Confiture d'Ognions

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Now that we are entering hunting season, I thought I would share with you this wonderful and easy recipe for an onion jam that goes well  with game as well as  pâtés, terrines or foie gras. If you want to serve it with game, use 125 g (4 oz.) sugar.


Printable Recipe

Total time: 15 to 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy


Ingredients

- 2 Tbsp. oil

- 500 g (18 oz.) onions

- 250 ml (1 cup) red wine

- a pinch of salt

- a grinding of fresh pepper

- 75-125 g (3-4 oz.) granulated sugar

Method

Peel and halve the onions; slice into half circles.

In a saucepan, sweat the onions over low heat in 2 Tbsp. oil. They should be translucent without being browned.

Add the red wine, salt and pepper; add the sugar. Continue cooking until the wine has reduced completely.

Source: Recettes du Monde

Brandied Peaches

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You may have noticed, particularly if you are an old subscriber, that the recipes are getting simpler by the minute.  It is no coincidence, it is summer and it is hot, hot, hot,  here at the lake.  With this heat, who wants to cook and look at food! I just want to have light lunches, and possibly something grilled for dinner.  Last night I baked a zucchini casserole and thought I was going to faint in that kitchen.  By the time it was finished, I had no desire to eat anything hot.

I am a big believer in cooking with the seasons, and for the rest of the summer I will be posting recipes for the grill together with salads and simple side dishes.  When all this wonderful produce is in season you don't need to get complicated to eat well.

One of the things I am doing, though, is canning some of the fruits and vegetables before they go bad.  This wonderful recipe for candied peaches can be done in a jiffy, in the early part of the day, and canned for a later use, although  I don't go through all that.  It goes well with roasts, particularly pork, as well as grilled chicken.

Printable Recipe

Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients

3 Cups sugar
3 cups water
4 whole cloves
4 whole allspice berries
1 4- inch cinnamon stick
3 pounds unblemished peaches, dipped in hot water and peeled
4 TB brandy

Method

Put the sugar and water in a large kettle and bring to a boil.  Add the cloves, allspice and cinnamon.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Carefully add the peaches.  Simmer for 5 minutes until tender.  Remove the peaches to a large sterile jar with a snap lid.  Pour in cooking syrup and top with the brandy.  When cool, snap shut and store in refrigerator.

Let it mature a few days before serving.

Think Christmas in July! ...Strawberry Preserves

Pin It Let's face it..it doesn't look like this Christmas is going to be any better than last. What's more, in some respects, it's going to be far worse. If I were you, I would start thinking ahead, particularly if you have a gazillion little presents to give to people you don't much care about.

The strawberry crop this year has been fantastic and with all the sales and specials in the supermarkets, prices have been much lower than last year. Strawberries don't need peeling and pitting and making jam is also a fairly quick process. So why don't you bite the bullet now, set aside some time to make some preserves, can them and put them away for Xmas presents? Remember all those silly little dinner and cocktails parties you are going to have to attend...and your children's teachers, husband's secretary, office co -workers, the next door neighbor who took care of your plants when you went to see your daughter for two weeks, and the list goes on..

In years past, we used to bring along a bottle of wine to the Xmas party. Have you checked prices lately? Nothing decent for under $15. I, for one, would rather get something homemade than something I don't really like or need that is going to get stuffed in a drawer. As far as I'm concerned, you can give me homemade cookies or preserves any day of the year. I think most people would second that motion!

Nowadays, nobody likes to cook, so cooking or baking something for someone else is really special. Another great thing about making preserves is that you can make it way ahead of the holiday rush. Also, if you plan ahead now that the fruit is at its prime, you can come out with something special as well as economical for the holidays. Take advantage of all the 2 for 1 specials at the supermarket or go to Costco. Buy some canning jars, spend a few minutes on a Sunday afternoon stirring a pot and next time you see a fabric sale, buy a yard or two of some cute material. Come Christmas time, when everyone else is scrambling for inexpensive presents, you'll be sitting home smiling like the Cheshire Cat!

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 60 minutes


Ingredients

Juice of 2 lemons, strained
4-1/2 cups sugar
2 pounds small to medium strawberries, hulled


In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine lemon juice and sugar. Cook undisturbed until most of the sugar is melted, about 10 minutes. Gently stir, until sugar is completely melted. Using a moistened pastry brush, wash down any sugar crystals from the side of the pan.

Add strawberries and raise heat to high and gently boil (and gently mash the strawberries) until the mixture reaches 220°-- continue to boil until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes, then spoon the preserves into 6 very clean, 8-ounce canning jars, leaving a 1/4 inch of space at the top, and close with the lids and rings. Let cool and refrigerate or process.

To process, boil the sealed jars for 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and serve after 2 days or store the preserves in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

Image from Foodista