Plum Licorice Jam

Beautiful plums at the Ballaro Market in Palermo, Sicily

We brought about half of these gems to the cabin to share with family over the weekend, and it was clear they weren’t used to seeing stone fruits in such large quantities either.  While Finns gather 8-liter pails of bilberries and lingonberries; and fill their containers with wild raspberries and homegrown currants, they don’t tend to use stone fruits for “putting up” as we say in the US.

It was one of those moments where I realized that I was operating on an autopilot response from old habits:  remembering the trips to Eastern Washington with my parents when we’d buy huge boxes of the fruits growing in the hills around Lake Chelan:  apricots, peaches, Bing Cherries, Rainier cherries, nectarines, pears, apples, I’d happily wandered home to my Helsinki apartment with heaping boxes of fruit, with no qualms whatsoever about the large quantity.  In fact, I was delighted with the opportunity.

I still love the whole process of gathering and canning fruit.  It’s one of my favorite things to do during the summer months, when nature’s bounty overflows it’s limits and tumbles in a colorful array onto my tables and countertops.  My creative juices really start to flow as soon as I cut into the first piece of fruit, and I had no problem thinking of way to effectively dispatch 17 kilos of fine-looking edibles.

sealed and labeled for storage

If you are canning anything, the first thing you need to do is make sure you have clean jars.  2 kilos / 4.5 pounds of fruit makes around 1 liter / 1 quart of jam, with a bit of overflow – meaning you may can the lion’s share for later, and have a bit in the fridge to enjoy immediately on toast or with your morning oatmeal.  You will want  four or five 2,5 dl jars / pint jars for each of these jams, plus lids.

In Finland, where finding the two piece lid is impossible, I typically by Quattro Stagioni jars with lids.  A lot of the local grocery stores:  K-markets, Prisma, etc carry these, along with spare lids, during the summer season.  You can also find them in Stockmann, but expect to pay a higher price.  In the US, the 2-piece lids and jars are available everywhere including grocery stores and hardware stores, so it’ll be no problem.  In Germany and the UK jars tend to be readily available in my experience; I’d love to hear how it is in the rest of the world!

White peaches, sweet and juicy, at Ballaro Market in Palermo, Sicily

Also, I don’t use pectin if I can help it as I think it tends to make jam a bit gluey, and because most fruits have sufficient pectin by themselves.  I also have reduced the amount of sugar typically used in jams, as I like the fruit flavor to be readily apparent with a slightly tart edge if possible.

This Plum Licorice Jam is really interesting:  the licorice flavor isn’t separately distinct from the plum; rather it deepens the flavor of the plum with a lingering licorice note in the background.  It’s excellent over oatmeal or with yogurt, and we enjoyed it over freshly fried lettus (Finnish crepes), make over the outdoor campfire and then slathered with a generous spoonful of this jam followed by a handful of blueberries.  Happy summer moments.

Plum-Licorice Jam & Nectarine Mint Jam

Plum-Licorice Jam

2 kg / 4,5 pounds of Italian plums, pit removed and quartered
660 g / 3 cups of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 star anise / tähti anis
2 teaspoons licorice extract/essence (if you can’t find it, add 2 additional stare anise)

In a large stockpot, combine the plums, sugar, lemon juice, and star anise.  Stir well to combine; cover; and allow the fruit to macerate for 1 hour.

Set the pot over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.  Reduce the temperature to medium-high, stir; and set the timer for 15 minutes, allowing the fruit to bubble undisturbed.  Meanwhile, place five teaspoons on a plate in the freezer.  You’ll use these later for testing whether or not the jam is ready.

While the jam cooks, prepare your jars:  Wash in hot, soapy water and then fill with hot water and set aside.  Fill a small pot with water and bring to a boil.  Add your one piece lid, or the cap part (with rubber seal) of your two piece lid and boil for 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and leave the lids in the hot water until you are ready to use them.  This sterilizes the lid and softens the rubber which helps the seal.

After 15 minutes, remove the star anise from the jam.  Continue to cook the jam, stirring regularly, for another 10 minutes.  At this point, turn off the heat and take one of the spoons you have in the freezer.  Fill it with jam and return it to the freezer for five minutes.  If the jam wrinkles slightly when you push it with your finger, it is ready.  If not, cook it for an additional 5 minutes and test again; repeating as necessary.

Once the jam has gelled to your liking, turn on the heat again and add the licorice extract, bring the jam to a boil and stir for 30 sections.  Remove from heat.

Using a wide mouth funnel placed in the jar and a ladle, spoon the jam into the jars, leaving a 1/2″ / 1.5 cm space at the top.  Repeat until all of the jars are full.  Using a damp paper towel, wipe the rim of the jar so there is no jam residue left.  Place the hot lid on the jar, and, using a towel to hold the hot jar so you don’t burn your hand, tighten the lid finger-tight (don’t over tighten; the best way to ensure that you don’t is to use your thumb and first to fingers to tighten the lid, which means you won’t have enough finger strength to push it too far.)

Wash the big jam pot.  Put a dish towel in the bottom and place the jars on top.  Fill with water to cover the jar by at least 1″/ 2,5 cm.  Put the lid on and bring the pot to a boil.  Once boiling, set the timer for 15 minutes.  When the timer stops, turn off the heat and let the jars rest for 5 minutes.  Remove the jars from hot water and set on a dish cloth on the countertop, right side up, to cool completely.  Check to make sure the lids have sealed:  the top dome of the lid should be pulled in tightly and shouldn’t move when you press it with your finger.  Sometimes you’ll hear a ping as the jars cool and the lid seals, but not always.  If the lids are sealed, label the jars and store them in a cool, dark place for up to one year.  If your jar doesn’t seal, put it in the fridge and use it within one month.

Makes 1 liter / 1 quart of jam

Licorice Vanilla Biscotti Ice Cream Cake with Lingonberries

You know people, it’s hot over here in Finland.  Really hot.  Hottest summer in 50 years, some Finns say.  It’s hard to get excited about turning the oven on when it’s already 30°C inside and out, so what’s a person to do when you want a sweet treat to beat the heat?  (Ok, I really wasn’t attempting to wax poetic there, but, well, heat does funny things to my head).

A berry garnish adds a nice, tart touch to a very sweet cake.

Not that I am complaining about it being hot, mind you. After one long cold February in 2010, I decided that I would embrace the heat whenever I can and not complain on the hot summer days, because I do plenty of grumping about the cold, long winters here.  In early July, with temperatures barely tipping above 12°C, I  headed south to Sicily looking for the sun and the deep, blue, warm sea…and as much great food as I could eat.  I was delighted to arrive in Palermo to clear, sunny skies and a searing 29°C+ temperatures, happy to escape the Spring that wouldn’t end. Two days later, we got a message from Finland “It’s 27°C here…”  And so it seems, summer arrived with a roar, and has stayed around for a nice long while.  I’m loving it.  But…back to the beginning…it’s hot.  The perfect excuse for a no-cook, easy-to-make, very pretty treat.

Ice cream cakes have a million variations depending on your taste preferences.  I made mine using cookies and berries as a layer and two kinds of ice cream, but you can use cake as a replacement to the cookie layer, or chopped nuts would be great as well.  I think chopped, smoked almonds would be great with a caramel cranberry ice cream, for example, and you could use stone fruit, or different berries, or a berry sauce, or a chocolate sauce between the layers…but now I am getting ahead of myself.  Back to the cake.

Packing it into a plastic container with a lid is the easiest way to store it – and transport it if needed.

I had made a big batch of biscotti in a crazy moment in the middle of a hot day as I was dreaming of the good life and pastries down in Sicily. I had created a gluten-free version, and, forgetting for a moment that gluten-free flours have very different behaviors than their glutenous friends, attempted to lift one warm biscotti log off the pan, only to have it crumble in my hands.  So I was left with two logs which I later sliced and rebaked for a lovely jar full of almond aniseed gluten-free biscotti; and a big bowl of biscotti crumbs.  At this point, I was hatching up ways to use the crumbs, when I remembered Ice Cream Cake.  Here is the version I made, but keep in mind, you don’t need to wait until you have a pile of cookie crumbs on your hands.  Make crumbs of any cookie in your cupboard, or chop up some nuts and use those.  Here is a rough recipe to get you started.  It’s the easiest thing to make in a short time, and looks and tastes fantastic.

Dolce!

Ice Cream Cake

1 1/2 cups / 3 dl cookie crumbs
2 quarts / liters of your favorite ice cream(s) – I used licorice and vanilla
Berries, optional; I used frozen lingonberries because that is what I had

Use a square plastic container with a lid; or alternatively a square baking pan.  Cover the bottom with cookie crumbs.  If using berries, sprinkle some across the cookie layer.  Cut the ice cream into slices that are about the thickness of your thumb and layer this tightly across the cookie crumbs.  Repeat the layers again:  Cookie, Fruit, Ice Cream, until your container is full, ending with a generous sprinkling of cookie crumbs.  Cover the container tightly with a lid or cover tightly with foil and freeze for as long as you can stand to wait, but preferably at least one hour. Remove from the freezer and let it sit out for 5 to 10 minutes so it softens slightly (not necessary, but nice). Cut into squares and serve, garnishing with more berries if you have them.

Serves 12 – 16.

Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad

Summer simply does not want to arrive in Finland this year.  We had a beautiful May, and then the arrival of June brought with it increasingly cold weather.  Last Tuesday, there was slush in Helsinki, snow in Tampere, and freezing temperatures around the country.

Finland’s Midsummer weekend, 20-22 June, a time when you typically open the summer season with outdoor barbecues, giant bonfires, and late nights out by the lake/seashore, boasted soaring temperatures of +12°C and lows of +6°C.  This is why sauna was invented here:  “Suomen kesä on vähän luminen” (Finland’s summer has only a little snow) is a phrase I’ve heard repeated by many Finns, but never quite grasped the meaning of until that recent snowy Tuesday in June.

Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad

But never mind:  imported summer fruits from warmer climates have made their way to my table to be combined with herbs from my garden, and this salad, while it won’t warm my cold toes, brings with it the essence of summer with vibrant colors and a rush of flavor.  Simple to throw together, it’s great as a side dish, or as breakfast – which is how I enjoyed it this morning.  It’d be an easy take-along for a picnic; as a side salad for your burger; thrown on top of a pile of freshly-picked lettuce and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or simply enjoy a bowlful.

Just you with a spoon in hand & a big bowl of this salad, preferably with sunshine on your face, but drizzle outside the window if the weather insists on being ornery, and let this salad bring on the essence of summer anyway.

Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad

Watermelon, Feta & Mint Salad

1.5 kg / 3 lbs watermelon; peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
200g feta cheese, drained
1/4 cup / 1/2 dl mint leaves, rinsed, leaves picked (I used a combo of pineapple mint & peppermint)

1.  Cut up the watermelon and put into a medium-sized bowl.
2.  Add the feta cheese.
3.  Stack the mint leaves on top of each other.  Slice very thinly into ribbons, and then cut cross-wise again to make small bits of mint.  Add to the bowl.
4.  Stir well to combine all ingredients.  Cover & place into the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to overnight. 
5. Serve and enjoy.