Thursday, July 25, 2013

Christine Ferber's Jam~



The book itself is a gift in itself~♥
Different jams that I  am used to and by the Queen of Confitures no less..







I decided to make 1/2 of one of her recipes..

Strawberry~Mint~Cracked black pepper~
I loved the fact that you macerate for 2 days..one day ..well overnight..with the srawbs ,lemon juice and sugar..cover with parchment..


I used a white porcelain bowl..and did just that..
the next day you bring everything to a simmer..cover again and return to macerate again overnight~
The next day..
You sieve your mixture through a fine sieve..I had bought this jelly/jam gadget more than 3 years ago and it was still new in packaging..
FUN to use and it works perfectly..patience ..when waiting for the juice to flow..every last drop..counts~
Return the juice to a a pot and bring to a boil.. when it reaches 221 degrees F..or 105 C..it should be the right consistency..return the drained strawberries to the pot of hot syrup and add mint leaves and cracked pepper.. boil for ap another 5 minutes..check for set as she said:)

My recipe made almost 2 full Bonne Maman jam jars..1/2 jar is finished,already.
I would probably cook mine a bit longer or bring my thermometer to 230 F..or test it..:)
My jam is a bit runny..but Jacque's mom made hers runnier  and he loves that..
When he ate it with fresh scones the next morning he said..:"Il n'y a pas une confiture commerciale qui goûte  bonne  comme une  faite à la maison"♥
He's right!




When all was done..the apron and the jelly bag got washed and put to dry in the brilliant sunshine..The bag ..looked brand new..not one spot of berry.The sun:)



La Recette~
From the book Mes Confitures~ Christine Ferber~
Can be found..in it's entirety..here!

I was just about to type everything out.. and then Googled..and here it was..from another fave of mine:)

Her disclaimer about canning etc ..so true..I always sterilize and 80% of the time..water bathe..
But for the little amount I was making..and honestly I don't know if my mother-in -law ever water bathed her preserves..
I threw caution to the wind.. and did what she said:) and what a good friend said..or said her friend's aunt in Paris does..:)
I did sterilize my Bonne Maman jars..in the oven:) the lids in boiling water..

Put the jam in.. and lidded and flipped..
The top caved in..and they were xtremely hard to pop open..and as I mentioned..:
Ces confitures vont disparaître dans le temps de le dire..~
Which means these perserves will disappear before you know it..in  a heartbeat..etc:)In a blink of the eye..





Like a good summer..a good book..cookbook or other.. has no ending~









35 comments:

  1. ~Oh Mon, you are amazing, talented and of course very patient, my favorite color Red..and seeing that beautiful picture of Lucas makes my heart happy!

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    1. That photo of Lulu makes me happy too..
      As you know..Caroline took it with her phone..:)
      Amazing..
      Jacques says we need to trade in my antique phone:~
      Talk to him..
      No phone is big enough to take a photo and then trace on...

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  2. What a lovely way to preserve summer and what a lovely book! To answer your question, I have the Canon Rebel T11. It did come with two lenses. I have taken one on-line photography course but it wasn't about food. I need to bone up on some lighting techniques for sure. Your photos are always so lovely. What kind of camera do you have?

    Best,
    Bonnie

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    1. Bonnie..I have an older XSI I have heard great things about yours!
      It's just luck if some photos are better than others in my case.. and no flash..There is a small lens that probably fits on your camera that is good for low light..That is usually under $100.00..Google best lens for low light under $100.00 for your camera..the 2 kit leneses are good too..but many use that reasonable one for food.. :)
      I have an Oly I love but better for outdoors as in low light it won't even shoot:(

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  3. You're photo's are so lovely, I am having a horrid day today and popping by here always cheers me up xx

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  4. Love the photos and the story. It has been many years since I canned on a regular basis but I can see myself doing it in small batches.

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    1. That's what I am doing:) I just made a small pot of blueberry like the serviceberry..Jacques is the only one who eats it:)
      I do taste it though..
      With all your great baking and cooking..it would be a treat for you to have some small jars~

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  5. Love that you've used black pepper in your jam. How fun it must be to open one of these pretty jars in the dead of winter.

    My mother would have loved (and needed as well) your jelly/jam gadget. She made blackberry jam and every wooden spoon in the kitchen had some black stains on them from the berries. Hope you have a lovely weekend Monique.
    Sam

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  6. Monique, Even your jam is pretty. I love the idea of adding black pepper to jam.

    ~Ann

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  7. De belles photos qui donnent envie d'un bout de brioche et de confiture.
    Il est vrai que le poivre réhausse le goût des fruits, c'est très bon.
    Quand je pense aux scones...

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    1. Oui.. justement..les beaux scones de ton billet!

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  8. What can I say but the jam and your pics are gorgeous! The berries look like little red jewels in the jar...
    This post made me very happy....
    Bisous xo

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    1. The whole thing made me happy:)
      It's amazing how getting something into a jar and having your husband say every morning..C'est bon:)!
      40 yrs ago.. he was nice to even eat my food..

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  9. I adore the photo of the jam being strained through the jam bag. Yummm!!

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    1. Patricia..I wish I could get my way around posting at your home..
      I have to become a public Google something..is there a way around that?
      Thanks Patricia!

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  10. Great pics! I thought Bonne Maman was really good jam until I made homemade. It is good, but you can't beat homemade. I think making big is behind me. I too like small batches.

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  11. Adding black pepper to jam sounds inviting. Your photos are so pretty!

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  12. A wonderful book and delightful jam! I should make more jams... Generally, I get mine from my one of my friends and my BF's mother. ;-)

    Cheers,

    Rosa g

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  13. A fascinating recipe! I'm not sure I will make it, as I'm in love with my 20 minute jam recipe, but fun to read, Nana. I am in LOVE with your jelly bag - and that gorgeous photo of the jelly beading through. Gorgeous.
    Have a grand weekend!

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    Replies
    1. Amazing the things we fall in love with..not diamonds..not fancy items..:)
      Jelly bags!

      So true.
      Have a great weekend everyone..
      Rosa.. what a treat tto be gifted with jam from someone you love~

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  14. Homemade jam tastes so good in the dead of winter (it it makes it that long). Love your little jelly bag. I bet that is something you have had for years. The addition of mint and black pepper is very interesting.

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    1. Can you believe I only bought it 3-4 yrs ago..From Amazon when we were in the states..and had never used it.
      I love the whole thing about it..the set-up..the feeling..
      I'm funny that way:)

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  15. I made this exact jam last year, love it!

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    1. I must go see if you posted it..
      Yelena we ate an heirloom tomato salad yesterday..recipe was on the Food and Wine newsletter..I thought of you:)
      Yours should have been in teh newsletter~

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  16. Very lovely!
    Yesterday a local boulangerie was making their strawberry jamin big copper pots out on the pavement..perhaps because of the heat..?
    Ah the smell of it!

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    1. Bonjour Carol..
      Went to the market and came home with apricots..wonder why?:)

      That must have been a gorgeous sight~

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  17. How beautiful your jam is, Monique! If I see a good sale on organic strawberries I would love to try making a small batch too. I love strawberry jam on a toasted English muffin! On a scone sounds even better. Jacques certainly has good taste :) I even have a pot of mint on the patio and I'm sure it's wondering what it's doing there as I haven't used any of it so far this year.

    Love the jam strainer with the drop of juice, apron, book, and the reader :)

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    1. Better in a pot than in the ground..like mine..running around everywhere!
      Oy.
      Do try it Susan..:) English muffins remind me of home and pouring Molasses on them..every nook and cranny filled:)

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  18. I don't know how I have missed these new posts Monique. I have been using Blog Lovin, and it doesn't always arrive when it should or complete! Your jam looks fabulous and sounds even more fabulous. What a lovely book. Don't you think that anything automatically tastes better in a Bon Maman jar? I do. Your little sweetheart at the end is adorable. I love to see a child reading. Such a blessing. If you can read and enjoy it, you are never alone . . . xxoo

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  19. I know how you feel re books Marie.. and I do like things in these jars:) And Ball..and Weck..:) and...
    I am missing some blogs too..I am sure it will all iron out!

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  20. I love making jams and just ordered the book at the library. Thanks for the recipe!

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  21. How lovely! I'm not very experienced at jam making -- a quick turn on the stove or microwave and then some rest time. I should try this -- thanks for sharing it!

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  22. I love makong jam and this cook sounds amazing!

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  23. This sounds so delicious and very unique. What an interesting preparation. It's so pretty in that jar though, I'm not sure I could bear to eat it. Then it would be gone. Sad.

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  24. Jacques eats it all:)All:)
    I love making it and looking at it..
    Just made an apricot one..:)
    The book is good!
    It's really not that long once you get into it:)

    Just made another baych and it seemd to take no time!

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