Chile Jam Recipe (Homemade Habanero Sauce)

Last season, my husband Lulu harvested so many peppers from the garden that I had to make a lot of preserves to use them up. If you've been following me on Facebook, I didn’t get a lot of sleep over the weekend because of an over-dose of caffeine. I went on a cleaning spree to pass the time, and while I was tidying up, I found our last jar of chile jam. We used a combination of red Habanero (which is probably the spiciest chile you'll ever taste), red Thai chiles and a small red bell pepper to temper the heat. Still, this recipe will knock your socks off!

When Lulu and I first got married, I remember him calling me a wimp when it came to spicy food. I used to find black pepper spicy! But over the last 6 years, I've learned to enjoy it. I guess marrying into an Indian family helped numb my taste buds. For Father's Day, we held a contest on who would be able to stand eating intensely spicy cuisine. Daddy, my father-in-law, is an expert and of course, he won, but I was able to do better than the girls.

Daddy said the chile jam wasn't as spicy as he had expected but if you're not as tolerant of the heat, prepare a tall glass of milk on the side and enjoy with some toast.

Homemade Tangerine Kumquat Marmalade Recipe

Every year, we make preserves with the fruits from the garden. As I told you in a recent post, I had it all planned out so that nothing would go to waste and was determined to create Orangina soda. I used the kumquat pulp for the syrup of the drink and used all the kumquat rind for marmalade. To repeat the same flavors of the soft drink, I added tangerine to the marmalade as well. To make the marmalade a bit fancier, I added some vanilla beans and vanilla extract at the end.

Making marmalade is labor intensive, so gather some friends and family to get through the process. Rest assured that your efforts will be rewarded. We cooked and canned 13 pounds of fresh kumquats. If sealed properly, you can keep the jars of marmalade for a year. Good luck holding on to it that long though. The girls have already gone through two jars! The sweet fragrance of the kumquats and vanilla is intoxicating. Spread a little (or a lot) on a slice of buttered toast, pour yourself a cup of tea and enjoy. It's the perfect way to start the day!

Poached Figs in Puff Pastry

Our garden is very abundant with figs this season. I gathered a full basket of large brown Turkey figs; they're re fairly wide and about 3 inches long. I love their flavor; they have a copper-colored skin, pinkish pulp and very few seeds. They are simply delicious and perfect for baking.

I poached them first in heavy syrup and wrapped them in puff pastry. It's a pretty easy dessert to make but sure to wow your guests.

Mulberry Jam Recipe

Mulberries look similar to blackberries, but they taste totally different. They are a combination of sweet, tart and peppery flavors.  They are native to India, Pakistan and Iran.  I believe the leaves are used to cultivate silkworms.

Lulu's dad, who is from India, loves mulberries.  I think they remind him of his childhood.  We always catch him red-handed when he sneaks out to the garden to pick mulberries. Mulberries are very difficult to pick without their leaking a little bit of juice. His white shirt and hands get stained with the juice of the berries and he comes back to the house with a grin on his face.

The darker they are, the better they taste. Daddy gathered a bunch of the fruit but the girls ate a lot of them and left me about a quart. No ripe mulberries were left on the tree. But what was left was more than enough to make some jam for breakfast. I made the jam so that we could enjoy mulberries during the fall and winter, but I have a feeling they won't make it that far!

Kumquat Preserves

As promised, here is the recipe for the kumquat preserves that I used with the homemade yogurt (without using a yogurt maker) that I made a few weeks back.

Surprisingly, whereas the best part is the skin while eaten fresh, the inside white membrane of the kumquat becomes the best part of the fruit once it's preserved. It has a creamy sweetness to it.  The kumquat-infused syrup is a perfect sweetener for any desserts or drinks.  Be creative!