Double Berry Confiture

A couple of weeks ago, when my better half was home for the weekend, I took the opportunity to grab him to the supermarket to stock up on rice, milk powder and bulky items which I would have problem lugging home on my own. While wheeling the trolley around, I spotted a small crowd at the fresh fruits section. I left the trolley to my kids and went up to check out what was the deal...organic grown strawberries were going at one third the original price! That was really a good deal, besides, the strawberries looked very fresh with stems that were still bright green. I grabbed, 3, then 6 punnets and placed them in the trolley. You would think that would be enough, but the greedy me, went back to grab another 3 and a few packs of blueberries too!

The strawberries were sweet (not super sweet, but at least they were not sour) and juicy. For the next few days, we had strawberries after every meal (^^")

I used some to made a strawberry galette and a double berry jam, both of which were on the top of my to-do list.

I took the homemade jam recipe from this book, 低热量点心DIY...homemade desserts with low calories. 1/10 serving of this strawberry and blueberry jam contains 63kcal, and 0.1g fat. I am not sure whether the figures are true, but I would choose to believe it as the amount of sugar used is less than most jam recipes.

As with most of my past jam making experiences...the process of making homemade jam is so easy...much easier than cooking a pot of porridge. As suggested by the recipe, I prepared the ingredients the night before, and left the berries and sugar to sit over night in the fridge. The next morning, when I was ready to cook the jam, much of the juice was 'extract' by the sugar from the fruits. It took me less than 15mins to cook the jam and can it.

In the past, I have never liked fruit jams. I am the kaya and butter person. But, ever since I started making my own jam, my opinion about it has totally changed!

The finished jam is not sweet at all...I could still taste the slight tang from the berries. What I really like is the chunks of fruits on my slice of toast. It is the best berry jam I have ever had....really, nothing beats a bottle of homemade jam :)

Try it and I am sure you won't regret...especially if you happen to get the berries at dreat discount ;)



Double Berry Jam

Ingredients:
(yields about 300ml of jam)

200g fresh strawberries (I used 275g)
200g fresh blueberries (I used 125g)
120g granulated sugar*
2 tablespoons lemon juice**

Method:

1. Wash and remove the stems from strawberries, cut into halves or quarters(for bigger ones), leave whole for small berries. Wash and drain blueberries.
2. Mix strawberries, blueberries and sugar in a bowl. Cover and leave in fridge over night, or let it sit for at least 30mins.
3. Transfer the mixture (including whatever juice that was drawn out from the berries) in the bowl to a stainless steel pot or a large saucepan. (Note: use non-reactive pots made with stainless steel, glass or enamel, avoid pots made with copper, aluminum or cast iron which would react with acid).
4. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (when the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles, stirring constantly all the time.
5. Keep at a slow rolling boil for another 5 ~ 10 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, becomes clearer and transparent (no more foams).
6. Drizzle in the lemon juice and cook for a further 2~3 mins.
7. Remove from heat. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
8. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars, fill to the brim. Secure lids. Let cool. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within 1~2 weeks***.

how to sterilise glass jars and bottles:
Wash glass jars and lids in hot, soapy water, rinse well. Place jars and lids in a pot. Fill with enough cold water to cover the jars. Place over high heat and bring water to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove jars and lids from boiling water and drain upside down over a clean tea towel. Preheat oven to 110 degC. Place jars and lids upside down on a baking tray. Place in the oven and heat for 15 minutes. Proceed to make the jam while the jars are in the oven. Do use glass jars with lids that come with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.

Note:
*Do not reduce the sugar, as the amount is required to preserve the jam.
** Do not omit the lemon juice as it help to hold the jam together and enhances the flavour.
*** For safe eating practices, do examine the jam frequently for signs of spoilage.

Recipe source: 低热量点心DIY, by 大越鄉子

of jam & toast, and a sad story

Warning...This is going to be a super long post!


Before I move on to talk about my jam and toast, I would like to share with you a little story, within a story...



It was a Saturday evening, we were resting on the couch to unwind from a long afternoon...we just completed a 'marathon session'...revising for the upcoming mid-year exams! I picked up the newspapers and half way through my browsing, a one-quarter page advertorial caught my attention. It was a sad and touching story about a son and his mother. I passed the papers to my younger child who was sitting right beside me. After reading, I could see from his expressions that he felt sad. Before I could say anything, he commented, "妈妈，因为他没有学弟子规！". （translated as: Ma Ma, It is because, he didn't learn "Di Zi Gui/Student's Rules. ) I was really amused by his comments. We passed the story to his brother who was half buried in his story book. He read and agreed with his brother and continued to bury himself in his book. It was a surprise when I saw my younger child re-read the story again. I studied him with great interest...I could see his pupils moving from left to right...stopping briefly at certain paragraphs or texts. I then realised that he was reading some of the lines just to confirm what he interpreted was correct. He put down the papers and said "他真的很bad!（He is really bad!) How can he said that to his mother?"; "He didn't even cry when his mother passed away!". He was very upset with the son.

By now, I am sure you are interested to read about the story. It goes like this:

A son hated her mother...to him, she was such an embarrassment. When he was in elementary school, his mother went to say hello to him in school. He was so embarrassed that he ignored her and threw her a hateful look and ran away. The next day, one of his classmates said, "EEEE, your mom only has one eye!". He confronted her that day and said, "If you're only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?!!!"

His mom did not respond. He didn't even stop to think for a second about what he had said, because he was full of anger. He was oblivious to her feelings. He wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So he studied real hard, got a chance to go to Singapore to study. Then, he got married, bought a house and had kids. He was happy with his life, his kids and the comforts.

Then one day, his mother came to visit him. She hadn't seen him in years and she didn't even meet her grandchildren. When she stood by the door, his children laughed at her, and he yelled at her for coming over uninvited. He screamed at her, "How dare you come to my house and scare my children! Get out of here now!!!" And to this, his mother quietly answered, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, he receivied a letter regarding a school reunion. He decided to attend the reunion back at his home town. After the reunion, he went to the old shack where he was raised, just out of curiosity. His neighbours told him she died. He did not shed a single tear. They handed him a letter which she had left for him. This is what she wrote:

"My dearest son,
I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to Singapore and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you.

I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up. You see........when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With my love to you,
Your mother."

I am glad that 弟子规 Di Zi Gui is included in their school's curriculum. 弟子规 Di Zi Gui, or "Students' Rules" documents the standards for being a good student and child. The full set of rules comprises 1080 characters. The verses are very profound, teaching and imparting morals and good virtues to children. In summary, this set of rules teaches a child to show filial piety at home, respect the elders, behave prudently and trustfully, love all universally, and draw close to sages; when one has energy to spare, he should study edification by the sage. My favourite rules (since they are really to my great advantage) are:

父母呼 应勿缓...when parents call, don't be slow to respond;
父母命 行勿懒...when parents give an order, act, don't be lazy;
父母教 须敬听...when parents teach, one must listen with respect;　
父母责 须顺承...when parents reprimand, one must accept.

The following day, it was Mother's Day. It was a usual weekend, just like any other Sundays. We didn't celebrate the occasion, although I did asked my kids where were my presents! One pretended he didn't hear anything...the other one declared that he had already given it to me (my birthday gift)!

Even though there were no cakes, flowers or cards, it still warms my heart to know that my children are able to understand some of morals and teachings behind the 弟子规 Di Zi Gui. Although it is too early to judge whether they are going to be a good person later in in their lives, for the time being, I choose to think that they would not go down the wrong path, at least not too soon.

Now, back to my jam and toast...

About the toast:

I have not been making bread as frequently as I like. As a result, my recent bread-making attempts did not turn out as expected. I made a loaf of focaccia which was like a piece of cardboard...I added too much wholemeal flour, so, instead of bread I had bricks.

Then I made this loaf bread. I divided the dough into two portions and kneaded one tablespoon of instant coffee powder to one of them. The two doughs rose nicely during the first proofing. I shaped the loaf and left it to proof the second time. It took way too long to rise up to the brim of the baking pan...as I was running out of time, I sent it into the oven...hoping the 'oven spring' would cause the bread to expand a little bit more. The bread didn't balloon much, and in the end I had a rather short bread. The texture was not as soft and light as my previous attempt. I suspect I could have killed the yeast with the warm water I used to mix the dough :'(

About the jam:

I made this papaya and banana jam a couple of weeks ago. I must say it tasted better than its look. I should have mashed up the fruits before cooking to get a smoother jam, it looked more like salsa than jam to me. I kept the bottle of jam in the fridge...trying to deny its existence.

As for the loaf bread, it looked better than its taste. Other than the colour, I couldn't taste any coffee flavour in the bread! The bread was tasteless on its own. I tried it with peanut butter, the taste was so so. Then, I remembered my salsa-lookalike jam. I paired the two together and it was an instant hit! Almost like a match from heaven...the two were meant for each other, just waiting for the opportunity to cross each others paths...the pretty but plain toast became delicious when slapped generously with the ugly but yummy jam ;)

I won't be posting any recipes here as I am sure no one will be interested to make either one of these two!

A Jar of Homemade Goodness

For the past couple of months, I have been buying mangoes (Thai Honey Mangoes) almost every other day. I couldn't resist stocking up these sweet juicy fruits even though they took up so much space in my fridge and kitchen counter. We very much enjoy the fruit on its own, but I have also used it to make ice-blend mango smoothies, mango milkshakes, mango puddings and cakes.

With the 'bounty' of mangoes at my disposal, and, to be able to enjoy the fruits when the season is over, I preserved some  in a jar (^_^)

This mango and passion fruit jam is so simple to make! To a lousy cook like me, it is easier than cooking a pot of porridge!

All you need to do is to peel and cut the fruits, put them in a pot with the sugar and cook till the jam becomes slightly thickened. The cooking time is no more than 10mins. The only extra task is to get the jam bottles sterilised just before canning.

The best thing about making your own jam is that you know what goes into the jar...just fresh fruits and no other additives...not even pectin is used to thicken the jam. Clever pairing of fruits with low-pectin level and those with high pectin will eliminate the use of commercial pectin in jam making. Besides sugar and pectin, acid is also needed in jam making, both for flavour and gel formation. The acid content varies in different fruits and I believe passion fruit is paired here with mango as it has got high acid level. That could also be the reason why most strawberry jam is made with strawberries and lemon juice.

Unlike my Banana and Passion Fruit jam, this time, I removed the seeds from the passion fruit pulp, only the juice is used. This lovely homemade jam is not cloyingly sweet when tasted on its own...in fact it has got a slight tang to it...mainly because of the passion fruit, what's more, the jam smells really good! It goes so well with bread toasts that it has got this effect of 'picks-one-up' instantly, especially when we take our breakfast at 6am in the morning. When I told my younger child I used the jam to make a chiffon cake, he let out a loud 'Hah?!!' I was totally amused by his worried and concern expressions over his face...he thought I have used up all the jam to make the cake! After I assured him that there was still some jam left, he actually heaved a sign of relief! There is no surprise that I will make this jam again soon.



Mango and Passion Fruit Jam

Ingredients:
(yields about 300ml of jam)

500g mango flesh (use firm, just ripped fruits)
50g passion fruit pulp
200g granulated sugar*

Method:

1. Place passion fruit pulp in a sieve, drain remove the seeds and retain the juice.
2. Cut mango into small chunks and roughly mash with a fork. Place mashed mangoes, passion fruit juice and sugar in a stainless steel pot or a large saucepan. Mix well. (Note: use non-reactive pots made with  stainless steel, glass or enamel, avoid pots made with copper, aluminum or cast iron which would react with acid).
3. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (when the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles, stirring constantly all the time.
4. Keep at a slow rolling boil for another 5 ~ 10 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, becomes clearer and transparent (no more foams).
5. Remove from heat. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
6. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars, fill to the brim. Secure lids. Let cool. Unopened jam will keep up to 3 months** if stored in fridge or in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within 3 weeks**.

how to sterilise glass jars and bottles:
Wash glass jars and lids in hot, soapy water, rinse well. Place jars and lids in a pot. Fill with enough cold water to cover the jars. Place over high heat and bring water to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes. Remove jars and lids from boiling water and drain upside down over a clean tea towel. Preheat oven to 110 degC. Place jars and lids upside down on a baking tray. Place in the oven and heat for 15 minutes. Proceed to make the jam while the jars are in the oven. Do use glass jars with lids that come with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar.

Note:
*Do not reduce the sugar, as the amount is required to preserve the jam.
** For safe eating practices, do examine the jam frequently for signs of spoilage.

Banana & Passion Fruit Jam

I made homemade jam again, this time, it is Banana & Passion Fruit jam.


I bought these passion fruits many weeks ago...this variety is golden-yellow with small white speckles on the skin, before the fruits were riped. I left them at room temperature, and they took weeks before they started to look 'old'...developing wrinkles and dimples on the skin. Over the weeks, the colour gradually changed to a darker shade of red. I was told that they have to turn into a deep purple (just like a mangosteen) before they are considered fully ripened.

I tasted one unripe fruit the very next day I bought them...the amount of pulp and juice in the fruit was miserable. The fruit was quite 'empty', I was only able to scoop out 2 tiny teaspoons of pulp, and it tasted very sour. I waited for almost 3 weeks...it was a torture having to check on them everyday!...and even though the skin had yet to turn purple, I cut out one fruit to try. There were more pulps and juice this time, and it didn't tasted that sour, although it is still a little tangy. The pulp smells wonderful...that's probably why this highly aromatic fruit is also known as "百香果" in Chinese (I'll like to translate it as '100-fragrance-fruit').


I didn't wait any longer and used two fruits to make this Banana & Passion Fruit jam. Other than the little extra effort required to sterilise the jam bottles, this jam is super easy to make. There are just 3 ingredients...bananas, passion fruit and sugar. The original recipe calls for slicing the bananas into 1mm thick slices...but I did it my way...simply mashed up the bananas with a fork. I mashed the bananas really well...almost like a puree, I want the finished jam to be very smooth with no chunks of bananas in it. Cooking the jam took less than 5 mins...about 2 mins to bring the mixture to a rolling boil and another 2~ 3 mins of boiling until the jam turned clear, and it was done. Once again, this recipe doesn't call for pectin, as the bananas would act as a natural pectin to set the jam. When it is still hot, the consistency of the jam will be quite runny or pourable...but it will set nicely when it cools off.


Although this jam has got more banana than passion fruit...the presence of the passion fruit is quite dominant. It is a very delicious jam and the seeds give a very nice crunch to it. This jam doesn't taste that sweet...I believe it is largely due to the slightly tangy passion fruit. It is yummy on a slice of plain toast...and I may use this jam to make a batch of muffins, or a chiffon cake soon.



Banana & Passion Fruit Jam

Ingredients:
(yields about 300ml of jam)

250g riped bananas (without skin), finely mashed
50g passion fruit pulp (pulps from about 2 fruits)
230g granulated sugar*




Method:

1. Place finely mashed bananas, passion fruit pulp and sugar in a pot or a large saucepan. Mix well.
2. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (where the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles, stirring constantly all the time.
3. Keep at a rolling boil for another 2 ~ 3 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, becomes clearer and transparent (no more foams).
4. Remove from heat. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
5. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars leaving a gap of about 1~2cm from the top. (Since I do not have an appropriate ladle or funnel, I poured the jam into my measuring cup before filling the jars. The sprout on the cup helps easy and clean filling.) Secure lids. Let cool. Unopened jam will keep up to 3 months if stored in fridge or in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within a week**.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 鲜美果酱轻松做! by Romi Igarashi

Note:
*Do not reduce the sugar, as the amount is required to preserve the jam.
**According to the original recipe book, once opened, store the jam in fridge and best consumed withint 1 week. I didn't have any problem with my homemade jam after 3~4 weeks. However, for safe eating practices, do examine the jam frequently for signs of spoilage.

Banana Blueberry Jam

Here's my second jar of homemade jam. This time it's jamming banana with blueberries :)

I have written quite a fair bit about the homemade jam recipes from a cookbook in my last post on jam making. Hence, I will just go straight into this recipe.

I bought some blueberries which were on sale several months back. I have since learned how to freeze them for later use by following the instructions here. The only thing I do differently is, I do not wash the blueberries before freezing them, as I guess they have already been pre-washed and packed into punnets for sale here.

I thawed the frozen berries and gave them a light rinse before crushing them lightly with a fork. With the same fork, I mashed up the banana, and mix it with the berries, sugar and some lemon juice. I like how easy it is to make this delicious jam. Not only there is little preparation required and it could be done with only a few kitchen utensils. The cooking time is also quite short, all you need is to bring the mixture to a boil and let it continue to boil for another 5 ~10 minutes.



The finished jam was only able to fill up a 1 cup empty jam jar. I thought the amount is just right for our family, since I have not formed the habit of stocking up jars of jam in my cupboards.



This homemade sweet jam tastes as good as my favourite store bought blueberry jam, minus whatever preservatives that you get from ready made ones. I like the presence of the chunks of berries, although like most jam it tasted a tad too sweet for me. Don't ask me about the banana, I think it is added mainly for its higher pectin level...which helps to thicken and set the jam, since no pectin is used in this recipe. Incidentally, pectin content in bananas is water-absorbent which helps create the necessary bulk in easing constipation;)

Besides spreading it over a plain slice of bread, this jam is so versatile that I have also thought of other delicious ways to use it. I have since made a banana blueberry chiffon cake, and I really think the jam would do good to a batch of muffins, and I hope I have time to make some Jammie Dodgers soon!



Banana Blueberry Jam

Ingredient
(yields about 1 cup of jam)

100g bananas (1 large very riped), mashed
200g frozen blueberries, thaw
230g granulated sugar*
juice from 1/2 a lemon

Method:

1. Rinse and thaw frozen berries. With a fork, crush the berries so that some berries are mushed up leaving others only lightly crushed.
2. Place mashed bananas, lemon juice, sugar and blueberries in a pot or a large saucepan. Mix well.
3. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula or a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (where the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles, stirring constantly all the time.
4. Keep at a rolling boil for another 5 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture thickens, becomes clearer and transparent (no more foams). The entire cooking time should be around 10 ~ 15 mins.
5. Remove from heat. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
6. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars leaving a gap of about 1~2cm from the top. (Since I do not have an appropriate ladle or funnel, I poured the jam into my measuring cup before filling the jars. The sprout on the cup helps easy and clean filling.) Secure lids. Let cool. Jam will keep up to 3 months if stored in fridge or in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within 3~ 4 weeks.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 鲜美果酱轻松做! by Romi Igarashi

Note: *Do not reduce the sugar, as the amount is required to preserve the jam.

Homemade Banana Chocolate Jam

I never thought I would ever attempt to make my own jam. There is never a need since I could get ready-made ones easily and there has never been an occasion where I have abundance of fruits in my kitchen. I did tried to make some kaya jam sometime back, after seeing how other foodies have success in making their own. Mine didn't turn out as expected, in fact, it was a total flop. Ever since then, I have put off the idea of making any jam of any sorts. Furthermore, I always thought that making your own jam would be a very tedious task to accomplish, and when it comes to choosing the type of jam to make, I couldn't think further than the usual jams made with berries. My perceptions of homemade jam changed after I pick up this little cookbook.

Written by the owner of this Japanese confectionery, the author has included many fascinating jam recipes in her book. Besides apples, oranges and apricots, there are also recipes using fruits such as rhubarb, pumpkins, kiwi fruits, lychee and even bananas. The recipes do not require the use of any pectin sugar to help the jams to set. I guess it's the clever pairing of fruits that makes this possible. The book has convinced me that the steps involved in jam making are really not that difficult. I particularly like the small amount of ingredients required for each recipe, yielding small portions of finished jams, the amount is just right for our small family as I wouldn't want to make jars and jars of jams that would last me for years.


This first recipe I tried was this this jar of Banana & Chocolate jam. The ingredients are easily available and I really love the idea of having both my favourites from the same jar. The whole process didn't take me longer than half an hour as the cooking time was indeed very short. I followed the tips given by my friend VB to go about sterilising my recycled jam jars. It is pretty much similar to the steps outlined here.

The finished jam tasted yumilious! I've used dark chocolates with a 64% cocoa content, but I do find it just a tiny bit on the sweet side, especially whenever I slurped up one spoonful of it ;) I won't complain too much as I believe, or rather, I would want to make myself believe that most of the sweetness comes from the tiny bits of bananas. The jam works really well on slices of toast bread, I bet it would taste fabulous with crackers, as toppings for pancakes or crepes. I might even swirl some into muffins batters, but I really doubt I would have any left for that.


Ingredients:
(yields 380ml of jam)

300g bananas (about 3 large very riped ones)
80g dark chocolate (coarsely chopped)
20ml rum (optional)
100ml water (room temperature)
210g caster sugar*

Method:

1. Thinly slice banana, about 1mm thickness.
2. Place sliced bananas in a bowl, add water and caster sugar. Mix well. Transfer to a pot or a large saucepan.
3. On medium heat, stirring constantly with a heat-proof spatula, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (where the bubbles do not stop or lessen when you stir it). Once the mixture starts to boil, skim away any excessive foams or bubbles, stirring constantly all the time.
4. Keep at a rolling boil for another 2 ~ 3 mins, stirring constantly till the mixture becomes clearer and brighter.
5. Add in dark chocolates, mix well and bring it back to boil. Remove from heat immediately, stir in rum if using. The jam will be a little runny when hot but the consistency will be just right after it has cool off.
6. Ladle hot jam into hot sterilised jars leaving a gap of about 1~2cm from the top. (Since I do not have an appropriate ladle or funnel, I poured the jam into my measuring cup before filling the jars. The sprout on the cup helps easy and clean filling.) Secure lids. Let cool. Jam will keep up to 3 months if stored in fridge or in a cool, dark cupboard. Once opened, store in fridge and best consumed within 1 week.
   
   Recipe source: adapted from 鲜美果酱轻松做! by Romi Igarashi

Note: *Do not reduce the sugar, as the amount is required to preserve the jam.