When Life Gives You Onions...

When life gives you onions, don't cry. You can always make jam! Granted, you may cry a little in the process, but it will be worth it in the end. Last year I made my first batch of jam with the last of the fresh summer tomatoes. Within a couple weeks we had devoured it and the summer farmer's markets were well over. Since then, I've been wanting to expand my jam repertoire. Thanks to Daniel's canning adventures last week and the extra mason jars we had lying around, I quickly felt the urge to jam.

Like many delights from the kitchen, making jam is not nearly as daunting a task as you may think. Just keep stirring! This onion jam recipe yields a buttery onion spread that offered a burst of sweetness and delectable onion flavor that will make even a piece of dry toast dance across your palate.I used vidalia onions for this recipe because they are sweeter and have a higher water content. More natural juice means you don't need to add liquid and more onion flavor.

Onion Jam

Although there are plenty of alternatives you could throw in our substitute, for this batch I wanted a strictly aromatic onion jam with a nice caramel color and a burst of sweet onion flavor.


3 lbs Vidalia Onions, halved and quartered
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 tbsp vinegar

1. Place oil and onions in medium stock pot. Season with salt and stir onion quarters to coat with oil. Place over medium heat and cover with tight fitting lid. Allow onions to cook 20-30 minutes until tender, checking s little as possible.
2. Add both sugars and vinegar. Stir to dissolve and coat onions evenly.
3. With medium heat, using a wooden spoon stir occasionally at first, and more often as it gets closer to being done. As you stir, use the spoon to begin squashing onions. Continue cooking and stirring until you reach desired consistency.
4. Place in glass jars, allow to cool, and seal.
5. Enjoy!

There are a plethora of options for you to choose from as you decide where to use your delicious homemade goodies. I already have plans to use it on a bacon tomato foccacia and am contemplating a savory thumbprint cookie. But, since we weren't going to be able to try them until this morning, I choose to use them in our breakfast fare atop some warm rosemary scented scones. Whatever you choose to use it on, you and whoever you choose to share it with will be delighted.

Rosemary Scented Scones

The rosemary in these provides a subtle herbaceous note that pairs beautifully with a slightly sweetened scone on its own, and becomes a delectable breakfast treat with the extra sweetness and onion goodness from your own onion jam

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Dried Rosemary Powder
4 Tbsp Butter
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Half & Half plus additional for brushing
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt for Sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with baking mat. Mix flours, baking powder, sugar, and rosemary in bowl to combine. Cut in butter until mixture resembles crumbs.
2. In a separate cup, mix egg and half & half. Once combined well pour over dry ingredients and stir until mixture just comes together.
3. Remove mixture from bowl (there may be some dry ingredients left behind, don't worry), and pat into a circle on baking sheet. Cut circle into 4 or 8 wedges depending if you want small or larger scones.
4. Separate across baking sheet and brush with half & half. Sprinkle with pink salt and place in oven.
5. Cook 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Sweet Pick Me Ups

Daniel and I have noticed (and are very very appreciative :)) of the rise in comments on our blog lately, so I thought it may be a little time for some reflection. Not too long ago, Eat Live Travel Write posted about why she began her blog, and although we've only been doing ours for a few months, its quickly become a part of our routine that is enjoyable and rewarding. It's interesting what our original thoughts about how the blog would shape up were in comparison to what it looks like. 

Because I like to bake, and Daniel likes to cook, we somewhat assumed my posts would mainly be baked goods or desserts, and Daniel would post on the never-ending experiments in the kitchen when he gets a chance to cook. Looking back, I realize that we are at the brink of the holiday season, and I haven't posted a single solitary sweet so far. As I began writing a post on this super-super-sweet Caramel Cashew Tart from a recent issue of Bon Appetit, I felt a slight twinge of guilt however. I know that I'm already overwhelmed trying to decide what to desserts to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm even lucky enough to have a few birthdays throw in the mix (my dad was a Christmas eve baby) with the extra excuse to make more, and am still feeling stressed at the decision. So, fear no more, you will not get a desert from me. Not today anyway.

Instead, I thought I'd offer you not one, but two breakfast treats to hold you over until your turkey, ham, tofurkey, etc., has finished or to please your out of town or overnight guests. The pumpkin scone recipe is still under construction. I've struggled with the pumpkin scone for sometime, as I would like a traditional scone texture, but would still like it to...I don't know...taste like pumpkin. These come pretty close to what I've been searching for. They're a little more chewy than the traditional scone, but either way they still pair nicely with a cup of coffee. I didn't want them overpoweringly sweet, so I dusted mine with a little bit of granulated sugar while they were still warm. Alternatively, you could of course add a cinnamon and powdered sugar glaze or a nice frosting swirl to achieve some extra sweetness.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3 tbsp chilled heavy cream plus more for glaze

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine first 10 ingredients in large bowl, blending well. Using back of fork or pastry cutter, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cranberries and toss to distribute evenly. Whisk heavy cream ,pumpkin, and egg to blend in small bowl. Gradually add pumpkin mixture to dry ingredients, stirring minimally until evenly moistened.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Gently knead to bind. Pat inf 3/4-inch-thick round. Cut the round into 6 wedges. Arrange scones on prepared sheet, spacing at least 1 inch apart. Brush scones with cream to glaze* (optional).

Bake scones until puffed and brown and tester inserted into centers comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Serve warm. 

The second breakfast treat pictured above are part of a batch of pumpkin biscotti from Simply Recipes . Suffice it to say, these were amazing. Daniel I think was a little bored with my overzealous use of pumpkin this fall, and he was not excited about the infamously dry hard biscotti, but these were quite tasty. The link to the recipe is posted above. I did have to bake mine a little longer and leave them out a little to dry, and of course I had to alter the spice's a little (or double the cinnamon, ginger, and cloves), but the cookies were quite tasty and the recipe was quick and simple getting them into the oven. 

Hope these ideas come in handy as you get ready!!

A Savory Breakfast Treat

One of the things Daniel and I enjoyed doing most for each other after we were married was to make breakfast for each other, trying infinite combinations in omelets and all forms of pancakes and waffles. We’ve somewhat slowed down significantly since then, and during the week breakfast is often not more than fruit or yogurt or cereal, unless we bake muffins or scones or bagels sometime earlier in the week. Since I’m on a break for the next week or so, I’ve enjoyed getting to make breakfast for Daniel again in the mornings, and this morning decided to try for a savory scone recipe.

Scones are definitely a hit or miss source of breakfast delight. The line between a crumbly dry flavorless biscuit, and a flaky, crumbly, melt in your mouth delicious scone is sometimes difficult to navigate. I’m ashamed to say that my first attempt at lemon poppy seed scones produced small inedible bricks that self-destructed at the slightest touch. Since then, I’ve learned that no, the butter does not need to be softened if you want an edible scone treat, and have expanded my scone repertoire to include sweet and savory combinations. Having picked up some delicious bacon from a local farm at this weeks farmers market, I decided to try a savory bacon scone, to pair with a tomato jam I’d prepared earlier in the week.

The scone recipe I used below is straightforward enough. To try to obtain more of a bacon flavor, I cut a little bit of the butter out of the recipe and substituted approximately one-half a tablespoon of the cooled grease from the fried bacon. The result was a slightly flakier scone, almost more buttermilk biscuit-like, but with a smoky bacon flavor permeating every bite. Overall, I was quite satisfied with the scone on its own. I’m typically a purist when it comes to a lot of breakfast foods. I don’t eat syrup on pancakes, butter on biscuits, etc. I’m not sure why, just habit I suppose. Nonetheless, I was really happy with the results of my tomato jam adapted from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine, so I decided to put the two together. As usual, the sweet pairing with the smoky, peppery bacon was both rewarding and satisfying, and gave us a quick, enjoyable breakfast for a few mornings.

Bacon Scones (Makes four scones)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

½ Tsp Salt

½ Tbsp Baking Powder

½ Tsp Sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp Cold Butter

½ Tbsp Bacon Grease

½ Cup Shredded Cheese (the obvious choice is cheddar, but I used Monterrey Jack since that’s what we had already shredded, you choose!)

1 Green Onion, diced, with diced scallion tops

Approx 4 Slices Bacon Fried Crisp and Crumbled (approx 2/3 Cup)

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream (Approximate, less maybe)

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease pan.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.

Using fingers or fork, work butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Mix in cheese, chives, and crumbled bacon. Until evenly distributed. Add cooled bacon grease and most of the cream. Stir quickly to combine. If dough still appears too crumbly and does not stay together, continue adding cream until dough comes together, mixing as little as possible. Divide evenly into four large, biscuit sized minds. Place on baking sheet and cook approximately 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on pan. Remove, and serve warm. Will keep in a covered container for a day or two, re-warm before serving.

Tomato Jam (adapted from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine)

Makes approximately eight ounces of jam

2 lb Tomatoes, very ripe
3/4 cup Sugar
¼ Tsp Ginger

½ Tsp Cinnamon

½ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Pinch of Salt

Chop Tomatoes in medium dice, discarding seeds and skins where easily removable.

Add all ingredients into stockpot and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce to low heat and let mixture reduce to a jam-like consistency, stirring occasionally (approx 1 hour). Once jam reaches desired consistency and has thickened, remove from heat and transfer to another container to cool.