We’re jammin’ (and I hope you like jammin’ too…)
Photo India Hobson
Yellow plum, orange and cardamon jam
Living in the Suffolk countryside I’m lucky to have many opportunities for foraging around me though I’d argue that even in towns and cities there are spaces you can seek out delicious seasonal food for free. I firmly believe the trick is to monitor green spaces throughout the year and keep a hungry mind!
It’s late July and the wild yellow plum season is fast approaching. Last year, whilst walking my dog, I noticed hundreds of tiny yellowy orange plums scattered all over the ground on the edge of someone’s drive. There were so many it was like a children’s ball pond, albeit a rather sticky one. The branches drooped with the promise of many more to pick so once I’d got the go ahead from the perplexed home owner I set to work picking, accompanied by the occasional ‘ding’ as more fruit fell on their car, parked nearby. The sticky windscreen was a source of irritation though they’d never even tried the plums! I made many return visits over the next week, taking some jam for my benefactors to show them how delicious their plums were.
I like to use a two day process for this jam. Macerating the stone fruit overnight with the sugar releases the pectin and helps the jam achieve a firm set. A digital thermometer is useful when jam making.
Makes 5 x 200g jars
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large orange
100g caster sugar
100ml water
500g small plums or greengages
450g granulated sugar
juice of half lemon
1 tsp ground black cardamon seeds
Day 1:
Wash the orange in warm water the, using a sharp knie, slice into 5mm rings. Slice the rings into small dice then place the juice, peel and flesh(remove any pips) into a pan with the caster sugar and water. Poach at a low simmer until the orange peel becomes translucent, about 30 minutes. Top up with water if required.
Meanwhile wash the plums in cold water and cut each one in half to remove the stone. Place the prepared plums in a large pan with the granulated sugar, lemon juice and cardamon. Add the prepared orange peel and the remaining poaching liquid. Bring the plum/orange mix to a brief simmer then remove from the heat, cover and leave the jam to macerate overnight.
Day 2
Place a small plate in the fridge to chill. Bring the fruit to the boil, stirring regularly to eliminate hot spots. Skim the surface with a slotted spoon to remove any scum. Continue to boil for 10-15 minutes until the temperature reaches 105°c. Whilst the jam is boiling sterilise and warm your clean jam jars and lids in a 100°c oven. You can also check setting point using a cold plate and checking when a couple of drops of hot jam wrinkle as they quickly cool.
Ladle the jam into the warmed jars, tapping them slightly on the counter to remove air bubbles, placing the lids on whilst the jam is hot.
Photo India Hobson
Pasteis de Nata:This 3 hour class will teach you how to make the iconic Pasteis de Nata - egg custard tarts infused with lemon zest and cinnamon encased in a buttery layered then rolled puff pastry shell. Described as one of ‘Portugal's Seven Wonders of Gastronomy’ this little treat will perhaps take you back to memories of Lisbon and will wow your friends and family when you recreate it at home.
Baking with Rye Explore the delicious potential of baking with rye flour in this full day class. We’ll be taking our inspiration from both Eastern Europe and Scandinavian rye traditions. Working with both sourdough and bakers yeast to create a range of rye breads using local Suffolk flour, milling whole grains and blending delicious spices, seeds and flakes with flavourful ingredients.
Nordic breads and pastries. Learn to work with a range of flours, whole grains, seeds, flakes and traditional Nordic spices to create traditional wheat and rye wholegrain breads and a deliciously soft and sweet bun dough for semlor, sticky cardamon knots, cinnamon buns and much more.
Desert island baking - the top ten 10 tools I always have at hand!
If you could choose just 10 baking tools to take to a mythical desert island (with a climate of your choosing) what would they be? Each month I’ll be sharing my favourites with you. It would be great to hear yours - let me know in the comments section.
No.3: A few large bowls
A couple of large bowls makes baking so much easier. For starters it keeps your ingredients close together whilst you weigh and mix them, allowing you time to combine wet and dry. Use your curved edge dough scraper (item number 1) to hug the sides and bring everything together. When your dough is mixed you can upturn another bowl on top to cover the first bowl and stop your dough drying out whilst you perform the autolyse or rest. After mixing is complete your dough can folded in the bowl whilst completing its bulk fermentation. After pre-shaping, use the bowl to cover the dough for 20 minutes to keep it warm and prevent drying then line the bowl with a floured linen tea towel and use it like a banneton (bread proving basket) to support your dough until its ready to bake. I like lightweight plastic bowls because they’re easy to lift, wash, stack and never get too cold unlike a ceramic or metal bowl which can really take the heat from your dough on a chilly winters day. Remember dough likes to be warm!
Photo India Hobson
What I’m reading
Nicola Lamb is my sort of baker - not only is she forensic in her research and meticulous with her recipe detail she’s also great with flavours and writes in a way that gets your brain scrambling in a hundred different directions all at once!
Her much anticipated book ‘Sift’ is described as a baking masterclass. Its been out for a couple of months now and so far I’ve made the pistachio and coriander macarons (an unusual and delicate flavour combo) the walnut miso cookies ( a little too salty for me but great with the miso dialled back a little), a super moist Victoria sponge and finally, the most delicious ice cream parfait. I followed the recipes pretty closely but loved the way the pafait recipe was structured to be more like a base template for the reader to add their own flavours and textures. My parfait included ripples of tart blackcurrant curd made with fruit from my garden - a perfect foil to the rich pate a bombe mix - layered with caramelised white chocolate for a nutty butterscotch crunch.
This is a book that will both teach and inspire. Perfect for a novice baker but with plenty of challenges to stretch the more experienced. Treat yourself, I promise you won’t regret it.
Blackcurrant and caramelised white chocolate parfait, inspired by Nicola Lamb
Upcoming classes
Sourdough pizza class 3rd August
Italian baking 10th September
Half day sourdough workshop: 14th September
