I made that!

Sometimes I just shouldn’t be allowed near the farmer’s market. Yesterday was so pretty and sunny, it made the raspberries so shiny and pink…how could anyone refuse buying a whole flat? I was so giggly riding the bus home thinking about all the projects I was going to tackle. First up though: raspberry jam. Because it’s my fave…

It’s my first time making raspberry jam, and it’s super easy! I generally go with almost equal parts sugar to fruit (by weight), but with just a tad less sugar. I heated it on low for 10 minutes, to break down the berries a bit and dissolve the sugar. Then I boiled it for about 15 minutes, until it appeared set.

I put it in sterile jars and popped it in the fridge to cool and finish setting, and then got to work on some whole wheat english muffins to spread it on…yummmm…

We are now officially overflowing in homemade jam. But I can’t stop making it.

RECIPE – Raspberry Jam:

2 lbs raspberries

1.75 lbs sugar (but this really depends on how tart your berries are)

– Heat in pot on low for 10 minutes to dissolve sugar.

– Once dissolved, bring to rapid boil and cook for about 15 minutes (this time changes depending on your quantity of berries), or until set. 

– Immediately pour into sanitized jars and seal.

RECIPE – English Muffins (adapted from Nick Malgieri):

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast 

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (you can just use all-purpose if you like)

2 tsp salt

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

4 tbsp (2 oz) butter, melted

1 tbsp honey

cornmeal for pan

– Whisk together flours, instant yeast, and salt in bowl.

– Mix together warm water, melted butter and honey in bowl. Add to flour mixture.

– Knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If too wet, add a bit more flour.

– Transfer to a floured baking sheet and pat down to be 1″ thick.

– Let chill, loosely covered with plastic in fridge for 15 minutes (or overnight if you wrap tightly).

– Roll out on floured surface to a bit more than 3/16″ thick. Use a round cutter to cut circles. Knead scraps together and place back in fridge to chill for another 15 minutes before rolling out again.

– Let circles rest at room temperature, covered with a towel, until almost doubled in size (the time depends on how hot your kitchen is, crank the heat up and it will go faster).

– When dough is ready, heat up cast iron skillet over medium – low heat. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook 1 muffin at a time until you get the heat right. Sometimes it takes a few rounds to get the heat right, but basically you want your muffin to cook through with 8-9 minutes on each side. I get paranoid and always place them in the oven for 10 minutes after cooking on the skillet.

– Let them cool and toast and dig in!