nut mixture and the kale in a bowl using your hands to rub the mixture into the kale.  If you have a dehydrator, you are lucky.  Place the kale on the trays, being sure not to overlap them.  My dehydrator ran for 8 hours at 95 degrees, giving me delicious, crisp chips. But, if you don't have a dehydrator, do not fret.  Put the kale on lined sheet pans, being careful not to overlap them.  Place them in the coolest setting of your oven (maybe 170 or 175 degrees).  Check the chips every 20 minutes and remove them when they are crisp.

Eat, then repeat....