The Big Fair Bake

Fairtrade Sugar

Today is the Vanilla gift swap  .. we are all taking part in The Big Fair Bake  and I am nervous  .. about 40 bloggers are taking part.   I was on  LBC Radio at 7am this morning to talk about it and a survey from the Fairtrade foundation that came up with some fascinating information about Cookbooks having their place and the start of The Big Fair Bake. There wan't much chance to talk about it in any details so I've added in some of the information here. 

The statistics show that when it comes to baking, mum is still the best teacher. The results are from a survey commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation in partnership with AllRecipes.com, and it says that more than half of us say that we learnt our baking skills from our mothers, with 33% claiming that their favourite tried-and- tested baking recipes were handed down from their mother or grandmother .. so I am wondering today which of the recipe will be family recipes?

The Survey shows that more than half of people stick exactly to their mum’s recipe, especially in the North (67%), and they are generally proud to tell people that it is a family recipe (Scotland 70%) although there are also many adventurous cooks who adapt old recipes and give them a modern twist. People in the South, Midlands and Wales are the happiest to adapt.

It seems that using Fairtrade ingredients when they bake is also really important to many people. Some 62% say they choose Fairtrade products sometimes, and 14% say they choose Fairtrade products whenever they can.  Both men and women are as likely to always try to buy Fairtrade, with people at the younger and older ends of the age scale more likely to choose Fairtrade than those in the middle.

There is such allot of baking ingredients that can be used in baking sugar, cocoa, vanilla, cardamom, raisins, brazil nuts, almonds and many more. I’ve seen first hand how Fairtrade offers farmers a minimum price .. and a sustainable livelihood,  and how that additional Fairtrade Premium for investment in community adds to education, clean water, healthcare and housing .. it’s an amazing thing too see first hand..

So if you want to make a delicious difference join in The Big Fair Bake today click here and maybe cook one of your family favorites.

Plum Jam recipe

Recipe
Plums. Their smooth tight skin wrapped around sweet oval flesh, are just coming into season. This year we have a glut. With gloriously overloaded plum trees, if you are lucky enough to have a friend or neighbour to ask, then you can return a pot or two of jam as a thank you. There are all types of plum, and any will do for this recipe. Of course there is the Victoria plum and Green Gages, and you can find locally grown ones in the farm shops, but if you explore a little further into the countryside you may be lucky and discover a Mirabelle or Damson tree. It’s worth checking with the owner’s first, but generally people would prefer to see them made into jam, than get eaten by the wasps. It’s also is worth looking out for their delicious cousins nectarines and peaches, which will also make a superb jam using the same recipe below. These sleek round shiny fruit really do make the most scrumptious jam. What could be better than a cup of hot tea and spooning plum jam over hot buttered toast in the morning?

Ingredients
1.5kg of Plums (stones removed)
1.1kg Jam sugar

Method
Heat the oven on 150 Celsius/ gas mark 2/ 300F
Pop a plate into the fridge
Put the jars (not the lids) in to the oven
Place the chopped Plums in to a large pan. Cover and stir occasionally for about 8 minutes.
Once the consistency is soft add the sugar and dissolve.
The jam then needs 10 – 15 minutes on a rolling bubble. Stir occasionally.
Remove jam jars from the oven.
As the jam boils scoop off any froth like soaps to improve the jam’s clarity. No more than half a cup of froth. When the jam coats the back of the metal spoon it is ready to test. The best test to see if the jam will set is the wrinkle test. Remove the pot from the heat whist you test. Put a small amount of the jam on the cold saucer from the fridge. After minute or so the jam should be cool and wrinkle a little, as you run your finger through the centre.
If not, simply return to the boil and repeat this test in another 2 – 3 minutes.
Whilst still hot ladle the jam into the hot jars using a jam funnel or small jug. Put the lids on after a minute as the heat from the jam will ensure the lids are sterilised. Careful l not to burn yourself and don’t worry if the jar lid is not done up tightly. You can tighten them further when the jars have cooled down. Makes five 1lb jars
I get my jam jars from a super company at www.jarsandbottles.co.uk
Linked recipes
Lamb Shanks

Spiced Tomato Jam

A very jammy Friday afternoon. I just love the John Griff show .. especially when I am the guest. He’s fun, witty and interesting to talk to and for those of you who know me.. you will appreciate how I love to chat about food. So it’s just up my street. For those of you who listened in and wonder what a Mirabelle looks like click here. The tomato jam recipe is below, and I shall post the rhubarb jam recipe over the weekend. For any of you who missed the show click here to listen again .. you can listen for just one week . so that's 20th August the show starts after 13 minutes .. enjoy listening .. and do please post a comment .. I'd love to hear what people think.

Just a quick note to the chap Cecil, who called in to the show regarding Bullace Plums . They are a Green Damson and are larger and more oval that the mirabelle ..they are also known as known Wild Damson or Bolas, or sometimes Bullions. Mirabelle are otherwise known as cherry plums and come in both plum colour and yellow. They all make excellent jam.

In the mean time a burst of sweet summer tomatoes and aromatic Indian spices gives this spiced tomato jam just the right balance of sweet intensity. I recommend a large dollop served with a hunk of cheddar cheese, fresh baked bread and a green salad, for a classic ploughman’s, alternatively, it works seriously well smothered on top of a juicy beef burger for your next barbeque.

You can of course blend your own spices, but for those of you like me, who haven’t the time, I suggest using an Indian spice blend called Garam Masala.

It pays to be particular about this spice mix. Do not buy an own brand version with dried onion or garlic powder as one of the foremost ingredients. It will be revolting. Powdered onion has no place in Garam Masla. Instead opt for a true Asian blend, keeping your eyes on the star ingredients of Cardamom, nutmeg, pepper, star anise, cinnamon and cloves. Don’t be tempted to drag an old pot out of the back of the cupboard, it will be dull. These vibrant spices are at their best fresh from the pack.

Finally do have a go at this, especially if you have never made jam before. There is nothing complicated about boiling a few ingredients in a pan and then pouring the content of the pan into jam jars.
Cooking & prep time 40 minutes
Clear up time 8 minutes.

Utensils

1. Large Jam pan or heavy pan
2. Jam funnel (or small jug to ladle and pour the jam into jars )
3. Wooden spoon,
4. Tablespoon
5. 10 clean jam jars & lids. Pound jars are best
6. Ladle
7. Cold saucer

Ingredients

1.5kg of Chopped Tomatoes with Skins removed *
4 level tablespoons of Garam Masala
1Kg Jam sugar
Juice & Zest of 2 fresh limes
1 table spoon of sea salt

One Step ahead
I insist on a clear house and no interruptions when I make jam, and that the kitchen is clutter free. Perhaps this is why I enjoy it so much. Nevertheless it really is best to keep people out of the way when you have fruit and sugar boiling at high temperatures.
Make sure that your pan is large enough. If in doubt, test the pan first with 4 litres of water and that your pan is at that point about half full. The jam needs room to boil.
Have your jars ready to be filled before you start making the jam, they need to be in the hot oven for 10 minutes to sterilise them. It is important that the jars are hot when you pour in the jam because glass can crack if there is a big temperature differential.
Don’t add the sugar in until your fruit has had chance to cook through as the chunks stay chunky.
Wooden spoons sometimes add their own unique flavour to the jam, so take it out between stirs.
If your jam starts to spit turn it down by half and stir you don’t want the jam burning on the bottom of the pan. Bring it back up to temperature when it has calmed down

Method
Put the oven on 150 Celsius/ gas mark 2/ 300 Fahrenheit
Put a Saucer in the fridge
Put the jars (not the lids) in to the oven
Place the chopped Tomatoes and Garam Masala in the pan. Cover with a lid and heat gently for about 5 - 7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Once the consistency is liquid add the sugar Lime juice & zest and stir. Once the sugar is dissolved then you can bring the jam to the boil. The jam needs about 10 – 15 minutes on a good bubble.
Take the jam jars out of the oven.
As the jam boils remove the froth like soap suds. By removing some of it with a metal spoon it will improve the jam’s clarity, about half a cup of froth is more than enough.
When the jam coats the back of the metal spoon it is ready to test. Possibly the best test if the jam will set is the wrinkle test. Take the pot off the heat while you test, you don’t want to overcook the jam. Pop a teaspoon of jam on the cold saucer from the fridge. After minute and the jam should wrinkle gently, as you run a spoon through the centre.
If it doesn’t, simply return to the boil and repeat this test in another 2 – 3 minutes.
Whilst still very hot ladle the jam into the jars using the jam funnel or jug. After a minute or two put the lids on- the heat from the jam will ensure the lids are sterilised. Watch you don’t burn your fingers and don’t worry if the jar lid is not done up tightly. You can tighten them further when the jars have cooled down. Makes five 1lb jars

*To remove tomato skins make a 2 inch wide cross nicked onto the bottom of the fruit taking care to not cut in to the flesh too deeply. Pop into a saucepan of very hot water for about 45 seconds. You should see the skin curl a little. Lift them out with a large spoon and transfer straight into a bowl of very cold water. Gently ease of the skins with your thumb. If the skins don’t ease away then return the tomatoes to the hot water and repeat the process.

Accidental Jam

I abandoned the 2kg of rapidly softening tomatoes after an email arrived confirming that I am to be the new recipe colomist in the local paper. I was so excited about the first recipe that I dropped the jam in favour of spiced bread idea I have been considering. It was ok. Not the knock out I had been expecting. I dismissed this idea and thought I’d try out a similar based spicy cake on the Saturday Cricket crew instead.


What I tried to create was a fast batter cake based on Peshawari nan bread. Desiccated coconut, almonds, and spices mixed in. I was rushing. I am somewhat used to turning out culinary success at a wiz of the mixer, and I left the house armed with what I assumed would be a winner cake by 9am. Not this time. I arrived at the cricket club with the still hot cake. Inevitably the hungry chaps looked on in anticipation as I served..... spiced Gump. It was under cooked. I was mortified - luckily the man I was serving was charming. There is lesson here .... test before serving.

Returning it to the oven I baked it for a further 15 minutes despite knowing it was a heavy cake. Later people came along and ate the odd slice; some even said they liked it, to the point that made me wonder if I was perhaps being a little over sensitive. On the way home I called in to Cathinka’s. (Closest girlfriend.) She took one bite, and to my relief, the self doubt was confirmed. She delightfully pronounced it dull.

Sunday afternoon I was at a loss as to what would make east meet west. It had to be simple, charming, seasonal and not overly expensive. I set to on the tomato jam recipe. While the tomatoes were being peeled and the pressure of needing to use them abated, I had a eureka moment. I realised that by adding the spices into the jam the combination would serve to hit the right note. You can't really go wrong with Jam, however this mix was like when a major chord is played on the piano and it hits all the right notes simultaneously. Sweet, intense, tart, and aromatic I couldn’t wait to get it on to a mellow cheddar I had in the fridge.

Realising perhaps the best way to thank the Editor for taking a chance on me I shall send him a pot tomorrow. We’ve eaten two pots already so I think I had better get back to the kitchen and retest the recipe .. you know just in case..