Bonnie's Jams

A Chicken Pen of One’s Own

Bonnie — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 01:24:49 +0000

For some time now I have wanted to own a small pen of chickens nestled away in one corner of my Cambridge garden. Not pets exactly, but rather productive creatures clucking away doing their egg production while I am in the kitchen trying new jam concoctions. This idea is not new to me. I grew up with chickens – separated some from the rest of the house by a stretch of lawn – but nonetheless there all the same. The sounds,the rustling and frangrance captivating.
So the question is!. Can chickens legally reside in the people’s republic 2. How do they manage to survive a (real) New England weather?

Thoughts?

Naan pizza with Bonnie’s Apricot Orange jam

Bonnie — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:37:07 +0000

I love getting great recipes that use my jams as ingredients. Jodie Lynn Boduch of Much Ado Marketing sent the following – hey Jodie, send photos!!

Ingredients:

3-4 slices Prosciutto, cut crosswise into ½” strips
Apricot Orange Jam (from Bonnie’s Jams), about 2 Tbsp.
Arugula
Bleu Cheese
Olive oil
Naan (Indian flatbread)

Directions:

Spread a thin layer of apricot orange jam on the naan. Note: do not use too much jam, or it will make the pizza too sweet and wet.
Place sliced prosciutto on the jam, and then cover with a thin layer of arugula and sprinkle with bleu cheese.
Lightly oil the top of the pizza and place in a 400oF oven for about 10-15 minutes. Check occasionally to ensure pizza does not burn.

From Jodie: “This is an EXCELLENT pizza recipe that we got from Chef Patrick Farrell at Cedar St. Grille in Sturbridge, MA. It’s a good blend of sweet and savory and would be a great appetizer to any meal.”

Confusion Pie Redux

Bonnie — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:08:36 +0000

Some time ago I wrote about Confusion Pie – if you need reminding – at the end of summer both summer berries and fall fruits fill the bins at local markets and farm stands. What to do with such abundance? Put on an extra warm layer of clothes, go with fall and make the apple pie that screams the season or stay with summer even though there is the cold snap sounding the end of the season? Make a choice? I am never good with choices – I always want it all and so I went with confusion and put the two together. I neglected to add the photo of the tiny individual pies I made. Here is the long lost photo of the big event.

Coffee

Bonnie — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:56:12 +0000

Bonnie loves coffee. Especially in Rome

Thanksgiving ready!

Bonnie — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 15:38:57 +0000

I probably should not admit this but I love the preparations for Thanksgiving. All of the elements are pure bliss for me. Today, I am gathering the “stuff” to decorate the table – thinking pears lined up with orange and yellow flours in jam jars of course. One year my daughter sprayed every other one gold. When they started decaying a week later I was caught off guard. Also making the parsnip soup, baking the pumpkins for the pies, cutting up the squash and re-checking ingredients. As often happens with elaborate dinners, I forget some dish as the dinner unfolds. This year a large menu is attached magnet to the refrigerator. Now to remember to check.

Easy Jam Apps

Bonnie — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:25:33 +0000

Serve with your favorite cheese

Brush Apricot Orange or Peach Ginger on fish, pork or poultry

Make a tart- spread on Pastry dough and bake

Spoon some on top a soft goat cheese spread on a round cracker

Mix with whipped cream and mound on angel food cake

Mix into Greek yogurt

Spread on hot french toast

Spoon over pancakes

Mix a tablespoon into a martini

Fill a thumbprint cookie

Use jam on an upgraded PB&J

Mix some Apricot Orange or Peach Ginger into simple rice

Add some chili to the Peach Ginger and serve with shrimp

Spoon on ice cream

Serve Black & Blue with roast pork

Slather ribs with Apricot Orange

Roast chicken wings with Red Pepper Jelly

Mix a little into quinoa with some scallions & nuts

Spread on hot scone

Roast Duck with Black & Blue Jam Sauce

Bonnie — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:18:51 +0000

Roast Duck with

Black and Blue Jam Sauce

This recipe reminds me of a Danish dish with lingonberries. Duck seems to demand sweetness and this Black & Blue jam adds a little complexity that works well when the duck is all crispy.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped
1 jar Bonnie’s Black and Blue jam
two star anise
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 whole ducks, trimmed of excess fat, giblets discarded

Directions:

Prepare black and blueberry sauce: heat black and blue jam in a saucepan with star anise and vinegar.
If whole star anise is used, remove and discard them. put sauce in bowl, cover and allow to cool.
Prepare ducks: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place ducks on a rack in a roasting pan. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours, periodically draining off fat in pan. Raise heat to 400 degrees, and roast an additional 30 minutes to crisp skin.
To serve, remove ducks from oven and place on a carving board. Cut each duck into four pieces. Cut away meat from rib cage, discarding rib bones. Arrange on a serving platter, crispy skin side up. Serve with Black and Blue sauce. Fresh Blackberries and blueberries can be used as a garnish.

Bitter +Sweet salad

Bonnie — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:43:03 +0000

I made a sublime salad last night – try it! – baby arugula with some sweet stuff to tame it and no jam in sight! That gnarly green bramble that makes the most graceful diner look awkward needs taming and tampering with something sweet don’t you think? This time of year I buy pomegranates and have big bowls of clementines for their beauty more than any utilitarian use. Last night I scattered segments of clementines and seeds from pomegranates into the greens, added a dose of some good olive oil and squeeze of lemon and created a most sublime treat. The bright colors of deep green, bright orange and red were worthy of some country’s flag and the taste worthy of an independent state!

Harvest Italian Style

Bonnie — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:03:35 +0000

I grew up with the delicious opportunity to pick fruit from trees and bushes. I have never gotten over it the delight of it all. So when an opportunity presents itself to gather edibles from their natural setting, I am there – if I can. Nancy Jenkins olives are ready for picking and here I am mired in work and only living vicariously. I can visualize her hillside Tuscan house, the smell of the trees loaded with olives,the nets spread underneath, the sound of the hunters tracking cinghialli and the prospect of porcini sauteed for a pasta dinner. Next year Nancy!

Sweet Ceremony

Bonnie — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:45:32 +0000

Peach Ginger jam slathered on a piece of toast with a touch of fresh ricotta is one of my favorite beginnings to a day. But maybe the attention to the details of constructing this little morsel separates the moment. A little ceremony in the spirit of a different take on a “tea ceremony”. Now for an ending to the day. Any thoughts will be considered.