Summer Berry Crisp

Summer is officially kicked off! That means it's time for loads of fresh fruit and berries in our gardens, farmers markets and store shelves. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries...... so many delicious summer desserts can be made with these juicy summer favorites.

Last year here in Iowa we had an unexpected late snow and killing frost that really hurt the berry crops. Many of the pick your own berry farms nearby didn't have enough of a crop to even open. Not the case this year! I'm already seeing beautiful berries in the markets and that makes me so happy! Berry pies and crisps have always been favorites of mine, so imagine how thrilled I was today to run in to the store for just a couple things and find they have a great sale of fresh berries. You bet I grabbed some and headed home to bake something.

I could have taken the easy way out and just sliced some strawberries, tossed with the raspberries and blackberries and served draped over ice cream, but I wanted something really good, and really homey. Fruit crisps have always been among my favorite desserts. This classic recipe is a church cookbook staple, and something you can find at just about every potluck or church dinner. Often made with sliced apples or peaches, or even cherries, here I used a four berry combo to make a ruby red and crunchy crisp with loads of juicy berry goodness. Just a package of each kind of berry is all it takes. Wash, drain and you're ready to go. I quartered the strawberries so they'd be similar size and shape as the other berries. Let's bake!

Fresh Berry Fruit Crisp

1 package blackberries

1 package raspberries

1 package blueberries

1 package strawberries, quartered

1/4 cup cornstarch

2/3 cup sugar

Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter

dash cinnamon

In a large bowl toss the berries with the sugar and cornstarch. Pile the fruit in a 9x9 baking dish.

In a medium bowl mix the topping ingredients, dry ingredients first, then use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter in until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit.

Bake at 400 degrees about 45 minutes until bubbly and the topping is deep golden brown.

This recipe is a super simple dessert that's just as easy to throw together with frozen berries as it is fresh. I like to stock the freezer with berries when they go on sale- freeze them on a sheet pan until frozen solid, then spoon into freezer bags. You can easily measure out the amount you need when you need it! With most recipes, just add 10 minutes to the baking time if using frozen berries.

This fruit crisp is delicious with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. It is heavenly if it's slightly warm from the oven!

Canning Cookbook- Jam Collection

I've been on a real jam kick lately. And not just making it, talking about it, tasting it, sharing recipes, changing out fruits, tossing ideas around with other canning friends. I think it's because county fair time is coming up, and I've been trying to come up with new ideas to enter. What I ended up with is a list of several I plan on making, but because I have limited storage space, and only two mouths to feed, making 20 different jams is probably not a good idea. Instead, I have decided to compile a list of the recipes I plan to make as jars free up in the cabinet and my current supply dwindles, as fruits come into season and are available, and when I am bored later and have a freezer filled with frozen fruits.

There is almost a theme with these recipes- tropical and boozy. Kiwis and mangoes are usually readily available and definitely tropical. Dragonfruit are a rare treat for me to see in the store but the next time I see them I WILL be grabbing enough for a small batch of jam. Pineapples also go on sale throughout the year- when I can get a good deal, I'll grab them, cut them up and tuck away in the freezer. Berries are available pretty much year-round but I usually get them in season and tuck several pints away in the freezer to use later. As for the booze, well, that's always available. I can grab little airplane bottles for most recipes, eliminating the need for an expensive liquor collection. 

The process of making jam doesn't really vary much. You prepare the fruit. Cook it. Add the pectin, cook it some more. Add the sugar, bring to a boil. Ladle into jars and process in boiling water bath for ten minutes. Very rarely will a jam recipe vary from that basic formula. Before we get to the cooking part, let's run down some jam ingredients and give them a title.

Tropical Kiwi Jam

12 kiwi fruit, chopped

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup coconut

1 package powdered pectin

4 cups sugar

3-4 tb  melon liqueur such as Midori

Mango Rum Jam
4 cups diced mango
1/2 cup water
2 tb lemon juice
1 packet powdered pectin
7 cups sugar
3-4 tb  mango rum- Parrot Bay or Malibu are good

Southern Peach Bourbon Jam
4 cups peeled, pitted, diced peaches
1/2 cup water
2 tb lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
7 cups sugar
1/2 cup bourbon

Dragonfruit Jam
2 lbs dragonfruit (discard peels and dice)
3 cups finely diced pineapple
3/4 water
1 package powdered pectin
1 tb lemon juice
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup dragonfruit rum- Bacardi makes a great one

Kiwi Daiquiri Jam
8 kiwi fruit (2 cups pulp)
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
3 cups sugar
1/4 cup coconut rum such as Malibu

Chambord Berry Jam
7 cups mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, chopped strawberries, blackberries)
1/2 cup water
2 tb lemon juice
1 package powdered pectin
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup Chambord

**Note: Always use bottled lemon juice in canning, and I prefer to use canned unsweetened pineapple juice- it just gives better, more consistent results.

Prepare your fruit.  Most of the fruit will need to be peeled and chopped, obviously not berries. Chop or mash, that's up to you and the consistency you like your jam to be.

Get your jars ready. Wash jars thoroughly, and hold in boiling water until time to fill. Place lids in simmering water to warm but DO NOT BOIL.

Make your jam. Cook your fruit, with added water if required, lemon or fruit juice, until softened. Gradually stir in the pectin and fully incorporate into the fruit. You shouldn't have any lumps. If the recipe you are using calls for coconut, add that now as well. Bring this mixture to a full rolling boil.  Add the full measure of sugar all at once. Stir and bring back to a full rolling boil. Boil for one minute. Remove from heat, skim off any foam. Stir in the booze and ladle into hot jars that have been removed from water and drained. Make sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars. Fix lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Typically, I use 8 oz jelly jars, but you can use the 4 oz. jars or pint jars- the processing time is the same. 

The yield will vary from recipe to recipe. Jams make great last minute gifts and are fun to enter in county fairs. They are easy to make, practically foolproof and even if they don't set, you get a tasty fruity syrup for pancakes and french toast. I'm especially excited about the dragonfruit jam. 

You might wonder what's up with all the boozy jams. Well, I like them because they are different, less breakfasty and definitely more "artisan" than a jar of strawberry preserves. You can always leave the alcohol out if you prefer not to use it, it's just a flavor enhancer and fun way to switch it up and make it "mine." 

{Please note- I have exchanged recipes with so many people from all over, I cannot be sure of the origin of some of the recipes, I can only provide you the ingredients and methods used by me.}

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Canning Cookbook- Gettin' Kinky and Jammin'

Gooseberries! When is the last time you guys saw or ATE a gooseberry? The old standard of my childhood, something once grown in every grandmother's garden, the gooseberry has all but disappeared from modern gardens, but oh how I remember that puckery super tart little gem growing in my grandmother's backyard. Growing up it was common to see gooseberries in those little green plastic square baskets like cherry tomatoes used to be sold in, for sale in every grocery store and local fruit market, but now, if you're lucky, you might find some at a farmers' market.

The lovely gooseberry

Well, since being inspired by a pie recipe I came across over the cold winter months, I have been on a quest to find these tasty little memories and create something new and "totally me" and you can't get more ME than a boozy jam. The hunt has finally paid off- gooseberries at the farmers' market in Stuart. The hunt for this delicious little tidbit has also unearthed a fascinating discovery- the wild gooseberry. Even better, apparently the woods surrounding the Little Lake House is just teeming with them. After The Chef's recent battle with a tick, we are a little reluctant to go scampering into the woods. Luckily, the gentleman at the farmers' market is NOT so he can do the hunting and I will gladly pay him.

Beautiful red gooseberries 

I love fruit combinations when making jams. Many times I will find myself with a little bit of this fruit, and a half cup of these berries in the freezer, maybe half a bag of some other fruit- not enough of any one to make a single fruit recipe but enough combined fruits for an interesting flavor combo, and adding a boozy kick is right up my alley. Adding liquor to jams and sauces really ups the flavor impact and the alcohol cooks off so you don't have to worry about catching a buzz with your eggs and bacon. I have decided to pair my gooseberries with one of my very favorite berries, the blueberry. To me it just seemed like a natural combination- like peas and carrots! Similar in size, they will cook uniformly and won't required any chopping beforehand- easy peasy in the pot they go. Because I have added alcohol I won't want to use pectin in this recipe. Instead I'll use the "old fashioned plate test" to see when the jam has reached the jelling point. Don't worry- it's super easy and you may never go back to using pectin.

So let's get started with this crazy boozy jam I am going to call Kinky Blue Goose Jam. You will need:

• 6 cups fresh blueberries
• 4 cups fresh gooseberries
• 7 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Kinky Blue liqueur
• zest of one lime

Place a small plate in the freezer. In a very large stockpot, slightly crush the berries. Mix in the Kinky, sugar and zest. Bring to a full rolling boil. Reduce heat and cook, stirring frequently, about 30-35 minutes. At this time, remove the plate from the freezer. Place a couple drops of jam on the plate and tilt. If the jam is firm and doesn't run, it's ready to jar. If it's too thin, continue cooking, checking every 5-10 minutes. When ready, remove from heat. Skim off foam if needed and ladle into hot jars. Adjust lids and rings and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes (pints and half pints).

**You can omit the liqueur if you don't want to use alcohol.

Interestingly, the gooseberries I purchased from the farmers' market were a mixture- half cultivated gooseberries from bushes in the garden, and half from the wild, and were a nice mix of green and red gooseberries. Combined with the blueberries, the color of the jam is so beautiful and rich.

Every year it seems like I send up making way more jams than we reasonably need, but that's not a bad thing. It gives me something to give away as a last minute gift and something to swap with other canners. It's also a fun way to experiment with flavors, and create something totally unique.

It's hard to see in the picture but the gooseberries are easily
seen in the jam

***Berry pics from WikipediaCommons

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."