Cherry Preserves

Its that time of year. Fresh fruit galore is in season and I have once again bought more than we can eat...but who can resist all of the goodies rolling in? I bought cherries the other day and haven't touched them as there were other things too good to pass up for snacking. Fortunately they didn't "go bad" so I decided to turn them into preserves this morning.

Thank gawd I paid attention to my Mom and grandmothers making preserves over the years. I tend to go with the high sugar and no pectin way whenever I can. Not that pectin is bad for you, its just that its just not a pantry item I stock and don't feel like running out to the store for just that one item...so its pectic free for me when I impulsively decide to make some preserves. Yes, you do cook a bit longer to get a gel but its still just as flavorful with the right consistency in the end.

Of course it means I got to use a new toy today. I picked up, on sale no less, a cherry pitter at Sur La Table the other day and this was the perfect excuse to break it out. Love cooking with cherries, just hated the old knife pitting method. This little "gun" makes it so easy just load, squeeze the trigger and out comes the pit! Worth the few bucks it cost.

Cherry Preserves

• 2 lbs pitted fresh cherries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 c water
• juice of 1 lemon

In large, heavy (Thick bottom and side) pot add sugar and water. Bring to boil and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add cherries. With potato masher carefully mash down the fruit to release juice and break up fruit. Be careful not to over mash the fruit as you still want big chunks. Bring back to boil then reduce heat to low boil. Simmer at low boil 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in lemon juice. Put into hot sterile canning jar(s). Makes about 2 cups preserves.

What a low boil looks like...more than a simmer but not much.

"Beater Blade" best little gadget in my kitchen

A few weeks back I was at Sur La Table and a friend I was with spotted the "Beater blade". It looks like the beater attachment for my Kitchenaid with one added feature. Silicone Rubber spatula blades that reach out to the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl.

Could this be nirvana? Could it mean no more having to stop the beater a few times during mixing to make sure all the stuff on the sides and bottom get beat in? Did it mean I no longer needed a separate spatula to scrape the batter into the baking pan? Did it mean...?

It actually pretty much measured up to its promise and turned out to do a very nice job. As the beater rotates and spins around the bowl it scraped down every bit of the bowl and didn't miss a single bit of flour or liquid. It does squeak as it scrapes the sides at first until the liquid is incorporated. Remedy is simple give the spatula blades a dampening with the butter, oil etc., called for in the mix.

I did note that there was bits of flour along the back side (leeward side) of the blades that didn't get mixed. Not a big issue, certainly a lot better than the blade that came with the mixer.

Another nice feature is that since the blades are already contoured to your mixing bowl it is much easier to scrape out all the batter into the baking dish than a regular spatula can do. Its lack of a long handle does mean as you scrape you do get your knuckles into the batter towards the end of the filling of the baking dishes. Not a big deal just a little observation.

Worth the 9.99 I paid for it. Yes.

More deets at the Beater Blade site.

Metate: every kitchen needs one

I got mine from a dear friend.  Its real volcanic stone from Bali and she picked it up on a trip there a few years ago.  What good is a metate?  Damn...tons of stuff.

My primary use is hand grinding small amounts of spices.  Spices = seeds and barks as opposed to herbs...that are green leafy matter that is either fresh or dried.

Spices do best warmed until just toasty and aromatic in a heavy skillet then crushed to release all their oils and tossed into whatever you are cooking or roasting.

I use it at least once a day.  The nice thing is as they get older they develop a patina and fragrance all their own.  Nice way to freshen up the cabinet it resides in.  

Funny how the most primitive tool I own is still my most useful.