As promised, two recipes from Food Swap: Specialty Recipes for Bartending, Sharing & Giving by Emily Paster.
In Episode 46 By Jam. Jelly, or Conserve: the True Stories of Fruit Spreads we talked about the practice of food swaps. Which both Kim and I feel is something that should be fostered again.
f you haven’t heard of a food swap it’s simply an organized event where you can bring home made preserves, baked goods, produce, cheese, wines, beers, syrups…really the list is endless and trade with other participants. The two most important rules are that no money changes hands and all products must be made or grown by the participants. It’s that simple.
We also mentioned a resource to help you organize, plan, and promote your food swap by our good friend Emily Paster. The book is currently available through Amazon as an eBook. But if you’re like us and love the feel of paper in your hands, Emily has a couple of copies that she can sell to you. Contact her at westoftheloop@gmail.com to order yours. I’ll bet she’ll even sign it for you.
To give you a taste of some of the recipes that she’s included in the book, she’s graciously given us permission to share the Citrus Curd and Savory Tomato Jam recipes.
Citrus Curd
Makes: 3 (4 ounce) jars • Prep: 5 minutes • Cook Time: 10 minutes
One of my favorite uses is citrus curd. A silky concoction of eggs, butter, sugar, and juice, citrus curd is heaven on pound cake, swirled into yogurt, or as a dip for strawberries. Try it with Meyer lemons or Key limes.
Ingredients
6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
2 teaspoons zest from the juiced lemons or limes
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter cut into cubes
Instructions
Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a medium saucepan until well combined. Add the citrus juice and zest, and stir over medium heat using a wooden spoon.
Do not allow the curd to boil, or the egg yolks will scramble. Continue to stir and heat the curd over medium-low heat until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 170°F (75°C), around 10 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat and lower it as necessary to heat the curd
without boiling it.
When the curd has thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter until it melts.
Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. (Do not be tempted to skip this step. It removes any pieces of cooked egg, which would detract from the desired silken texture.)
Pour the curd into clean 4-ounce jars and refrigerate until ready to use or swap.
Savory Tomato Jam
Makes: 5 (8-ounce) jars• Prep: 15 minutes • Cook Time: 60 minutes
Another way to use up a glut of backyard tomatoes, tomato jam is a revelation to the uninitiated. It concentrates the sweet flavor of the tomatoes without the vinegar tang of a ketchup. Spread your tomato jam on sandwiches or serve it as an accompaniment to a cheese plate. Your fellow swappers will appreciate this new take on a familiar summer crop.
Ingredients
6 pounds slicing tomatoes, such as Early Girl or Beefsteak ( 10 to 12 tomatoes, depending on size), cored, seeded, and diced
4 cups sugar
3/4 cup bottled lemon juice
1 tablespoon pickling salt
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
Combine the tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice, pickling salt, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice in a large, deep saucepan or stockpot. (The jam will splatter when cooking, so select a deep pot to save your arms and countertops.)
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat to medium and boil until thickened, about 45 minutes. Stir frequently, particularly as the jam gets thicker, to prevent scorching.
While the jam is boiling, prepare a boiling water-bath canner and heat five 8-ounce jars.
If there are still visible pieces of tomato in the jam, break them down using an immersion blender or by transferring the jam in batches to a food processor and pulsing several times. Do not puree the tomatoes, however.
Continue to boil until the jam is very thick and spreadable.
Ladle the jam into the prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Bubble the jars and wipe the rims with a damp cloth.
Place the lids on the jars and screw on the rings just until you feel resistance.
Process the jars in the boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Allow the jars to cool in the water 5 minutes before removing to a towel to cool completely.
Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
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Tomato Jam? Wow, never heard of it. I will try it sometime. Conserving food is very important and also timely. Thanks so much educating me and for the recipes!