I grew up in a city that didn't have a candy shop. We had one-cent candies and nerds you could buy at the convenience store, but the closest I got to an actual candy shop was the store in the Halifax airport that sold 20 flavours of candy canes when I was 10 years old. Now, … [Read more...] about Like a Kid in a Candy Shop: Lychee-Black Sesame Marshmallows and Olive Oil Gummy Worms at the Modernist Cuising Cooking Lab
Desserts
The Ultimate Dairy-free Vanilla Gelato and What Seattleites Don’t Know About Coffee
The first sous vide vacuum sealing I did at the Modernist Cuisine lab wasn't to cook anything. It was to reseal an airtight package of vanilla beans. The first time I used a pacojet, however, was to whir up some vanilla gelato. This lab is known for making pistachio gelato. It's … [Read more...] about The Ultimate Dairy-free Vanilla Gelato and What Seattleites Don’t Know About Coffee
Old Fashioned Peach Jam (Without Pectin), As Opposed to New Age Jam
As opposed to new-age jam, this is old fashioned jam. What's the difference, you ask? Beats the heck out of me. As far as I know, people are still making the same old jam these days. Maybe new-age jam requires digital instant-read thermometers, calcium chloride, or heaven forbid, … [Read more...] about Old Fashioned Peach Jam (Without Pectin), As Opposed to New Age Jam
Tomato Jam (aka “Heinz on Crack”)
Normally I change a recipe in some way to adapt it to my needs. This one I kept exactly as is. It's from Food in Jars, the websit I trust the most for canning. This woman is a canning guru, and her website offers tons of recipes, tips, and canning wisdom. I call this "Heinz on … [Read more...] about Tomato Jam (aka “Heinz on Crack”)
Blueberry Sorbet and the Return of Il Gelataio 1600
I'm a little obsessed with blueberries. I'm also a little obsessed with sorbet. And I'm definitely obsessed with frozen blueberries in any form; I could eat them by the sugar-concentrated handful or blended with a simple syrup and processed in this wonder of a loaned machine. … [Read more...] about Blueberry Sorbet and the Return of Il Gelataio 1600
Sweet Cherry Jam and Pitting 12 lbs of Cherries
12 lbs is a lot. It makes a lot of jam, but it also makes for black fingers. For 4 days I looked like a hardcore gardener. No one would have believed I can't even keep basil alive, or that parsely wilts at my gaze, and my poor, poor strawberry plant never stood a chance. But I'm … [Read more...] about Sweet Cherry Jam and Pitting 12 lbs of Cherries
Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
I was gifted some organic vanilla beans from the Kingdom of Tonga. Don't know where the Kingdom of Tonga is? Neither did I. Don't feel bad. Didn't know the Kingdom of Tonga produced vanilla beans? Again, join the club. My, hasn't this been an educational day for us all … [Read more...] about Strawberry-Vanilla Jam
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam for Beginners
Did you know rhubarb is a vegetable? So this is a fruit and vegetable jam. Tell that to your kids...or not. Rhubarb has a stringy outer layer that makes chopping annoying (all those slices stick together), so scrape it off with a knife before chopping, or cut off just the edges … [Read more...] about Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam for Beginners
Strawberry Jam for the Common Man/Person/Jam-Lover Who’s Scared of Canning
Strawberry Jam 4 cups chopped strawberries 1 cup sugar zest and juice of 1 lemon All you do is hull and slice the berries and combine them with the sugar in a medium saucepan. Then bring them to a boil over high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes occasionally so … [Read more...] about Strawberry Jam for the Common Man/Person/Jam-Lover Who’s Scared of Canning
The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
I do not take a pie challenge lightly. My friend had a BBQ and announced that her boyfriend would be making pie from scratch. I would normally think this laughable, but the last time I questioned his baking abilities he ended up making a painted, shingled, and stained-glass … [Read more...] about The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie