Showing posts with label Citrus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Citrus. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Tomato Citrus Jam



I have been dying to make some tomato jam.  My family is a huge fan of tomatoes.  I found a recipe and experimented with the flavors a bit and decided that I really liked my version better.  

I added cinnamon, orange zest and orange pulp.  The orange added a unique citrus flavor profile.  I used the tomato jam as a condiment to our grilled cheese sandwiches.  The pictures show our favorite, open faced grilled cheese sandwiches.

I found the longer it sat in the refrigerator the more developed the jam became.  Although, it did not last that long because I could not stop eating it, maybe four or five days.



Tomato Citrus Jam
Makes roughly 1 cup of jam

1 1/2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 8)
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/2 orange, pulp and juice only
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (optional)


1.  To remove the skin from the tomatoes, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Cut an X on the top of each tomato and add to boiling water.  After one minute, remove and let cool for a minute or two.   The skin should peel easily in your hands. Cut tomatoes into medium sized pieces.

2.  Add the tomatoes and remaining ingredients to a medium sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Stirring often to prevent jam from burning.  Once jam has boiled for one minute, reduce heat to a simmer and let jam thicken.  Again, stir it every once in a while. The jam should take about an hour to reduce and thicken up.

3.  Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasonings.  Store in refrigerator.  Good for two weeks.



Written by Sherron Watson



Thursday, May 15, 2014

Citrus and Dill Salad Dressing


I know that summer is right around the corner and in our family this means a lot more salads are made. I wish I was better about eating salads all winter long.  The truth of that statement is, I am not.  Eating salads in the winter months becomes a game of bait and switch.  I buy the salad stuff and think in my mind that the green leaves will make the perfect lunch and then at the last minute I switch it to some form of comfort food like pasta or soup.

Every time around November I have the same pep talk with myself and manage to blow all promises out of the water of a greener winter.

Am I alone in this?

I have found that having salad dressing in the refrigerator helps.  I usually don't buy bottled dressing because I like to make it from scratch.

I find making homemade salad dressing fun.  I like combining my favorite flavors together. This dressing happened because I was writing up a piece about creating a "spa life at home" for Capital Style Magazine.  I was asked to share several recipes that were light and incorporated fresh ingredients.

The process of making a dressing for your family is simple.  If you have a selection of fresh herbs, seasonings, extra virgin olive oil, and something to invoke flavor--you have the fixings to create a dressing.  I used Dijon mustard and citrus juices to create most of the flavor in this dressing.  I then added fresh dill to build on the flavor profile I created.

You can easily substitute the juice and fresh herb to alter the final dressing.  Juices that I have used in the past are pomegranate, orange, pineapple and mango.  Herbs that I have used in the past are basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, mint and cilantro.   Instead of using Dijon mustard you could try a different variety of mustards: sweet, spicy, whole seed, etc....

Mix and match ingredients to find the perfect salad dressing for your family.

It doesn't have to be complicated.  Just use what you have on hand or what you have already purchased to go into your recipe.  This adds layers to your dish when you can find, as an example, lemon used multiple ways throughout a meal.  At least, I like to do this.

Enjoy!

PS:  I used this dressing for a salad that I made with salmon, lemon and dill.  I made the salmon into kabobs and served over a bed of lettuce.  The recipe can be found here. The kabobs are pictured above.




Citrus and Dill Salad Dressing

Makes 1/3 cup
Prep Time:  5 minutes

3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice
1 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon fresh dill, diced small
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons real maple syrup (sweetener)
Salt and pepper, to taste

1.  Combine all ingredients in small bowl.

2.  Whisk ingredients until well combined.

3.  Use immediately on salad.  Refrigerate leftovers for 1 week.

Written by Sherron Watson

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