just a little record of what i'm eating

Monday, November 06, 2006

Want to make your home smell delicious?


Forget scented candles! Make pear jam!!!

This is my first attempt, and let me tell you, Im reveling in the scent over here.

Here's what I did:

3 forelle pears
peeled and cored, cut in small pieces(reserve some of the peel)
a squeeze of lime to keep them from browning
allspice, cinnamon, cardamom
brown sugar

Put the chopped pear and a handful of large peels into a small pot. Add a very small amt of water(since the pears also release liquid)- maybe 1/4c or less. Add 2 allspice berries and sprinkle with cardamom and cinnamon powder(or use whole spices). Boil until the pears become very soft/mashable. Remove the whole spices and the peels. Drain off the liquid(but keep it aside!) and puree in food processor. Now put the liquid back in the pot and add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Add back the pear puree and cook to desired consistency.

Pour into a glass jar which has been washed in hot water.

*I read online to turn it upside down and cool to room temperature, and this will cause a vacuum seal and preserve the jar. My recipe only makes one jar and will be gone quickly :p but this is good for future reference. I wonder if it works.
*Update... I tried it and it DID work!

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Lime scones!

I happened to come across this recipe for meyer lemon scones by Baking sheet. Ive wanted to taste a meyer lemon since the time I heard about them, but no luck so far. Instead I had to use limes. I varied the recipe to add an egg and light cream. Unfortunately, forgot to take a snap.

Limey scones

2c unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 c organic sugar
1TBS baking powder
pinch of salt
4-5 Tbs of cold unsalted butter (half a stick, or little more)
juice and zest of 1 lime ( reserve abt 1-2 tablespoon of juice for the glaze)
1 egg
1/2c light cream(or milk)

for glaze - mix confectioners(powdered) sugar with lime juice

Preaheat oven to 400
mix the first 4 dry ingredients in a big bowl. cut the butter into smaller pieces then rub it into the flour until it becomes well blended and there are no 'globs' of butter left. Sandy texture or like bread crumbs. mix in lime zest. in a separate bowl beat the egg and cream together. Add the lime juice. Immediately(before it curdles) mix this into the flour to form a dough. If it is too sticky add a little more flour. Dont overknead the dough, just blend until mixed. Over working the dough makes the scones a harder texture.

Form it into a circle on your baking sheet and cut into 6 or 8 triangles. separate them slightly.
Bake on 375-400 for abt 15 mins or until it starts to turn golden. Dont overbake. Immediately spread glaze on each one.

Most scones taste best(to me) fresh out of the oven, but this was the first one which actually tasted better the next day!


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