Dear Friends,
I'm sorry I've been away. I thought I'd be back sooner than April for 2010. I really appreciate many of you asking me when I'm going to update and that you've added me to your google reads...I didn't know that you all were paying attention to my little space. :)
The past few months have been an interesting period in my life where I was going through some changes in my "day" career and was not at a mental place to blog. I was also contemplating on making my "passion" into my "day" career but it was too soon and I was not quite ready. I'm also not quite ready to give up my day job opportunities. I did bake more and have been to some great food places like Tavolata, Serious Pie, Portage,Le Panier and many more! I've met some great people in the food business, serious food people who are generous with info and encouragement, my great friends who are always thinking of us. Life has been pretty good. What was a hard time for me last fall has turned into a great turnaround for me, and I am at a great place with great positive people I love in my life. Thank you dear friends and family!
I'm so encouraged now to do this more seriously. I mean seriously in a way that reflects my style and not just random thoughts and spell errors. :) You can see, I've already changed the format a bit to my simpleness. I hope to take an HTML class at some point too and really get creative to reflect what I like and what I gravitate toward. What I had hoped last year when I started this was to cook more and document that, but it turned more into my restaurant reviews, so I'm hoping to change that and focus more on my baking. I'm really studying the science of baking and testing out my favorite recipes and creating my own. I'll post those and you will be asked to test and give me feedback. I've been on a lemon tart kick since January and have made more than a dozen kinds but think I have it down to how I like it. I'll have an entry about that.
I've started this year with a few stragglers from the LA trip. I've got lots more. Lots of Neighborhood Cooking stuff, farmer's markets (I'm eating more organic this year.), local eateries, better pics, new foods (I just tried a Moroccan food for the first time.), falling in love with really "French" pastries, funny stories of trying to eat vegetarian, my vegan sister, more from catering hopefully, and even recipes from my mom. I've got lots to document!
Thanks dear friends for reading!
Fondly,
Yurim
Ending with one of my favorite things...Homemade Orange Marmalade. It's so much better than the store stuff and so easy to make.
Here is a recipe from Alton Brown:
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 pounds oranges, 4 to 5 medium
- 1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced
- 6 cups water
- 3 pounds plus 12 ounces sugar
- Special Equipment: 10 (8-ounce) canning jars with rings and lids, funnel, tongs, ladle, and 12-quart pot
Directions
Wash the oranges and lemon thoroughly. Cut the oranges into 1/8-inch slices using a mandoline, removing the seeds as you go. Stack the orange slices and cut them into quarters. Place the oranges into an 8-quart stainless steel pot. Add the lemon zest and juice and the water to the pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 10 minutes. Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a rapid simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 40 minutes or until the fruit is very soft.
While the fruit is cooking, fill a large pot (at least 12-quart) 3/4 full with water, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Place 10 (8-ounce) jars and rings, canning funnel, ladle, and tongs into the boiling water and make sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lids and leave everything in the pot until the marmalade is ready.
Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer. Increase the heat under the orange mixture to return to full boil. Add the sugar and stir the mixture continually, until it reaches 222 to 223 degrees F on a deep-fry or candy thermometer, and darkens in color, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. You may need to adjust the heat in order to prevent boil over. Test the readiness of the marmalade by placing a teaspoon of the mixture onto the chilled plate and allowing it to sit for 30 seconds. Tilt the plate. The mixture should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs easily, it is not ready.
Remove jars from the water and drain on a clean towel. Place a canning funnel onto the top of 1 of the jars and ladle in the marmalade just to below the bottom of the threads of the jar. Repeat until all of the mixture has been used. The amount of marmalade may vary by 1 to 2 jars. Wipe the rims and threads of the jars with a moist paper towel and top each with a lid. Place a ring on each jar and tighten.
Return the jars to the pot with boiling water, being certain that they don't touch the bottom of the pot or each other. (If you don't have a jar rack, try a round cake rack, or metal mesh basket. Even a folded kitchen towel on the pot bottom will do in a pinch.) Add additional water if necessary to cover the jars by at least an inch. Boil for 10 minutes. Using canning tongs, carefully remove the jars from the water, place in a cool dry place and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before opening. Once open, store in the refrigerator. Unopened marmalade will last for up to 6 months.
