Friday, November 30, 2012

Apples, 90's Pop, and Some Crazy Chicks


I have this horrible habit of being over prepared. I buy several sacks of flour at a time, ten pound bags of sugar, bulk spices and in this instance, 16 pounds of Gala apples. What would I do with 16 pounds of apples you might ask? Why can them of course! But what to can?

Its the holiday season! And a staple that is an American classic is of course apple pie! So I put a post up on the canning group I started inviting the girls to come and can with me. Danyale and Sayrah were the only ones not otherwise engaged and so we made a day of canning apple pie filling while listening to Pandora's 90's pop station. I honestly had forgotten that actually knew the words to some Backstreet Boys songs, and that is rather sad. I also realized that I knew some of the dance to "Scrubs" by TLC, and made everyone laugh as I grooved a bit in the kitchen. Truly a lot of fun! 

Canned apple pie filling is so much better than store bought because you can adjust your spices to make it taste as original as you like! The only difference is that if you are home preserving it, you cannot use cornstarch as a thickener like you would if you were just making the filling and then making the pie. The only USDA approved thickening agent for home processed pie filling is called ClearJel, which is a modified starch that will not break down during cooking, processing and recooking. It guarantees that nothing odd goes on with what you've canned that could cause any bacterial growth which can lead to spoilage or just making you sick. So always, always, always, follows USDA guidelines when it comes to home canning. Luckily, ClearJel is easily purchased in some major stores with the usual canning supplies, or ordered from Amazon rather cheaply. One regular sized bag will can about 15 quart sized jars of filling.

Now due to the amount of apples I had, and the amount of ClearJel, I actually made a triple batch of pie filling, but the recipe I am posting will get you about three quarts of pie filling, a quart being perfect for a nice big pie.

This recipe is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

12 cups sliced, peeled, cored apples treated to prevent browning
2 3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup ClearJel
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
(or 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, which is what I used)
1 1/4 cup cold water
2 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice





As usual, sterilize all your jars and equipment using either boiling water or your dishwasher. Place all caps in a saucepan of water on low and get your canning pot filled with water and heating.

Peel, core and slice the apples, and let them sit in a bath of water and ascorbic acid, following the directions on the jar.



While peeling and coring, we found one really wonky looking apple, and had to share it for posterity.


 LOTS of apples. And lots of gossip and singing and dancing went along with getting this big ol' bowl full. I did mention my weird TLC dance right?


Once the apples are all sliced and treated, they need to be blanched. This is easily done in batches. Dunk them in boiling water for a bout a minute, then ice water to stop the cooking, then plop them back into a bowl until they are needed.



Next, in a large pot, combine the water, juice, sugar, spice and ClearJel. Over medium low heat, heat the mixture until it starts to thicken and bubble. By now we had heard about three Backstreet Boys songs. I didn't realize they were THAT big in the 90's. (Of course I was more of an alternative music lover back then).


A whisk works best to get the ClearJel fully dissolved into the liquids, and friends holding the pot while another takes the photo is great too!


Add the lemon juice and return to a boil, stirring constantly. Once at a boil, let it boil for 1 minute.


Add the apples and stir them into the mixture until they are heated through and well combined. At this point we were all singing the 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air', the full version, not just the one they played on the show. Sing-along canning is the best! And just a warning, this will give you one heck of a work out in the arm department. That stuff gets thick fast!


Ladle the hot apple pie filling into jars leaving about 1 inch of headspace. Use a plastic utensil to remove air bubbles by running it along the sides of the jar. Cap and screw on bands to finger tightness.


Process in a boiling water canner for 25 minutes, ensuring the jars are covered with at least one inch of water. Do not start timing until the water has reached a full boil. When the processing time has elapsed, remove from the water and let cool undisturbed for 24 hours.


 It was so much fun to hang out with Sayrah and Danyale making something we knew so many people would be able to love and enjoy. Now, we have pie filling for whenever we get the wild notion to bake an apple pie! We actually still had apples to spare! So after Sayrah had to leave, Danyale and I made the rest into about nine half pints of caramel apple jam, the favorite of so many! I love canning with my friends. We get to chat, laugh, sing, dance and just enjoy each other's company all around. Not to mention the rewarding feeling of making something homemade from the heart!

Brightest Blessings!



Monday, November 26, 2012

Tastes of the Season

I am still alive! I promise! I know its been a loooong while since I've posted a blog but I've honestly been a bit busy and just haven't been able to sit down and write for a bit. Mainly it involved finishing school so yay me on that part! Yay! And there was that whole Thanksgiving thing which was followed by the madness of Black Friday shopping! Yes I was out in the crowds and I got great deals!

So then, it is officially the holiday season! Hurray! My favorite time of year! I love the smell in the air, the bite of the cold (when it actually gets cold, which happens a bit later in the season for us Texans!), the pretty lights and decorations and most of all...THE FOOD! I love cooking for the holidays! Cookies, pies, cakes, snacks, dips, bread, main courses and side dishes. It doesn't matter! If it puts me in the kitchen I am happy! So hopefully, I shall be blogging more often with a lot of tasty treats that you can make for your loved ones over the holidays.

And what better way to start than with a traditional favorite for the holiday dinner table? You know what I'm talking about. Cranberry sauce! Last year I made a whole berry cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving that my family went nuts over. So of course this year I wanted to make it again. But then I remembered something my mother had said. She had mentioned she always bought canned jellied cranberry sauce because she liked to have it for after the holiday. Well...I like to can, and I know how to make jelly...why couldn't I surprise my mother with homemade and CANNED cranberry sauce? And so I set to work.

Homemade cranberry sauce is actually really, really easy to make, and the recipe is the same whether you like whole berry or jellied, just some of the steps change.

You will need:

2 12 ounce bags of cranberries
1/3 cup of water, cranberry juice, or orange juice (I opted for orange juice)
2 cups of sugar or honey
(Optional for sugar free: omit the sugar and instead add 1 packet of no sugar needed pectin)



Same procedures as always with your jars. Wash and sterilize them in boiling water or a dishwasher. Place all caps in a pot of water that was boiled and then the burner turned off and fill your canning pot with water and get it boiling, making sure to also sterilize all your tools.

Now I am actually tripling this recipe so I have plenty to share, but the basic recipe should make about three half pint jars of jellied cranberry sauce.

First, get a bowl of water big enough to hold the cranberries. As you can see I have a lot of them! Now you want to give them a good rinse as well as feel for any really, really hard, or really mushy berries. Discard any that are a pale pink, and any that are mush. They are not ripe enough and too ripe. 

Now you can drain the cranberries, and if you're dealing with a small batch, that's the way to go. However since I'm doing a triple batch I let them hang out in the water and just scooped them out with a big straining spoon and plunked them in the pot. More on that in a moment. Add whatever liquid you are using to a large, non reactive pot. Let this come to just about a boil over medium high heat.




Now add your berries. Cook the berries, stirring occasionally, until they start to pop. This is a lot of fun because it sounds really neat to hear those berries pop! Like cartoon soap bubbles! Once about half the berries have popped, they are done with this phase of cooking. If you want whole berry sauce, you can use a potato masher to give em a bit of a squish to get a bit of a better consistency.

If you're going for jellied, its time to strain them either using a food mill, strainer attachment for the Kitchenaid, or in a pinch you can just puree the whole mess in a blender, food processor or an immersion blender works well too.

With the Kitchenaid strainer you want to position two bowls. One to catch the strained jelly.



And one to catch what is affectionately known as fruit poop. I know juvenile and gross but can you think of a better name for it? This is essentially all the skin and seeds from the berries.


Using a ladle, load the hopper, putting the mixer at about a level two, and the machine does all the rest. Be careful though, this stuff is hot!



Next, transfer the hot berry sauce back into its pot. Again, be careful! I learned that the hard way!


Bring this back to a boil and add the sugar, honey or if going sugar free, pectin. Boil for one minute.


Ladle the jelly into hot jars, run a plastic utensil around the sides to eliminate air and cap. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.



After 20 minutes let them cool undisturbed for 24 hours to allow the jelly to set.


There you have it! Homemade cranberry sauce that will keep all year and for all your holiday meals! You can also change up your flavor profiles by adding marmalade or preserves when you add the sugar. Citrus, cherry and raspberry work well and help tame the tartness of the cranberries. Experiment! Try some fresh herbs too! I should note if you change things up, use a recipe that calls for it if you are canning this so you don't mess up your acidity. If its going to be served and not preserved though, you're good to go!  And you don't have to can it either. Instead of canning, pour the hot sauce into a festively shaped pan or mold. Turn it out onto a pretty plate and you have a side dish that is also a centerpiece! I used a heart shaped cake pan this year, and plan to find something Christmasy for Christmas dinner. You can even use muffin tins and make individual sauces for each attendee at your next dinner! Have fun with it!

Brightest blessings.