So, what’s up?

For me, late summer and early fall are canning time. Though the beautiful green kadota figs from my tiny tree were all eaten by the birds, I still had a chance to make fig preserves this year. August is fig time in Georgia, and a delicious evening at The Shed at Glenwood in Atlanta led to my making a couple dozen half-pints of fig preserves.

9 pounds of fresh figs perfect for canning!

The Shed’s talented chef, Lance Gummere, is heavy into learning the ways of canning and preserving, and our conversation sparked my volunteering to show him how. My daughter and I headed over to the restaurant early one evening in the middle of the month, enjoyed a plateful of Lance’s famous $3 sliders, and then Lance and I got to work. He had just received between 10 and 12 pounds of figs, and wanted to preserve them – a couple of pounds he had sliced and put in his food dehydrator to serve as dried figs, but the rest were left to us to make into the sugary, smearable orbs I love to spread on freshly baked biscuits or toast.

Lance putting our fig preserves into dry storage.

As a restaurateur, Lance’s chief concern with canning his own fruits and vegetables is food safety. Home canning, and in this case - restaurant canning – is perfectly safe as long as certain precautions are taken.

If you need a brief history and lowdown on preserving, this earlier post has all the details. Lance and I had so much fun that we plan to can again – this time in a challenging effort to preserve vegetables in duck fat. Our preserves have been a big hit at The Shed, too – many thanks to Creative Loafing’s Cliff Bostock for this shout out.

Fig Preserves

Yield: about 20 half-pint jars

Use any ripe fig, taking care to remove the stems, but leaving the skin intact. A little lemon juice will give preserves a better color and flavor.

5 pounds fresh figs, stemmed and sliced in half, peel on

5 cups granulated sugar

Lemon juice

Steps to water bath canning:

Wash and clean the figs by submerging them in water and draining.

Sterilize your jars and equipment by washing, then boiling in a water bath for 10 minutes. (Do not boil the lids and bands -- bring them only to a simmer as not to affect the sealant of the lids.) Keep the jars and lids simmering until ready for packing with preserves.

In a large bowl, combine the figs and sugar. Stir gently until the sugar begins to dissolve. Add the juice of ½ lemon. Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Stirring the sugar and figs together.

In a large, non-reactive pot, cook the figs on medium-high heat until the mixture boils, foams and a sugar syrup forms. Cook until the sugar syrup thickens to almost string stage – about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir often during cooking, skimming foam as needed.

During cooking, it's normal for the figs to foam - skim any excess foam from the surface before packing into jars.

Pack the figs into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch headspace. Run the end of a wooden spoon down the side of each jar to release air bubbles.

A funnel is indispensable for packing the figs into hot, sterilized jars.

Wipe the rims of the hot jars well, then seal with lids and bands.

Hot fig preserves packed in hot jars.

Place the jars in a large pot, cover with hot water and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (if I am only canning one thing, I often use the hot water and pot I used for processing my jars). Remove the jars from the hot water. After 12 – 24 hours, test for sealing - the top of the lid will indent just a bit, sometimes making  a "pop" sound when it does – the proof that your effort has been well-worth your time.

Our finished preserves!

Their drink was a cocktail, though, with vodka blended into this neo-classic mix of equal measures of iced tea and lemonade, commonly referred to as a John Daly, after the boozing golfer and his antics.

There’s hardly a drink, save for the mint julep, that evokes the South more, though  “the King” actually hails from Pennsylvania. He supposedly asked for the mixture from a bartender after a golf game and was overheard by a woman nearby, who followed suit. The drink, and the story, became urban golf legend. No matter the origin, though we thank Arnie for it: the refreshing mix of two of summer’s greatest sips is good anywhere, anytime – but particularly delicious on the Fourth of July.

Classic Arnold Palmer

Who better to make lemonade than Life is Lemonade? Serve Arnold Palmers in pretty glasses with lemon wedges for a distinctive drink this Fourth of July.

Yield: 2 Quarts

1 quart Southern sweet iced tea (see below)

1 quart lemonade (see below)

Ice

Lemon wedges, for garnish

In a large two-quart pitcher, mix together the iced tea and lemonade. Place ice in glasses and pour the mixture over the ice. Garnish with lemon wedges.

For a John Daly: Add one ounce of vodka to each glass, shake, and serve.

For Southern sweet iced tea:

1 quart water

5 tea bags

1 cup superfine sugar

In a large pot, boil the water. Remove from the heat and add the tea bag and sugar. Cover and let steep for 20 to 30 minutes (longer if a stronger tea is desired). Remove the tea and stir well. Pour the tea over ice in glasses, or use is the Arnold Palmer, above.

For lemonade:

1 cup superfine sugar

1 cup water

1 ½ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 6 to 8 lemons)

3 ½ cups cold water

Ice

Lemon wedges, for garnish

In a large sauce pot, create a simple syrup by boiling the sugar and 1 cup water together just until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.

When the sugar syrup has cooled, add the lemon juice and water. Stir until well blended. When completely cool, pour over ice in glasses and garnish with a lemon wedge.

It may seem a little obvious, but summer is here, whether the calendar says so or not. Summer will technically begin on June 21 at 1:16 p.m. – not that I’m counting. I’ve already started the warm-weather rituals that herald in the longest day of the year, when the sun is at maximum elevation.

I’ve been to the pool; watered my (so far) green tomatoes; baked a cherry pie from June’s bounty and – just this past week – barbecued some pork chops on the grill. I love grilling and don’t understand why I wait until summer to do it, considering it’s something to have fun with all year long.

There is simply something about summer, the ease of grilling and warm weather that makes me want to scrape off the grates, heat up the char wood and plop a pork chop down until the fat chars.

If you like to marinate meats prior to grilling, or if you enjoy basting during grilling, this barbecue sauce is an easy way to add flavor. It’s a sweet, vinegar-based sauce that’s perfect for pork or chicken.

Sweet Molasses Barbecue Sauce

This semi-sweet sauce is perfect as a marinade or basting sauce for pork or chicken.

Yield: 1 and ½ cups

 ½ sweet onion, chopped

1 tablespoon salted butter

½ cup molasses

½ cup rice wine vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup spicy mustard

2 – 3 drops hot pepper oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a small sauté pan, heat the onion and butter until the onions are translucent. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the molasses, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard and pepper oil. Add the cooked onions and combine.

Marinate chicken or pork, submerged and covered tightly, for two hours or overnight. For basting, chill the sauce, covered, for two hours or overnight. Baste chops, tenderloin or chicken breasts liberally during grilling.

The sauce can be reduced in a sauté pan, stirring frequently, if a thicker consistency is desired for basting (but reduce the soy sauce to 1/8 cup).

Cherry pie has long been a favorite in my family, though we often make it at Christmas with canned cherries rather than fresh. Making a pie with fresh fruit is daunting if you’re short on time – pitting cherries is a time-consuming task, though it is well-worth the effort.

We had many fruit trees on my family’s property when I was growing up; green apples, figs, peaches and cherries made sweet fillings for my mother’s pies from June to October, but it was her cherry pie that I remember most. With only one tree, it was difficult to beat the birds to enough cherries for a filling, and I suppose that made this pie's sweetness all the more special to me.

Tart cherries are what grow most in the South, if at all: Cherries need a more temperate climate than Southern summers allow. The tart cooking and canning cherries we buy in cans mostly come from orchards in Michigan and New York; those dark, ruby red cherries in the market right now are part of the major commercial production of the fruit in California, Oregon and Washington state and are most likely Burlat or Bing cherries.

Fruit pie fillings are among the easiest to make; they require little more than sugar and a thickener – in the South, that’s usually flour – with a bit of butter dabbed on top of the fruit before it’s covered with a double crust (fruit pies and cobblers are rarely single crust pies, though it is not unheard of).

Flour or cornstarch is used for thickening fruit pie fillings (arrowroot and potato starch are often seen in some older recipes as well). I never used cornstarch as a thickener until I moved to New England, where in my experience it is always used rather than flour.

For flour-thickened fillings, the fruit is prepared and the flour and sugar are mixed together, then mixed with the fruit until the mixture is syrupy and almost completely dissolved. The fruit filling is poured into a pie shell, dotted with butter, covered with a second crust and baked. This makes a rich, syrup-like juice and leaves the fruit a bit firm.

Cornstarch is a bit more complicated, since it has to be cooked to thicken. The sugar in the recipe is mixed with the cornstarch (usually about three tablespoons to one cup of sugar) and a portion of liquid – usually juice from the fruit (if there is no juice, water is used). The mixture is brought to a boil and cooked until translucent. The fruit can be added during cooking, or just after the cornstarch mixture has thickened, depending on how soft the fruit is (apples, for instance, should be cooked since they are firmer than stone fruits). The mixture is poured into a pie shell, dotted with butter, covered with crust and baked. Cornstarch-thickened fillings will have translucent syrup that is firmer than a flour-thickened filling.

A reminder: Join me Saturday, June 4,  at Cook's Warehouse Midtown for a class on classic dessert making! we'll explore lemon fruit tarts, fruit coulis, granita and more.

Fresh Cherry Pie

Yield: one pie

Use a hand-held cherry pitter to pit fresh cherries for this pie; you can find pitters at any good kitchen supple store, such as Cook’s Warehouse in Atlanta.

Pie pastry, enough for two 8-inch crusts

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup water

4 to 4 ½ cups fresh cherries, washed, stemmed and pitted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Egg wash (see below)

Sprinkling sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large sauce pot, whisk together the cornstarch and sugar; add the water and cook over high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Add the fresh cherries and continue to cook until the cherries begin to soften and lose their juice – about five minutes. Cook until the starch begins to thicken and is translucent.

Pour the filling into the prepared crust.  Brush the edges with egg wash for sealing, then cover with the second crust and pinch to seal by rolling the crusts together, then flattening with your fingers to create a lip all the way around the edge of the pie. Pinch the lip together using your thumbs and forefinger. Place the pie in the freezer for 10 minutes. Remove the pie after cooling and brush the surface with a light coating of egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar if desired. Pierce the top crust with a knife to create vent holes.

Bake the pie at 400 degrees for five minutes to brown the crust, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until the filling begins to bubble, about 20 minutes.

Egg Wash:

In a small bowl, whisk together about ½ cup water with one large egg and a pinch of salt. Use to seal and coat pastries.

In the meantime, get outside and pot some herbs!

Cilantro and basil.

Gardening has long been a passion I turn to for therapy; for me, there is no better church than my backyard. When I lived in New England, I had an acre to roam, enclosed by a hundreds-year-old stone fence where I had peonies, poppies, vegetables, a pear espalier and an annual flower garden that I tended daily.

That was before a baby came along. Once my daughter was born, my time for gardening was limited. And when I moved back to the Atlanta area, my job at the AJC took what was left of my time. So gardening became something I had done in past; I brushed it aside, placing it in a box somewhere in mind that I would get to again someday when it was convenient.

Pineapple sage.

In the last couple of years, I realized how damaging it was to do that. I need my church. Planning, planting and waiting teaches me patience. So I’ve learned to compromise: I garden mostly in pots. They are easy to tend because there is no weeding or tilling, and I can move things around easily. I pot everything from herbs to corn (Though my corn, when I plant it, is ornamental. Corn needs a lot of space to pollinate and produce ears.)

Orange mint and lemon verbena, planted with shade-loving coleus.

Herbs work perfectly in pots as long as you keep them well-watered accordingly. So far this year I’ve planted orange mint, cilantro, verbena (which, amazingly, lives through the winter here), thyme, tarragon, sage, pineapple sage, rosemary and basil. More will come.

Mango Chow Chow

Bright and colorful, this Caribbean-inspired mix of mango and pineapple is a snap to make, and pairs well with fish and cheese, as well as white wines such as an Albarino or vino verde. It calls for mint and cilantro, but any bright-tasting herb will do.

Yield:  2- 3 pints, 4 - 6 half-pints

1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced (about 1 to 1 and ½ cups)

1 ripe pineapple, peeled, pitted and diced

1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, seeded and diced

1 chile pepper, seeded and minced

¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

¼ cup fresh mint, chopped

¼ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the mango, pineapple, red onion, pepper, chile pepper, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar and salt and pepper.

The chow chow can be processed using the hot water bath method if desire, or kept in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Thyme.

Making marshmallow became one of the bigger of baking trends in recent years – just after Parisian-style macaroons (macarons) and before cupcakes, house-made marshmallow squares were the ubiquitous treat seen in all the tony bakeshops.  Now, our fickle sweet tooth has moved on to cakes pops (look for my version of those in a later blog post).

A recent class I taught at Cook’s Warehouse in Atlanta allowed me to play with the fluffy white stuff. Along with meringue, we talked marshmallow and egg whites, then spent the rest of the day piping Easter swans and “Peep” ducks.

We piped marshmallow, too, to create pops to dip in chocolate.

Egg whites are one of the most miraculous ingredients in cooking – the albumen of an egg has the capacity to increase to eight times its original volume when whipped. Add sugar, and poof! You’ve got a glorious meringue.

My student, Piper, piped this Easter Peep - her first try!

There are three types of meringue – which is nothing more than a 2:1 ratio of sugar to egg whites. It’s how the sugar is added that makes the difference in the meringue’s texture and strength. It’s also important to remember that a very clean bowl – no plastics – must be used. Fat residues are fatal to a meringue’s ability to increase in volume. Cream of tartar (an acid) is sometimes added for stability and whitening – by changing the pH level of the protein structure.

1. Common meringue – egg whites are whipped on high speed while the sugar is poured into the mixture during whipping on high volume. Advantage: This is the fastest and easiest meringue to make. Disadvantage: Common meringue is the grainiest and weakest in texture.
2. Italian meringue – a sugar syrup is cooked to 245 degrees, then poured in a stream slowly into whipping egg whites. Advantage: This meringue is the silkiest and strongest in texture. Disadvantage: While not difficult, Italian meringue is the hardest to make and the most time consuming; pouring the sugar syrup between the whip and the bowl takes more than just a beginner’s skill.
3. Swiss meringue – the egg whites and sugar are heated together in a baine marie to 110 degrees, then whipped to full volume. Advantage: Like Italian meringue, Swiss meringue is silky and strong in texture. Unlike Italian meringue, Swiss meringue isn’t difficult to make at all. Disadvantage: There isn’t one. I use this meringue constantly.

Beautiful swans filled with chantilly cream are just one of many goodies to create with meringue.

As for marshmallow, the skill set simply requires that you understand the steps of using gelatin (blooming in cold liquid, then dissolving with heat) – and a very strong, steady hand for piping. Once the marshmallow comes together, it begins to set quickly – so get your piping bag ready! For ducks, I always have a little oil on hand, as well as oiled scissors, in case the beaks or tails need a little cutting adjustment after piping. For the class, this was definitely the hardest part. Piping skills and patience are a must for good-looking Peeps and swans. As I told this great group – practice makes perfect.

The day inspired me to make a coconut cake for Easter Sunday – I simply bake a butter layer cake, fill with lemon curd and ice with Swiss meringue.

My finished coconut cake for Easter: Who knew Ollie ate it?

I baked my layers early that morning, allowing them to cool before I put the cake together. I left the cooling layers on the island in my kitchen. When I came back from taking a shower, my dog, Ollie, had eaten half of one of the layers.

The evil culprit, Ollie.

Both my pets seem to have an inordinate fondness for destroying whatever it is in my kitchen I might be working on. My cat loves sweets and pastries and will literally eat through plastic or paper to get to a loaf of bread. Last Thanksgiving I left a pumpkin pie on the counter to cool the night before only to find that she had licked the top of it off by morning.

Ollie eats everything, apparently: foil-wrapped chocolates; boiled Easter eggs with the shell. There is no trace of a foul deed – just the acute absence of what was once there.  And no, he never gets sick. And he never learns.

I spent late nights last week creating my daughter’s birthday cake, an annual affair that I never feel I have enough time to execute. This year I wanted to make gum paste flowers since she had given me the green light to create a “pretty” cake of my own idea (I say this because in years past she has asked for – and I have created – a giant squid cake, an aquarium cake with sharks – you get the idea). I wanted to show her how lovely a cake can really be with sugar paste flowers, butterflies – the works.

After it was completely finished the day of the party, I came back in the kitchen to find that Ollie had gobble the back half – butterflies and all. I won’t lie; I got really angry. Then I cut the back half of the cake off, covered it with a cake cover, and got ready for the party. Thank goodness my daughter wasn’t even fazed. So now, I have learned: No dogs or cats in the kitchen when I’m working. And never leave anything on the counter.

My daughter's finished cake - before the disaster.

Swiss Meringue

Hands on: 20 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Servings: 12

1/2 cup egg whites (from 4 large eggs)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Set up a double boiler, using the bowl of an electric mixer for the top and filling a saucepan 1/3 full with water. Bring the water to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.

Place the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the bowl of the electric mixer, and place it over the simmering water, whisking constantly. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch (110 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).

Remove the mixture from the heat and whip it on an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Do not over whip. A flavoring can be added at this point, if desired.

My Cook's Warehouse sous chefs, Jennifer, James and Angela - they are amazing!

Marshmallow for Peeps

Hands on time: 20 minutes Total time: 3 hours and 20 minutes Serves: Makes 16 to 20 marshmallows, makes about 24 chicks

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (other flavorings, such as mint or lemon)
1/4 teaspoon food coloring
Confectioners’ sugar
Candy eyes, if making chicks

Instructions:

Prepare a 9-by-9-inch pan by lining it with oiled plastic wrap (an oiled silicon pan may be used without wrap).
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Allow the mixture to bloom for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a rolling boil and continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour the boiling syrup into the gelatin mixture to dissolve, beating with a whip at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla and food coloring.

For the marshmallow chicks:
Scoop the marshmallow mixture into a pastry bag (fold the bag over your hand about 2 inches, then use a spatula to scoop the mixture into the bag). Before piping, "burp" the bag to remove any air bubbles. Lightly oil hands so that the mixture doesn't stick to your fingers. Using full force with your piping hand, pipe a fat disk onto the prepared parchment paper, releasing the force as you pull up and away. Use your opposite hand to "clip" the mixture from the tip (a little cone like tip should form, making a tail). Continue until about 24 chicks are formed, keeping your hand oiled throughout piping. Return to your first chick and pipe a head, using the same technique as in the previous step, only making a smaller disk. If necessary, use small oiled scissors to clip the beaks. Sprinkle the chicks with same-color sugar sprinkles. Finish each chick with a pair of eyes, using oiled tweezers to apply. Let chicks sit for at least 3 hours or overnight.


For marshmallows:
Lightly oil hands and spatula or bowl scraper and scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan. Spread evenly with another piece of oiled plastic wrap, pressing mixture into the pan.
Let mixture sit for 3 hours. Remove from pan, dredge the marshmallow slab with confectioners’ sugar and cut into hearts or other equal pieces. Cookie cutters dredged with confectioners’ sugar work, or scissors. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners’ sugar, if desired.

Notes:

Total time for this recipe includes 3 hours of setting time.

My terrific class: (L-R) Terri, Shanna, Hayley, Piper, Tory and Mariane

Chantilly Cream (for filling meringue swans)

Hands-on time: 10 minutes, total time: 1o minutes, makes enough whipped cream to fill about 30 small swans

1 quart heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon other flavoring, if desired

In a chilled bowl of an electric mixer using a whip attachment, whip the cream until it becomes slightly viscous. Add the sugar and flavoring in a stream as you continue to whip until firm peaks form. Do not over whip.