These preserves are the result of a co-worker’s citrus bounty from his backyard tree.  He brought in a bag of delicious, juicy oranges a few days ago, and I was the happy recipient of what was left at the end of the day, under the condition ‘bring me a jar of whatever you make‘.  Sounds fair to me.

I have been enjoying these preserves on toast, mixed into plain yogurt, and on top of creamy vanilla ice cream.  I imagine the preserves would also be delicious mixed into homemade buttermilk cheese (minus the thyme and lemon), heated and drizzled over pork, or as a glaze to cooked chicken thighs.  With it’s subtle mix of sweet and savory flavors, the possibilities are numerous…

And just a quick note about preserve making and canning: while it is entirely possible to make pickles and preserves without specialized equipment (jar lifter, lid lifter, canning funnel, etc), these tools are really useful and make the process much simpler.  And they’re cheap!  I think you can get a jar lifter + magnetic lid lifter + canning funnel for about $12 total.  It’s absolutely worth it.  I don’t have a special water bath canner, but instead use my 12 qt. stock pot, which works like a charm.

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Five Spice Orange Preserves
Adapted from Christine Ferber’s Mes Confitures
makes about six 1/2 pints

2 1/2 lbs Granny Smith Apples
4 2/3 c. sugar, plus 1 c.
About 3 lbs oranges, or 2 c. 1 oz juice and pulp
3 c. 2 oz water, plus 7 oz
2 attractive medium sized oranges
Juice of 1 small lemon
3/4 t. Chinese five-spice powder (a mixtures of cloves, cinnamon, anise, ginger, star anise, and ginger)
2 or 3 three inch pieces of cinnamon stick (optional)

Special Equipment:
6 half pint canning jars with two piece lids.

Rinse the apples in cold water.  Remove the stems and cut them in quarters without  peeling.  Put them in a preserving pan and cover with about 3 1/2 c. water.  Bring to a boil and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.

Collect the juice of the apples by pouring the apple mixture into a fine sieve, pressing lightly on the fruit to extract the juices.  Filter a second time through a clean handkerchief or cheesecloth that has been previously wet and wrung out.  Refrigerate the juice overnight.

The next day, measure 2 c. 1 oz of the juice, leaving in the bowl any sediment that formed during the night.

Sterilize the jars and lids by 1) boiling the lids and rings in a medium saucepan for about 5 minutes; leave the lids in the water until ready to use, and 2) place the empty jars on a baking sheet and place in a 225 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat and leave jars in the oven until ready to use.

Squeeze the 3 lbs of oranges.  Measure 2 c. 1 oz juice and put the seeds into a cheesecloth bag.

Wash and brush the 2 oranges under cold water and cut them into very thin round (1/8 – 1/16 inch or so).  In a preserving pan, poach them with 1 c. sugar and 7 oz water.  Cook at a boil until the slices are translucent, about 15-20 minutes  Add the apple juice, orange juice, lemon juice, five spice powder, cinnamon sticks, 4 2/3 c. sugar, and the seeds in the cheesecloth bag.  Bring to a boil, stirring gently.  Skim.  Continue cooking on high heat for about 10 -15 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove the cheesecloth bag of seeds.  Check the set*.  Put the jam into jars, close with two piece lids (lid + ring), and process in a boiling water bath for about 8 minutes.  Allow to cool, and enjoy!

*To check the set, I typically place a small plate in the freezer when I start boiling the preserves.  When the preserves are nearly set, I do the ‘wrinkle test’.  Spoon about 1/2 t. of the preserves onto the cold plate, place in the freezer for about 2-3 minutes, remove, then press the preserves with your finger.  If it wrinkles, it is ready; if it looks more like honey, keep cooking it.  For a more exact approach, use a candy thermometer — the preserves should be set around 220 degrees F.

Shrimp Louis with Homemade Thousand Island
Serves 2

Thousand Island Dressing:
1 1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. chili sauce (something with some sweetness and not *too* spicy)
1/4 c. roasted red pepper, finely chopped
1 large hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
3 T. cornichons (or regular dill pickles), finely chopped
2 T. smooth dijon mustard
2 T. capers, finely chopped
2 T. green onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper
20-40 dashes hot pepper sauce (Tabasco, etc. to taste)

Salad:
8 large leaves romaine lettuce, cut into ribbons, approximately 6 c. total
2-3 T. cilantro, chopped
2/3 lb. cooked, shelled shrimp (about 15-20)
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 a small persian cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces
10 pimento stuffed green olives
1 hard boiled egg, cut into wedges
6 slices cooked bacon

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl.  Season to taste.

In a large bowl combine the lettuce and cilantro.  Add 4-6 T. of dressing, and toss until well coated.  Add more dressing if the salad looks dry.

Divide lettuce mixture on two plates.  Artfully arrange shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and egg on top of salad.  Top with bacon slices.  Serve with a small amount of dressing on the side, if desired.  Enjoy!

**Note:  There will be leftover dressing

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I have been craving some serious American food as of late.   A week ago I had the overwhelming urge to make meatloaf.  Then it was chili.  Then it was deviled eggs.  This past weekend I was dying for pulled pork + coleslaw + eastern north carolina bbq sauce.  Today the craving was shrimp louis salad with thousand island dressing…

Reality check, reality check… no, this isn’t the 1960’s…  I actually *like* Louis salads — shrimp, crab, lobster — let me have it!

In german grocery stores there is something that *vaguely* resembles thousand island dressing called (embarrassingly) “American” dressing.  It has the same pale orange color, but the similarities end there.  When I think of Thousand Island dressing, I think of something tasty but with mixed connotations — perhaps bourgeois, perhaps unsophisticated, but still rich and well flavored.  It should be thick and creamy, a little pickle-y, a bit tomato-y, rich but not overly so, a little spicy, even a little sour…  This “American” dressing in the grocery store just wouldn’t cut it, so I decided to make my own, which was a good decision indeed.

Made with ingredients that are typically on-hand, this is a great dinner for a night when you don’t really feel like cooking.  It helps if you have some hard boiled eggs ready and some already cooked bacon, but by nature, this is am improvised salad.  If you don’t have any bacon on hand and don’t feel like cooking it, then don’t bother.  It’s still good (though of course, everything is better with bacon:) )  Same with the eggs, and with any of the toppings. Make due with what you have — I am sure you won’t be disappointed.

Bärlauch Roasted Chicken
Adapted from The River Cottage Meat Book

1 3-4 lb chicken
7 T. butter, room temperature
1 small bunch wild garlic (bärlauch), finely chopped
~ 1 T. finely chopped parsley
salt and pepper
1/2 c. chicken stock, wine, vegetable stock, or water

Preheat the oven to 425.

In a medium bowel, mix the butter, wild garlic, and parsley until well combined.  Add a healthy dash of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan.  Remove any trusses from the chicken, gently pull the legs away from the body a bit, and enlarge the cavity so that hot air will be able to circulate all around and into the chicken.  Rub the chicken all over outside and in with the herb butter.

Place the chicken in the middle of the hot oven.  Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 350.  Baste the chicken with the juices that have run off.  Pour the stock, wine, or water into the bottom of the roasting pan (not over the chicken).  Roast for an additional 35-40 minutes, until the juices from the thigh area run clear.

Turn off the oven, and open the oven door a bit.  Let the chicken rest for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and carve directly in the pan, letting the pieces fall into the juices.  Serve, and enjoy!

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Back in the US, nettles are my favorite wild food.  Here in Germany, it’s bärlauch, also known as wild garlic or bear garlic.

On Sunday Steven and I rented a car and went for a hike near the small town of Coppenbrügge, which is nestled at the end of a 13 mile long tree-covered ridge.  The first mile was pretty grueling — it was steep! — but once we reached the top of the ridge, the terrain was gentle.  The views of the Niedersachsen countryside were pretty spectacular; there are many rapeseed farms around here, and currently the fields are full of glorious, bright yellow blooms.

Besides the view, the other remarkable part of the hike was the wild garlic — for miles and miles the forest floor was thickly covered in it!  At first I wasn’t sure if this green plant with broad leaves was the bärlauch I’ve heard so much about, but after a while, the smell made things pretty clear — wild garlic has a strong smell, but it’s sweeter and less pungent than regular garlic.  It’s strong, but not overt.  My guess is you will know it when you smell it.

When we got home, it seemed entirely appropriate to make a bärlauch roasted chicken for dinner.  Simple and hearty, it was the perfect post-hike meal.  I served it alongside spicy butter-fried zucchini, crusty bread, and a glass of dry white wine.

Bärlauch is plentiful these days, but it’s new to me and I don’t really know that many things to do with it.  if you have ideas or have cooked with it before, I’d love to hear about it!

I’m off to Germany for a two week work trip — if I have time I’ll be searching out some tasty and traditional german food!  Do you have any suggestions of foods I shouldn’t miss??