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Lime marmalade
This is the divine lime marmalade that the munchkin is loopy about! 12 limes 5 cups / 1.2 litres water 6.5 cups / 1.3kg sugar Slice the limes thinly, saving any pips. Tie the pips in a cheesecloth bag and place the bag in a large non-reactive pan with the finely sliced lime. Add the…
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This is why I cook
Yesterday I was cooking up some lime marmalade (see my previous article on marmalade) which filled the house with an awesome smell – slowly simmering limes, yum yum! Once I had added the sugar and the marmalade got to almost the right thickness, I did a quick sample. It tasted awesome. I decided to run…
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Crumpets
So, what is the point of making all these tasty fruit preserves if you don’t have something to put them on? Yes, you can do toast, but crumpet is a uniquely British institution that is perfectly designed to soak up phenomenal quantities of butter and sweet toppings. Ah, crumpets. As British as tea, the Royal…
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British food
I would like to deal with an ongoing perception that British food is bad food. This perception seems to be largely based on the state of British food seen by GIs during World War 2, when rationing was in effect. Food supplies were erratic, quality and freshness were erratic and sub-optimal, and this lead to…
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Sausages
Ahh, sausages. You’re not a real country unless you have a sausage. And a beer. And a cheese. Moving swiftly on, bangers are simply British sausages. Bangers are as much a staple of British cuisine as baked beans on toast, but unless you’re in Britain they are hard to find. To make bangers you need…
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Rethinking marmalade
Marmalade has long been a staple of British breakfasts. This odd mixture of orange rind and sweetened pulp has graced many a slice of toast, muffin, scone, or as the case may be. But what is marmalade? In the English language, and in EU law, marmalade refers to any preserved citrus fruit. Peel or no…
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A word on food safety
So your vegetable garden didn’t do so well. You only got a measly few quarts of home grown veggies to put by. Now it’s the depths of winter and you need some summer veg to make a nice stew. But, oh no! There’s some mold on there! Oh, well, you can just scrape it off,…
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Quoting Wil Wheaton
From Wil Wheaton’s Twitter feed: The single most insulting thing you can tell a creative person is, upon viewing their creation, “you have too much free time.” http://twitter.com/wilw/status/7105714708 Thank you, Wil – you hit the nail on the head. I do this – all the cooking and putting food up – because I want to…
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Spiced apple jelly
Here’s a simple jelly recipe to start you off – lightly spiced apple jelly. Makes about six 8-ounce (250ml) jars. 4 cups / 1 litre unsweetened apple juice 1 package regular fruit pectin 7 cups / 1.75 litres sugar 3 cloves 3 allspice berries 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder Prepare jars and lids according to instructions…
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Jelly? Jam? Which is which?
Being from the UK, I tend to call fruit preserves “jam”. Being in the US, most folks call them “jelly”. Both useages are, in fact, wrong, and here I explain why. The approximate definitions, in ascending order of fruitiness, are roughly as follows. Jelly Jelly is the thickened (with pectin), sweetened juice of fruits or…