strawberry preserves: tellecheri & smokin'

a-picking we will go, a-picking we will go, high-ho the berry-oh, a-picking we will go.



actually we already went, julia, kate, shae and i. we had fun.

and of course we ate.



and took photos of what we ate of course.

...so then i got home with 15 pounds of strawberries. i escorted about a pound of the cutest, easiest looking ones here (more on that shenanigan in the coming days).

6 lbs were rinsed, hulled, tossed with the juice of two lemons & 7 cups of sugar, and put in the fridge to relax.

...and it's really quite amazing how fast the remaining 7 or so pounds just disappeared. i didn't make anything else with them. they just kinda

vanished into chomping teeth.

if you know what i mean.

anywayz, back to the 6 lbs in the fridge:



first, you must know that strawberries are not the easiest thing to set up for a year's worth of boxed-pectin free preserves.

i mean, in theory they are. but if you're really aiming for a true preserve, not a syrup, and you want the fresh taste of the berry to shine, with not a trace of that over-cookedness that can happen so easily in the thick of things - or the attempt there of. then it takes a little know-how





or a little luck.

or some of these:




here let me explain-

first, i split those 6 lbs into 3 & 3. put the first of such in my preserving pot and brought it to the boil. let it cool and put it back in the fridge for another night of rest. and did the same with the other half.

next day, i also did the trick (still in two batches) of separating the now-condensed berries from the syrup, boiling the syrup quickly to 221 degrees before adding back the berries. and bringing the whole thing back to the boil and cooking until the setting point.

these things peeps, i have done quite a few times in summers past. and in summers past once those berries were added i had to cook, and cook to get that syrup to set. and if i didn't want to cook, and cook, because i wanted the bright berryness to remain, then i had a bright tasting strawberry syrup.

but this year is different, this year i managed to pluck (just barely) enough final hangers-on off of my three wee gooseberry bushes to garner 1 & 1/2 cups of gooseberry pectin*

and tho i haven't mentioned this one to you before - there's a staple strawberry preserve in my repertoire, whose flavor-combo we adore, but who each year is riddled with the above.

but this year is different:

tellecheri strawberry

3 lbs strawberries, quickly rinsed in cold water, then hulled
juice of 1 lemon
3 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup gooseberry pectin*
15-20 fresh mint leaves
15-20 black peppercorns (preferably tellecheri) freshly ground - use a mortar & pestle if you can
candy thermometer
1/2 pint, or pint mason jars

yeild: approximately 2 pints

day 1
macerate strawberries, lemon juice and sugar in fridge overnight.

day 2
bring strawberries with syrup to the boil. pour back into bowl, let cool and macerate in fridge overnight.

day 3
1. put 3 small plates in the freezer for use in testing the set later. prepare your jars and canning pot. sterilize the jars in a boiling water bath and leave them in the canner until you are ready to use them.

2. separate the strawberries from the syrup. add the syrup & the gooseberry pectin to the preserving pot and bring to the boil. using a candy thermometer, boil until 221 degrees. add berries, mint and ground pepper. boil for 5 minutes. turn the heat off and test the set by placing a teaspoonful on a frozen plate and placing plate back in freezer for about 30 seconds. run your finger through and if you see a wrinkle underneath it is properly set.

3. fill jars and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes.

please do not cook and cook to get a thick set. if it wrinkles even slightly, and feels a bit jelly-like, it's done! this is the 5th year that i've made this combo and the difference in flavor upon truly cooking the berries for only 5 minutes is astonishing. the added gooseberry pectin is just what is needed to help the set along - and dare i say it sets the stage for the strawberry-ness to positively explode! the tellecheri & fresh mint add just the right amount of warmth and a bright herbal note.

this is a true preserve; it is not jammy. the jel is soft but full-bodied, not sticky. whole condensed & luscious fruits are perfectly preserved and suspended in mid-jel.

it is lovely.

...the other 3 lbs of berries, & sugar & lemon had a destiny that i wasn't 100% sure on. i had an idea tho, an inkling, a feeling, a stroke of genius

apparently.

...and a bag of the freshest tasting ground chipotle powder i ever did taste (bought on my recent trip to cali at the san fransisco farmers market).

smokin' strawberry

follow the ingredients & directions as above, just switch out the tellecheri black pepper and the mint for 3/4 to 1 teaspoon of chipotle powder (i used 1 full teaspoon).

ever have a hunch that turns into a revelation?

this was it for me.

the smoked chile slyly creeps up & lures the berries out of all their niceties. i swear they blush an even darker shade of crimson.

... and then it's like the strawberries huff & puff and blow your house down.

srsly.

it's all about this:
*gooseberry pectin
2 lbs gooseberries, topped & tailed (or chopped unripe apples, stemmed only)
place in sauce pan with 1 & 1/2 cups water and simmer for 45 minutes. mash the berries a bit with a slotted spoon.
strain for 6 hours in a jelly bag and strainer or fine-weaved cheese cloth in colander.

this should give you approximately 1 & 1/2 cups of pectin rich juice.

ok, i think that's enough roarin' in one fell fruit.