The Chef Within

I remember the first time I tasted kettle korn, which was years ago.  We were at a craft fair (no I’m not really into crafts), but it was the 4th of July and at one of the booths a gentleman was stirring a huge kettle of corn.  We were intrigued and since my husband and I both love popcorn we bought a bag.  We fought over every last kernel and have been hooked ever since.  What makes kettle korn so addictive is the combination of salty and sweet.  Most palates loves to be teased like that.

But of course, being the chef and frugal person that I am, I was not about to resign myself to a lifetime of purchasing this korn.  I had to figure out how to make it myself.   So the quest began and after a few less than perfect batches I discovered what I think is the perfect combination of ingredients.  In fact I prefer my recipe to many store-bought brands.

Here is the correct ratio of ingredients:

1 generous tablespoon of vegetable oil

1 heaping tablespoon of sugar

3 full tablespoons of popcorn

(salt to taste, after popped)

This small batch makes just enough for my husband and I and should be made in a very small saucepan (about a 6 cup pan, no bigger).  If you double the recipe increase the pan size.

Directions: Combine oil, sugar and popcorn in pan, cover with a lid and take to a screaming hot burner.  Set it on the burner and move it gently back and forth to keep the kernels moving.  Continue that action even as it pops.

As popping slows down and then stops, remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.  It is at this point that you sprinkle it with salt and toss it with a spoon.  Taste the korn.  If you need to add more salt, do so.  Remember that it is the contrast between the two that makes this good so don’t be too skimpy with the salt.

Popcorn tip:  it is so easy for kernels of corn to get “old” and lose their poppability.  Here’s the link to my radio website with some great information on rehydrating those kernels because the good news is…they can be revived!  Check this out (still struggling with linking):

http://132.178.236.111/information/FFT/recipes/Popcorn,%20Rehydrating%20Kernals-2005-12-14.asp

 In our area there are several flowering plum trees.  These are meant to be ornamental trees and highly appreciated because of their beautiful spring blossoms and rich burgundy colored leaves.  But inspite of it’s genetic change the tree still produces tiny fruit. 

Last Sunday the family came over for dinner and our grandchildren asked if they could pick the fruit from the tree. 

To be honest I had forgotten that the tree bears fruit and it’s easy to forget because the leaves and the fruit are identical in color, so the fruit does not stand out.  The kids picked a small container full and brought it in for everyone to try.  The fruit was slightly tart but delicious.  I thought to myself…I have got to put that wonderful, pesticide free, natural and organic fruit to use.  I asked the girls to pick enough for a batch of jam and it was awesome and then today they picked more and we made plum syrup which we will use for pancakes, ice cream and anything else we can think of.  If you have these trees in your yard (or neighbor’s yard or in your subdivision common area, here’s how you can make this syrup. 

Pick a small container of plums.

Give them a good rinse under cold water.

Transfer the fruit to a quart pan and for this amount of fruit (which would be a generous two cups) use one cup of sugar.

We even added a cinnamon stick to this recipe and in the batch we made earlier, we included a vanilla bean.  Both those items are totally optional.  No need to add water.  Take the saucepan to medium heat and stir the sugar into and around the plums.  Soon enough the heat will force the juice from the fruit and you will have a syrupy liquid.

If you have a potato masher, help it along by mashing the fruit.

Allow the mixture to simmer for about five minutes and then remove from the heat.

Add a tiny amount of salt and then pass the contents through a sieve, pressing and stirring with a spoon to get every last drop.

 You’ll be left with a pulp which contains the seeds and skins.

That’s it! 

Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge.  If the syrup is too thick you can thin it with water.  If it is too thin just simmer it a little longer until it thickens up.

I even made a batch of jam with these whole plums and simply strained the mixture once it had cooked for the recommended cooking time.  It was awesome.  Such a good way of putting these lovely, free fruit to optimum use.

No, I am not the first person to think of making a nut and dried fruit jam.  In fact, when I shop at our specialty market I am always wowed and impressed by the tiny jars of delicious sounding jams that run $5 or $6 a piece.  I’ve never been able to justify spending that much for two ounces of product.  But it did inpsire me.

What happened is the following.  A few weeks ago the youth in our church reinacted a pioneer experience.   As part of one of the meals I had purchased some dried apple rings, dried apricots, whole almonds and raisins.  There was some leftover and I really wasn’t in the mood for any more of that so it sat in the cupboard for a few days.

I kept wondering how I could use up the dried fruit.  Then I remembered the jams.  So….. here’s what I did. 

I took the leftover fruit and chopped the apples into little pieces and sliced the apricots.  I left the raisins and almonds whole. 

Everthing got taken to the food processor and processed…

until quite fine but not too fine.  I wanted some distinction between the fruit. 

Once the fruit was to the right fineness I transfered it to a small saucepan and added about 1 cup of water.  I had about 1 pound of fruit to begin with.  I started cooking the water and the fruit and wondered if it would be sweet enough and so I added some honey, about 1/4 cup.  I could have added sugar but I just felt the honey would be a better fit. 

That was cooked for about 10 minutes (and stirred occassionally) over a low to medium heat…

and then transferred to an airtight container.  We’ve been enjoying it ever since on our english muffins, bagels, crusty bread, pancakes and waffles.   The other day I was doing a mole style enchilada and I added a small amount to the pork filling much the same way you might sweeten a beef empanada with raisins.  They were quite good.

Another thing I tried with the jam were little phyllo pastries.  I took a spoonful of the nut jam and some cotija and mozarella cheese and filled the each of the pastries.  That was served with some honey yogurt and I have to say it was quite light and delicious.  A nice ending to a meal but not too sweet. 

What I especially like about this jam is that it is not overly sweet but has a ton of flavor.  In fact, I would imagine that if you wanted a sugar free product it would be just fine without any added sugar.  There are probably a ton of variations with this, including the types of dried fruit you use.  It would be fun to experiment with.  This jam would also make a beautiful gift when stored in a smaller, dainty glass jar.

If you’re someone who doesn’t use the freezer very often it may be because you don’t know for sure what foods can or cannot be frozen.  So here it is:  anything can be frozen.  Freezing food cannot make it go bad or become rancid.  However - in some cases, freezing can alter the texture of certain foods.  But think about this.  If you have a huge amount of something that’s left over or something that you just bought too much of – and if it is going to spoil – then why not take a chance and freeze it?   If that food is going to be wasted anyway, you’re better off throwing it in the freezer and at least trying to freeze it.

The big no-nos for the freezer are things like lettuce and watermelon.  Water is the primary enemy of freezing.  Fruits and vegetables with an unusually high water content do not freeze well.  But sometimes those same foods, if they are cooked first, freeze beautifully.

Use your freezer for the usual things like juice, meats and vegetables.  But also consider freezing extra bread, sweet rolls, muffins, cookies and bagels.  I love baking but I don’t want to eat a whole batch of cinnamon rolls in two days.  So I portion them in usable amounts and they go to the freezer and I pull them when I feel like a cinnamon roll again.   Bread and baked goods keep so well in the freezer.  They should never be wasted.

You can freeze cottage cheese and about any cheese.  The texture of some cheeses might change a little but the cheese won’t go bad.  I even freeze brie cheese with great success.  Portion all your foods in the portion size you will be using them.  Freeze leftover meats, pasta, rice, beans, sauces of any kind, meat broths, the list is endless.

Here’s a final thought and a suggestion.  Think of all the frozen food items you see in the grocery store.  Have you seen foods frozen with cheese, legumes, rice, peppers, mangoes, frozen eggs?  If they can freeze a particular food, you can too.  In order to be prepared to freeze make sure you stock a variety of air tight containers or freezer storage bags in various sizes and with a marker label those bags and containers with the name of whatever is inside, maybe even a date.  For the plastic containers you may need to use masking tape to create a writing surface.

This is a wonderful way to do something about waste and you’ll feel great utilizing everything you’ve paid for.