The day has finally arrived! Freakin’ Flamingo is LIVE!

What is Freakin’ Flamingo, you ask? It’s my brand-spanking-new online store, selling my handmade, micro-batch jams, marmalades, and whatever else I feel like canning and sharing with you! All with a South Florida / Caribbean vibe and made in season. Super-limited edition, if you will, because, when it’s gone – it’s gone. Whatever little of it there was in the first place.

I’m also selling some of my very favorite Oxford Falls products, like the Vegan Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce and the Dix Fried Green Tomato Salsa (which we eat by the jar around my house, and goes into a lot of my cooking!).

Please stop by and let me know what you think. Or better yet, buy something. Well, you know…

I can’t get over that this is the 11th Can Jam! This year, with all of its ups and downs, has been really inspiring to me on so many levels.

I’m on a ginger kick, lately. I have to put it in just about everything! So, when I found this recipe for Apple Ginger Jam, and the Cosmic Cowgirl announced that the Can Jam theme this month would be Apples, Pears, and Quinces, the stars aligned once again!

Apple Ginger Jam (makes 8 half-pints)

(adapted from Clearly Delicious – An Illustrated Guide to Preserving, Pickling & Bottling by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz)

Ingredients:

2-1/2 lbs. cooking apples (I used the venerable Granny Smith)
2 large lemons
2 tsp. ground ginger
3 cups water
5 cups sugar
1/4 cup chopped candied ginger (or more to taste)

Preparation:

Place a couple of small dishes in the freezer.

Peel, core, and coarsely chop the apples, reserving the peels and cores. Put the peels and cores in some cheesecloth or another clean cloth and set aside, then put the fruit into a large saucepan.

Finely grate the zest of the lemons, using a Microplane or similar grater, then juice the lemons and add the zest and juice to the pot (I added the juiced lemon “shells” to the cloth, too), along with the ground ginger and water. Now tie up the cloth “bag” and add that to the pot, as well. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Remove the cloth “bag”, squeezing as much of the juices out of it as you can, add the sugar to the pot, and stir till completely dissolved. Bring back to a rapid boil and continue to cook without stirring for an additional 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and do a gel test by putting a little of the liquid on one of the frozen plates and return to the freezer for 2 minutes. If the liquid wrinkles when you push it with your fingernail or the tip of a spoon, you’re ready to jar up. If the liquid remains runny, return the pot to the heat, bring back up to a boil and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Repeat the test and then repeat cooking/testing if necessary.

After removing from the heat finally, stir in the chopped crystallized ginger.

Fill sterilized jars with the hot jam, cover with appropriately prepared lids and rings, tightened finger-tight, and process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes (adjusted for altitude).

You know the rest of the drill by now: Remove the hot jars to a towel or newspaper-covered surface, listen for the pinging of your seals, and check the seals in 24 hours to make sure everything is kosher.

*Notes:

It’s a bit tricky to get that bag of stuff out of that boiling hot pot and then squeeze the juices out, and do it safely. I have a colander that fits perfectly over the rim of the pot I used. When I lifted the bag out of the pot with a pair of tongs, I slipped the colander under it and put it in there. Then I took a sturdy wooden spoon and smooshed the bejeebers out of it, so everything went directly back into the pot, and Look, Ma! No burns! If you have a pair of those silicone waterproof oven mitts, you could probably just squeeze it with your hands. But the colander method worked for me.

Oh. Em. Gee. I can’t believe how good this stuff turned out! I want to eat it on toast, I want to eat it with cheese, I even wanted to figure out how to put it in other stuff! In fact, I did mix it with softened cream cheese, slapped it between two squares of puff pastry, and drizzled some dulce de leche over it to make one darned decadent dessert: Apple Cream Napoleons with Dulce de Leche. Talk about over the top! I am so glad there are seven more jars of this stuff waiting for me… I might just make another batch!

Okay – what’s next?

I made some Apple Ginger Jam for next week’s Tigress’ Can Jam (here’s the jam recipe), and I started thinking of various things I can do with it. Well, besides spreading it on a toasted bagel. Here’s the first thing I thought of: Apple Cream Napoleons With Dulce De Leche. Sinful, ain’t they?

I can not tell a lie. I was inspired by this blog post by my friend Jim at Oxford Falls. I read that, and the inspiration light bulb went off over my head. Also, I was in the middle of making jam at the time.

Apple Cream Napoleons With Dulce De Leche
(makes 6)

Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4 oz. cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
4 Tbs. Apple Ginger Jam (or your favorite jam)
1 recipe dulce de leche (follows)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400º.

Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature for about 30 minutes. On a floured surface, gently unfold and roll it out to a square, roughly 13″ x 13″. Now, you’re not going to get a perfect square – who’s kidding who, here? – so take a knife or a bench scraper and square it off to 12″ x 12″. I really did use a measuring tape that I keep in a kitchen drawer just for the purpose. Seriously.

With the knife or bench scraper, cut 12 squares about 3″ x 3″ and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. I left mine puffy, but if you prefer your squares a bit flatter, dock them by poking them a few times with a fork. Brush each square with a bit of water and sprinkle with sugar of your choice (I used demerara). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool (which will take only a few minutes).

In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a spoon until fluffy. Add the jam and stir to combine. Spread this mixture on half of the puff pastry squares and top each with a plain square.

Serve as is, or drizzle (okay, I used a heavy drizzle) with warmed dulce de leche.

Dulce de leche is a rich milk caramel sauce, hugely popular in the Spanish-speaking world, and a flavor that’s becoming more and more popular here in the U.S. Heck, even the Girl Scouts have a dulce de leche cookie! The secret’s out and you can make your own at home. Spread it on your toast, spoon it over ice cream, drizzle it over fresh fruit or just about any plain dessert you want to make a little extra-special.

Making the dulce de leche is the easiest thing on the planet, but it does take a bit of advance planning, attention, and care.

Dulce De Leche

Ingredient:

1 or 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

Preparation:

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Remove any labels and put the unopened can(s) of sweetened condensed milk in the pot of boiling water, reduce heat slightly so that the water continues to boil a bit less violently. Allow to boil for 2 hours, taking care to keep the water level over the tops of the cans at all times. Keep a kettle of hot water available to top off the pot when the water level drops.

Notice I said “when the water level drops.” It will. Check on the pot every 15 – 20 minutes and top off the pot when needed. Do not allow the pot to boil dry, as it’s possible that the can(s) could explode. I’ve never had it happen to me, but I’m paranoid. A little paranoia is never a bad thing.

Remove the can(s) from the water and allow to cool before handling. If not using right away, you should probably mark the contents on the can. I keep mine in the refrigerator, just to be on the safe side (see previous paragraph regarding “paranoia”). Once opened, you should transfer it to a sealable container and refrigerate. It’ll keep for months unopened, and weeks after opening… if it actually lasts that long!

When you want to use some, open a can of your now-dulce de leche, spoon some out into a microwave-safe bowl. It will be really thick. Microwave on high for 15 seconds, give it a stir, and microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat if necessary to get the spreadable or drizzly consistency you need. It will set up once cooled, so save this step for the last moment before serving.

If you have Dulce De Leche on hand, you’ll never be at a loss for a last-minute dessert. And with the holidays approaching, expect the unexpected!

Any questions?

Dulce De Leche