Rhubarb Sauce - Rababerkompot

Rhubarb Sauce - Rababerkompot

My mom made the first rabarberkompot aka rhubarb sauce as soon as the rhubarbs from our yard was big enough to use. The thin short rhubarbs was sweet and a clear sign that the summer was begun. 

Ingredients:

• 500 g rhubarbs

• 225 g sugar

• ½ vanilla bean pod, the seeds from

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Clean the rhubarbs and cut them into bite-sized pieces, place the in an ovenproof dish. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and mix the seeds with the sugar. Sprinkle the sugar on top, and toss until the sugar is evenly distributed. Place the vanilla  pod in between the rhubarbs.

Bake the rhubarbs for 20-40 minutes until soft, and the sauce is thickened. If the juices evaporate to quickly cover the dish with aluminum foil.

Let the rhubarb sauce cool and use as a jam, as a sauce in desserts or eaten with a meat dish.

Enjoy!

Blackberry Jam

Blackberry Jam

Blackberry jam is my favorite. It reminds me of my mom. She made the best blackberry jam. My parents had a few blackberry plants in their yard. During summer we picked the berries as they ripened, and were frozen until there was enough to make a batch of jam. 

At least one jar was saved for christmas, to be served with the ebelskiver. I intend to do the same.

My blackberry jam is, like my moms jam, a thin jam. If you don't like your jam to be runny, you can add pectin to the jam according to the instructions on the package.

Ingredients:

• 500 g blackberries
• 325 g sugar
• ½ lemon, the juice of

Directions:

Rinse the berries and discard the bad or unripe berries.

Preheat the oven to about 390℉ (200℃), and heat the sugar in a ovenproof bowl. (This will prevent the jam from cooling too much, and will make the sugar dissolve more quickly).  

In a small saucepan heat the berries and lemon juice over medium low heat, until it comes to a simmer. Let the berries simmer for about 5 minutes, remove from heat.

Add the sugar, stir carefully so you don’t break the berries up too much.

Scald the jars and lids with boiling water. Be careful not to touch the inside. Use tongs to handle jars and lids. Fill jars while still hot. 

Pour the hot jam into hot, scalded jars and seal with scalded lids. See National Center for Home Food Preservation for additional information on safe food preservation.

Enjoy!

Boysenberry Jam

Boysenberry Jam

Jam is one of the best ways to save the taste of summer for later. My mom always made a lot of fruit jams. It might not be the cheapest way, but by far the most flavorful. And by making your own you know what's in it.

Makes about 1 liter.

Ingredients:

• 1000 g boysenberries
• 725 g sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Set aside approximately ¼ of the berries in the refrigerator. Combine the remaining berries and  sugar in a large bowl, and set them aside to macerate overnight in the fridge.

Next morning the berries has released their juice and some of the sugar has dissolved. When you do this, you don't have to add any water. (By adding water, you just have to evaporate it again by boiling the jam for longer time and this will have a negative effect on the flavors in your jam. 

Put the berries, lemon juice and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently until all the sugar has dissolved.

Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring only to prevent sticking or burning.

After the mixture has thickened a bit, add the remaining berries. This will give the jam more texture and whole berries in the jam.

Boil the jam to your preferred consistency, skim the stiff foam off the top, while the jam cooks. Test the thickness by putting jam on a very cold spoon, and if the jam is not running or running very slowly, the jam has the right thickness.

Scald the jars and lids with boiling water. Be careful not to touch the inside. Use tongs to handle jars and lids. Fill jars while still hot. 

Pour the hot jam into hot, scalded jars and seal with scalded lids. See National Center for Home Food Preservation for additional information on safe food preservation.

Enjoy!

Apricot Jam

Apricot Jam

The month of May is apricot season in California. I have so many apricots on my tree that it's impossible to eat them all. My dog is doing all he can to eat all the apricots on the ground, he loves the endless supply,  crazy dog.

I made this great jam trying to savor the delicate taste of apricots. And I think this is the way to go. I need to make more, and the next batch is going in the freezer, to extend the shelf life. I like that I only need 4 ingredients, and the clean delicate taste of apricots is to die for.

Ingredients:

• 900 g fresh whole apricots, washed pitted and cut in half (use just-ripe, unblemished fruit)
• 120 ml water
• 340 g sugar
• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Boil the apricots in water until soft, 6-8 minutes. Puree in a blender (be careful with hot fluids in a blender, the lid might pop off) or an immersion blender, and blend until smooth. Bring fruit puree to a boil, add the sugar and lemon juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the fruit reaches the desired thickness, about 7-8 minutes. 

Scald the jars and lids with boiling water. Be careful not to touch the inside. Use tongs to handle jars and lids. Fill jars while still hot. I rinse the scalded jars and lids in atamon (Sodium benzoate) a food preservative, for better self life.

Remove fruit from heat and skim off any foam that may have formed. Pour the hot jam into hot, scalded jars and seal with scalded lids. See National Center for Home Food Preservation for additional information on safe food preservation.

Serve apricot jam with your favorite bread or on ice cream.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Abrikosmarmelade

Ingredienser:

• 900 g friske abrikoser, vaskede, udstenede og delt i halve (Anvend kun netop modne og ikke stødte frugter)
• 120 ml vand
• 340 g sukker
• 1 spsk friskpresset citronsaft

Fremgangsmåde:

Kog abrikoserne sammen med vandet indtil abrikoserne er møre, ca. 6-8 minutter.  Blend abrikoserne med en stavblender, eller i en rigtig blender indtil du har en homogen masse. Pas på med at blende varme væsker i en blender, da låget kan hoppe af.  Kog pureen op og tilsæt sukker og citronsaft. Kog marmeladen til den får den ønskede konsistens, ca. 7-8 minutter.

Skold glas og låg, og skyld dem med atamon. Fyld glassene mens de og marmeladen stadig er meget varme. 

Fjerne evt. skum der er dannet på marmeladen, inden den hældes på glas. Luk glassene tæt, og lad dem køle helt af.

Server abrikosmarmeladen på dit favorit brød  eller som sauce på is.

Velbekomme!