August 31st
2005
Shopping lists rarely work for me. To be more specific, in the sense of adhering to what I actually had in mind when I wrote the list. Often times I change things on the fly or end up with more than I had planned. One thing I have successfully managed to avoid, is to go shopping with an empty stomach. Bad idea. Regardless of any list, walking by a well assorted food stand is what always gets me in trouble. I fall for any eye-candy-qualifying fruits and have to know what they're like. Fortunately not all exotic fruits are as expensive as pink pitayas.
What made me stop this time where limequats. Miniature limes or the green equivalent to the kumquat, in fact they are a cross between the two. Had to have them. Didn't want to go overboard and in an attempt to control damage I only took a handful of each, limequats and kumquats (which I had before).
Eating the sour fruits raw wasn't an option for me. What to do? Standing in the kitchen, still a little clueless, I glanced over to the fruit basket, saw the only orange left and knew what to do: limequats, kumquats, orange & vanilla jam.
Wash kumquats and limequats (untreated) thoroughly under water and filet the orange. Slice both kumquats & limequats thinly, remove small seeds. Leave about one third (of the slices) or per your preference intact, puree the rest together with the orange filets. Add slices, puree and juice into a pot. In case larger amounts are used, make sure the pot is only filled half way (prevents it from boiling over).
For the sugar I chose the 1plus1 type (1 part sugar used with 1 part fruit) to make sure the outcome was not too bitter. Add the sugar and the vanilla bean (scraped out seeds and shell) to the pot and bring the mix to a boil rapidly, while stirring. When it begins to bubble vigorously, let boil for another 4-5 minutes. As the mixture thickens, keep stirring to prevent sticking.
Normally I would pay close attention to sterilizing the jam jars (washed empty jars with screw lids) with boiling water...however, since I knew the small jam jar wasn't going to last more than 2 days I generously skipped that part.
Pour boiling hot jam into jars, cover and allow to cool down for a few hours.
Resume: Even though I'd classify the result more as a classic English marmelade, a little on the sour/bitter end (which O. is totally into), the vanilla does great job compensating for it and thus won over my heart as well. Very yummy.
We almost forgot Blog Day 2005...
Today is Blog Day 2005. BlogDay was created with the intent to share 5 new blogs with the readership, allowing the web surfer to discover new, previously unknown blogs. Our take on "new" blogs is to sneak a peek outside of the food blogging space and share some design oriented blogs:
port2port
Daily Design Blog (G)
design*sponge
37signals
Design Observer
Check out more Blog Day 2005 entries.
Limequats & Kumquats Jam
Recipe source: own creation
Required time: prep. 20 min., cooking 5 min., yield: one sm. jar
.
Ingredients:
1 vanilla bean
75g limequats & kumquats (untreated)
75g filets of an orange (incl. juice)
150g preserving sugar (1plus1)
Mmmmmmmm, delicious!! You've just given me the perfect idea of what to with our rather large crop of lemons. :)
I just have to say that the colours in your last few photographs on your last few posts are just sublime!
Mouthwatering pictures and a great fruit combo for jam! I like your pretty jam jar :)
What wonderful looking jam...and sounds tasty too! Unfortunately, I am unsure about the availability of either limequats or kumquats here, although I have some local substitutes in mind...
I was delighted to see this post today as today was my first ever attempt at making jam! What perfect timing for me...I will be posting about it soon...
Beautiful post!
I look forward each month to your new banner photo! Love it!
Melissa
As always: great pictures! You seem to love "Weck-Gläser". Haven't seen Limequats yet. I wasn't always lucky with kumquats I bought because I couldn't slice them. The seeds were so big that the peel's only purpose was to contain seeds. But I think I would give Limequats a try!
Absolutely gorgeous. (Sounds mighty tasty, too! : )
P.S. Hope you have another photo for your banner, as I am going to eat that one as soon as I finish my lunch.
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous -- and I LOVE the way the top image rotates, ever so slowly, so you don't notice it at first.
Also, I love the new navigation using tabs on the right, like file folders. Very chic.
Your site is truly inspiring. Although autumn is fast approaching you have managed to hold on to summer with vivid, refreshing colours.
I have to say that your blog is one of my very favorites.
Your link to the Port to Port blog has inspired my sister who lives in Freiburg, germany and I to do the same thing! it is a really fantastic way for us to share our lives with eachother even though we are on seperate continents. http://www.3peasinthepod.blogspot.com.
Thanks for all the inspiration!
Dana
hi, i know exactly what you mean about lists - i invariably get sidetracked by a whole bunch of other things i never intended to buy...limequats sound fantastic - definitely distraction-worthy stuff! and those delicious pictures of yours, hmm...
Joey, I always knew, food bloggers have a good connection ;) I'm curious for your jam experience!
Melissa, I hope you like them all ;) I'm already thinking about Oktober...
Claudia, I had the same experience with kumquats some months ago! Rather annoying. And you're right, I highly appreciate "Weck-Gläser", I inherited some from my grandmother, which I really treasure.
Dear Fatemeh, good eye to detail ;) Glad you like it. Btw, June Taylor is almost gone, D E L I C I O U S!!! More on this soon!
Hi S. Plant, thank you for the kind feedback! We had almost no summer here in Munich, so maybe I can at least preserve some
summer feelings with colors ;)
Dear Dana, thanks for the nice compliment! I checked it out immediatley, count me in as one of your new regulars. I think it's
a great way of staying in touch, while living in far away countries ;)
hello friends! as usual your post is beautiful & inspiring! and we are in full blush that you have featured us on your blog day listing. thank you thank you! now, i wonder how soon i can get on this jam thing? i would like to make some this week...
cheers & a clink of the glass from... mav
Looks great. Reminds me of Algerian marmalades. We make with an array of citrus fruits, including blood oranges, tangerines and even lemons. Adjust sugar according to type of citrus fruit chosen.
You are indeed a very creative cook!
When I started reading your entry, I immediately wanted to comment that I, too, have trouble with shopping lists especially when I pass by an assortment of truly tempting food products. Then, I saw the photo effect that you did and I wasn't sure whether to comment on that or the shopping list. That is awesome! :)
Guess I just commented on both. :)
Hi Nicky! I posted about my "jam experience" already :-) Phew, not bad for the first time, was actually quite pleased (I made jam!)...any tips are welcome!
I feel a tad redundant saying that this is a gorgeous jam - but what more can be said? The colour reminds me of stained glass or amber, with the slices of fruit suspended in the translucent jelly. The inclusion of the vanilla interests me, not only for its striking visual, but also in regards to flavour. The background warmth of the vanilla seems an interesting pairing with the astringency of citrus, reminicent of Creamsicle ice cream bars (vanilla ice cream paired with an orange sorbet).
This appeals to me...I've certainly not heard of a jam with vanilla inside, and that certainly makes it interesting. Unfortunately I can't try it due to the lack of availability of some key ingredients!
Hi,
I'm hosting AFAM - kumquats this month, today is the last day and I would love to have this recipe as your entry.
http://www.coffeeandvanilla.com/?p=2011
Thank you, Margot
That jam looks so delicious. I have nt yet seen limequats here, but we get kumquats. I have to give this one a try.