Wednesday, October 24, 2018

How To Make Red Currant Jelly.

Red Currant Jelly,
A great tasting bright red jelly,


I picked my currants,
in the Summer and froze them. 







12 cups red currants.
(I used frozen ones)
6 cups water
6 cups sugar

In a large pot bring currants and 
water to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or
 until currants are softened. 
Use a potato masher to mash up the currants.




Pour into prepared jelly bags and 
let drip overnight... without squeezing.




or use a colander lined with cheesecloth.




Measure liquid. 
You should have around 6 cups.
place in a deep pot and bring to 
a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

Add sugar in a steady stream,
(Add equal amount of sugar to 
equal amount of liquid.)
 stirring constantly. 
Return to a full boil, 
stirring constantly to dissolve sugar.
Boil without stirring about 10 minutes
 until it has reached the jelly stage, 220 deg.F.





I insert a wooden spoon through the 
hole in the handle 
of my thermometer and it holds well
over the pot.



Remove from heat and skim of any foam.

Ladle into sterilized jars.




My bush was loaded this year.


So Delicious.
I also have a Black Currant bush,
Next year, I'll try making Jelly with it.


I got the recipe from this lovely
book, bought from Avon,
many years ago.



Enjoy.

Thanks for visiting my blog xo

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Plum Torte




A Torte is a small buttery
 European dessert.
 
A few simple ingredients, combine
 the sweet tangy juices of these 
plums with a rich moist cake. 

A variation of nut fruit,  peaches,
 pears, apricots etc, can be used
to make a torte.

This recipe fits a 9inch springform pan.
If you don't have a springform
pan, a cake pan greased 
with paper, can be used.












Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs

12 plums, halved and pitted.
(1 tsp cinnamon with sugar 
to sprinkle over the torte.)


Preheat oven to 350 deg F


Grease a 9 inch springform pan
and line with parchment paper.



Whisk together the flour,
baking powder, and salt.


With an electric beater, beat together
the butter with sugar until fluffy,
add in the 2 eggs, beat until combined.



Mix the flour mixture and the egg mixture together.
Pour in a 9" springform pan.

The mixture will be thick,
smooth it out with a spoon.





Place the halved plums in a circle 
on top of the dough. (the fun part)



Mix together about 1 tsp. sugar and cinnamon
 and sprinkle over the top of the torte. 


Bake 350 deg.F. for 45-50 minutes.

Insert a toothpick in the middle,
 if it comes out dry,
the cake it done.


Let cool on a rack about 5 minutes,
before removing the sides.


Taste better the next day
when all the juices of the plums 
have sunk into the cake.
(But who can wait that long.
 We had a piece right away).




Great served with vanilla ice-cream.










These little Italian Plums are
 a delight to bake with.
They come ripe in September 
and have a short season. 
Excellent to eat raw and taste even 
better when used in baking.

I also freeze them to use later.
Take out the pits, cut in half,
place on a cooking sheet with
parchment paper, flash freeze a few
hours or overnight. Then place them
in freezer bags and place in freezer.



To view my blog on Plum Tart, click here.

I also make Plum Jam. my favorite Jam.


Thanks for your visit xo.