A canning We will go...

Hello dear readers...or reader, (Dad do you at the very least read My blog?)

I have been canning as of late and boy howdy I have made some lovely treats.

All though it be quite involved at times as well as time consuming, canning has proved to be quite fun. I have made a list below of what I have canned and what I plan on canning today.

Homemade pickles (Kosher Dills). I made several quarts of these and they simply look brilliant. They did take quite a bit of time as I added fresh garlic cloves along with other spices and mustard seeds; however, I cannot wait to crunch down into one. I will let you know how they turn out in about 5 or more weeks as they need time to cure in their brine for best results and flavor for at least 5 weeks.

Spiced Blueberry Jam. This turned out wonderful and I made eight half pints of "blueberry pie in a jar, or what I like to call blue love in a jar".
Made with fresh ground spices including Nutmeg and Star Anise it is sure to be a family favorite for years to come. I can't wait to gift some of these beauties.

Zesty Salsa Ala Ole'! This salsa is the best I have had and I know cooks often say that about their own food but really it's true this time. I purchased the finest local ingredients and lovingly chopped up each fruit and vegetable that went into the spicy concoction. I added three different kinds of local hot peppers along with red pepper flakes, green peppers, sweet onions, and a variety of other wonderful ingredients and I came out with something I truly enjoy eating. I ate a whole jar with some tortilla chips Monday evening. Luckily, the salsa is low in calories, high in vitamins and is the freshest local salsa I will find in these parts...since these parts are My pantry and kitchen. I ended up making several half pints and quarts and plan to eat another jar of it tonight while watching Americas got talent. Yum!

Cherries! Yes, that's right. I recently purchased a nifty cherry pitter that pits 4 large (or small) cherries at a time. It is easy to use, groovy cool and even better, its super easy to clean. I pitted around 12 pounds of cherries and canned several quarts of the sweet fruits. I plan to make pies and turnovers in the future with these along with some cherry preserves.

Country ham and bean soup. Wow, this stuff was so good that I just had to bottle it up for winter or to even sell at My upcoming bake sale. I cooked this soup for hours on end with ham hocks and thick cut country bacon. I served this soup with sweet skillet cornbread and what a great fulfilling meal it made. I have only 2 quarts left but plan on making more to store for the upcoming cold months. Nothing is better than a bowl full of homemade love when its cold outside.

Today I plan on preserving peaches as I purchased a great deal of them locally at an Orchard around the corner from where I live. You don't get much fresher than that do you? Along with the preserved peaches I plan on making peach jam/preserves as well. I will end up with a variety of fruit jams this year and save a great deal of money at the market as I will not have to purchase any jam or fruit at higher cost when things aren't in season any longer. We eat a LOT of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so I'm looking forward to the variety of jams I can choose from when I'm hankering for a piece of My childhood which is the marvelous never beaten 'PB & J'.

Strawberry preserves are on My list as well and I may just go make that first before preparing My peaches for canning. I also want to make parmesean cheese crisp which are lacy delights made simply of FINE and I do mean expensive Parmesean cheese. They are crispy like crackers and have a lacy pattern when they spread out on the baking sheet. They also keep very well in Zip Lock bags and only improve their flavor with age. I ran out of these last week as My husband and I love to snack on them. The crisp also make for a stunning garnish on dinner plates and for use in place of croutons in soups for a no carb crunch. I promise that you wont be disappointed if you try them. Make them in small batches and make a good deal of them at a time so that you don't have to heat up your kitchen again for awhile as you WILL wish you made more. Buy plenty of quality Parmesean as well because not only does the cheap kind not work, you always want to start with quality ingredients for the best results and flavor.

Here is how to make them:

Parmesean crisp

Start with a nice hunk of quality Parmesean cheese. This means at LEAST 20.00 a pound or perhaps less depending on where you live and what kind of sale you may come across.

Silpat is key in this recipe as the Silpat helps release the crackers quite nicely. You may also use parchment paper sprayed with non stick baking spray if you like.

First, hand grate your cheese with a hand grater on medium grate (or small) if you like. I actually like to use both grates and mix the medium shreds with the small for an intricate pattern.

Take heaping teaspoons or tablespoons of your grated cheese and place on a baking sheet lined with Silpat or prepared parchment paper. Press gently down on each round/mound of cheese with the back of a spoon. Make sure that your mounds are at least 1/2 inch or more away from each other as not to have them spread together during the baking process. Experiment with sizes and see what you prefer best.

Bake in a preheated oven at 450 to 500 degrees F. for a couple of minutes. The time you need will depend on your oven as all oven temps vary. WATCH your crisp and take them out when they start to turn slightly golden and smell nutty and lovely. DO NOT OVER BAKE! Burnt parmesean crisp aren't good eats and are a waste of your valuable time, money and oven energy.

When done, remove from oven and quickly remove each crisp with a spatula or your fingers if you work fast enough without getting burnt. Be careful however and if you don't know what you are doing? USE the spatula.

Place each crisp on a plate lined with parchment paper or paper towels to blot out any excess oils from the cheese. ENJOY! Aren't they pretty?

Now, if you are creative you can do a variety of things with these crisp when they are still pliable out of the oven. For instance: I like to take different size bowls depending on how large I made My crisp and place each cooked hot crisp on the underside of the bowl and shape it to conform to the bowls shape. Allow to cool and carefully remove crisp. You just made a parmesean cheese bowl that you can fill with salad or anything your heart desires. Just remember to line the bowls with wax paper if you plan on filling them with any liquid such as chilled or warm soups. I however, like to use the cheese bowls for salads.

I also like to place the crisp on inverted muffin pans to make mini cheese bowls to fill with chicken salads, tuna salad, or leafy green salads. They make a real show stopper at parties as appetizers and salads. Crunchy, salty and beautiful. Who could ask for more? Oh yes, don't forget that they are carb free.

Well, I am off to make Strawberry preserves and then off to prepare My peaches for canning. Until then, take care and keep things cooking!

As always,
The Gothic Gourmet.