Blenheim apricot grower par excellence, like Cirone, is back at my local farmers’ market with this year’s crop, which means it’s time to pull out the canning equipment. Yes, the minute the brief apricot season begins, I start thinking about its end and how I will extend the season.

The more I learn about jamming and canning, the more I tinker with my Safta Rachel’s preserve recipe. Not gussying it up with add-ins and such, but revising technique, ratios, and canning process to better capture the honeyed, sweet-tart flavors of these apricots.

I’ve reduced the sugar by a lot since my recipe was first published in the LA Times 15 years ago. In those days, I advocated a half pound of sugar to one pound of fruit, and thought that was pretty brazen, considering tradition calls for a one-to-one ratio.

I lowered the sugar some in the version that appears in The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook, but now I’m down to 2 pounds of sugar (4 cups) to 6 pounds of fruit (5 pounds pitted), or ¾ cup per pound of fruit, which better allows the apricot flavors to shine. Sugar is the preservative here, so I’m not going to go any lower. Sugar also acts as a thickener; in this case apricots, which are naturally pectin-rich, set up just fine with the lower amount of sugar.

After taking a couple of canning classes with Valerie Gordon and Kevin West, author of the brand-new canning book, Saving the Season, I reduced the macerating and cooking times to speed the process and get a much fresher taste. These brave canners also gave me the confidence to “put up,” not freeze, my summer preserves, a project that feeds my inner craftsy-ness.

Click here if you want to read more about Blenheim apricots, my grandma, my dad, and our apricot tree, but skip that earlier jam recipe and use Version 2.5 below. And get going; only two more weeks of Blenheims left….

Safta Rachel’s Apricot Preserves, Version 2.5

Cut fruit into a mix of halves and quarters to get a nice, thick jam with lovely large pieces of preserved fruit, which you’ll especially appreciate come winter.

6 pounds apricots
4 cups sugar (2 pounds)
1 lemon, optional

Have tasting spoons close at hand.

Cut apricots in halves and quarters and place in a non-reactive bowl. You’ll have 5 pounds of fruit after pitting. Pour sugar over apricots and give a gentle stir. Don’t worry if things aren’t completely blended. Let the mixture stand at least 1 hour. You can do this the night before; if so, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before cooking.

Scrape the mixture into a wide pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often and skimming foam as needed. After about 15 minutes, the jam mixture should have come to a good boil, the foaming will have subsided, and the juices will be shiny and starting to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low as you get close to this point to have more control over your jam.

Dip a spoon in and let the mixture flow off the spoon. If some of the mixture clings to the spoon before slipping back into the pan, the jam is done. I find this point is usually reached after about 5 more minutes of cooking (20 minutes total). Or, test for doneness by spooning a bit of jam onto a plate and putting it into the freezer for a few minutes. Run your finger through the mixture. If it stays parted like the Red Sea, the jam is done. Either way, taste the cooling jam for a good sweet-acid balance and add lemon juice to taste.

Ladle the preserves into prepared ½- or 1-pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. (I follow Valerie and Kevin’s method of washing jars in hot soapy water or in the dishwasher and then storing the hot jars on a sheet pan in a 200-degree oven until I’m ready to fill them with hot preserves.)  

Here’s a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s instructions on sealing and processing jam. Store preserves in a cool cupboard up to one year.

If you can’t can for one reason or another, allow the preserves to cool uncovered. When cool, cover, and store the preserves in the refrigerator up to 1 month, or freezer for up to 3 months (you can keep them longer than that, but they won’t be as perky).

Makes about 5 pints.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

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It is officially melon season. Here’s the one trick you need to easily skin, slice, and dice your way through a summer’s worth of cantaloupe, honeydew, or any of the fabulous types available at farmers’ markets, such as Weiser Family Farms’ lovely French Cavaillons, above, and their Israeli Arava variety, below. This technique makes short work of cutting crescents to pair with prosciutto or chunks for a summer salad, like this refreshing and unusual Melon and Cucumber Salad with Mint. What’s that you say? Well, cukes and ‘loupes are kissing cousins and they marry well.

I learned this chef’s trick to quickly “process” a boxful in minutes from pastry chef Angela Hunter Geiss. It changed my life, at least where melons are concerned.

Step 1: Cut a thin slice off the top and bottom ends of the fruit.

Step 2: Stand the fruit on one end and use a sharp knife to shave off the skin, tracing the curve of the melon with your knife. Don’t worry if you missed some spots at the bottom. Simply turn the melon on its other end, and shave off the rest. The smaller the knife, the more precisely you will be able to follow the curves. If you’re in a hurry like I usually am, use a somewhat larger knife as I did on this early-season specimen where I wanted to cut more deeply to get to the juicier parts.

Step 3: Cut the fruit in half lengthwise. Then use a spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Step 4: Turn the fruit flat side down for better control, and slice it into crescents. Chop the crescents into chunks, if desired.

Serve the sliced fruit with thinly sliced prosciutto and a glass of prosecco for an easy summer appetizer.

You might also like:

• Melon and Cucumber Salad with Mint
• Safta Rachel’s Apricot Preserves, Version 2.5
• 5 Tips for Summer Entertaining

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I kicked off the season last weekend with a simple, beautiful meal in the garden: a hand-grated cold tomato soup (5 minutes, I swear!), penne with zucchini sauce, and grilled wild salmon (olive oil, sel gris, and black pepper) with a simple salad and a salsa verde, all accompanied by my favorite California rosé.  It was a lovely reminder that with a little bit of organization and a trip to the farmers’ market, it’s easy enough to create a meal that lets the cook enjoy the party.

• Lighten up, it’s summer! It’s about relaxing with friends, not about Top Chef. Everyone’s in the same boat, wishing someone else would summon the nerve and pick up the phone. Let it be you.
• Keep it simple. Start with the most flavorful seasonal ingredients and 75% of preparing a meal is already done. Classic example: A simple salad of delicious tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with coarse salt. Summer Entertaining offers countless ways to vary this summer benchmark.
• Offer one surprising element. Turn those tomatoes into an “instant” cold soup using just a knife, bowl, and box grater. (Cut the tomatoes in half widthwise, scoop out the seeds, grate the cut sides on the large-hole side of a grater set in a bowl until you reach the skins. Season with salt, red wine vinegar, and olive oil). Serve the soup poolside in mugs. Everyone will think you’re brilliant.

• Yes, you can grill it. Figs, peaches, goat cheese wrapped in grape leaves, halibut or tuna loin, summer greens. You’d be surprised how many foods can be tossed on the grill.
• Make carefree dishes ahead. In the menu above, I made the soup, salad, pasta sauce, and salsa in a couple of hours before guests arrived. That left me with just three last-minute tasks—cooking the noodles, tossing the salad, and grilling the fish—to think about during our late afternoon in the garden. In Summer Entertaining, you’ll find three menus like this one that are designed to balance effort with ease. You’ll also find shopping lists and countdowns to help you master the art of carefree meals.

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Makes 10 servings

For the Pavlova
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vinegar or strained lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons boiling water

For the Sauce
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
2 half-pint baskets raspberries
Juice of 1 orange
2 teaspoons kirsch (optional)

Remaining Ingredients
4 or 5 large, ripe peaches
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Place all the meringue ingredients in an impeccably clean bowl of an electric mixer, and beat on high speed until very stiff and glossy, 7 to 15 minutes, depending on the power of your mixer. Working quickly, and using a spatula, spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet into a circle or oval about 10 inches in diameter, swirling the edges of the meringue into free-form peaks and creating a “valley” in the center. Or, for individual shells, spoon 10 dollops of meringue mixture several inches apart on the pan, and shape as directed.

Bake for 10 minutes and reduce the heat to 250 degrees. Bake a large Pavlova for 45 minutes longer in an electric oven, or for 1 hour longer in a gas oven. Bake individual shells 30 or 45 minutes, respectively. Allow to cool completely in the oven with the oven door ajar, about 3 hours or up to overnight, then peel the foil away. The shell(s) may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

To make the sauce, in a small pot, heat the granulated sugar and water over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Put the sugar syrup, berries, orange juice, and kirsch in a blender and process until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. You should have about 1 1/2 cups.

To assemble the dessert, peel the peaches and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in a bowl, stir in the granulated sugar, and let stand, or macerate, until the juices run, 30 to 60 minutes. Place the large shell on a platter, or the smaller shells on individual plates. Spread the center with the whipped cream and pile the peaches on top, allowing some to tumble onto the edge of the plate. Cut the large Pavlova into wedges to serve. Pour raspberry sauce over, or around, each serving.

From “The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook” by Amelia Saltsman, Blenheim Press © 2007

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Rustic Eggplant-Tomato Bake

Makes 6-8 servings

2 or 3 globe eggplants (about 2 pounds total), preferably Rosa Bianca, or 2 pounds Japanese eggplants
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs, such as Italian parsley, rosemary, basil, and thyme
6 to 8 small, ripe red tomatoes, such as Early Girl or Celebrity (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If eggplants are large, cut in half lengthwise. Cut eggplant halves or whole Japanese eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the oil over the bottom of a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Arrange the eggplant slices, overlapping them, in a single layer in the prepared dish, and season with salt and pepper. Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press directly into a small bowl. Add the herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and enough oil to make a stiff paste. Dot the eggplant with the garlic-herb mixture. Core the tomatoes, cut them in half crosswise, and salt the cut sides. Place the tomato halves cut-side-down spaced evenly over the eggplant. Drizzle the remaining olive oil evenly over all, and sprinkle the tomatoes with a little salt.

Bake in the upper third of the oven, basting occasionally with the juices that collect in the dish, until the eggplant is tender and the tomatoes are soft and blackened on top, about 1 hour. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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I couldn’t resist sharing a recipe and one of Staci’s enticing photos with you from The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen, brand new in bookstores this week! Shakshuka, quick, hearty comfort food for Israelis, Moroccans, Tunisians, and Yemenites, is having a great big moment. Well deserved for sure, but why now? No idea, other than to say it’s about time — and, in my humble opinion, that mine is the only shakshuka recipe you’ll ever need!

Great for brunch or supper with a cold beer, shakshuka is basically eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. The term comes from either the Hebrew verb “to shake,” as one does to a pan over a hot stove, or from Arabic slang for a mixture or stew. Call it the Israeli equivalent of huevos rancheros.  All my Israeli cousins have their own versions, from heating a jar of pre-made sauce to cook the eggs in to taking the time to simmer a homemade salade cuite, a “cooked salad” of reduced tomatoes and spices known in Morocco as matboucha. (You can find my matboucha recipe in the book or here on NOURISH Evolution.)

Shakshuka

Makes 6 servings

2 cups Matboucha
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 eggs
Kosher or sea salt (optional)
Generous handful of chopped fresh Italian parsley
Labneh
Thickly sliced country bread, toasted, or pita bread

In a 12-inch skillet, thin the Matboucha with water to the consistency of thick spaghetti sauce. Add the olive oil and set over medium heat. When the sauce is bubbling, reduce the heat to medium-low.

Using the back of a large spoon, make an indentation in the sauce at the 12 o’clock position. Crack an egg into the depression. Repeat with remaining eggs, spacing them evenly in the pan. Cook until the eggs are set to your liking, about 7 minutes for over easy. Cover the pan to hasten cooking, especially if you like your eggs more well-done.

Season the eggs with salt, if desired, and shower the parsley over all. Serve directly from the pan into shallow individual bowls, accompanied by labneh and bread or pita.

Reprinted with permission from The Seasonal Jewish Kitchen © 2015 by Amelia Saltsman published by ‎Union Square & Co. Photography by Staci Valentine. 

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Ever notice how grilling vegetables takes a lot longer than grilling burgers or fish? They take up far too much valuable BBQ real estate for way too long, and then they always seem to go from raw to burnt and shriveled, totally bypassing the tender golden moment we’re looking for. What’s up with that?

In a word, water. Like a good facial that combats overexposure to the sun, vegetables need to be well-hydrated to cope with a grill’s dry heat. Their little cells need to stay plump with water; no amount of oil slathered on the surface will fix the situation. Sure, you need a nice slick of olive oil for flavor and to keep vegetables from sticking to the grate, but too much and you’ve got flare-ups, which aggravate the problem.

This 4th of July (and all summer long), give your vegetables the spa treatment and shorten the time you spend over a hot grill with these essential tips for grilling:

For dense vegetables like carrots, potatoes, beets, and onions: blanch before grilling. This may sound like extra work, but trust me, it’s not. It will cut grilling time to a fraction, give you more control, and improve color and texture. Plus, this step can be done a day ahead.

•  Cut good-size carrots, beets, and potatoes into ¼- to ½-inch-thick slices. Too thin and they’ll burn; too thick and they’ll take too long to cook. And cut them at a steep diagonal angle into the largest possible ovals. This gives you  fewer pieces, but ones that are easier to turn, and allows more surface area to make contact with the grill.

• Cut onions vertically into ½- to 1-inch-thick slices, leaving root end attached.

• Cook the vegetables in boiling salted water until they are slightly pliable, and in the case of carrots or other brightly hued vegetables, until their color deepens, 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse with cold water and ice cubes to stop the cooking and preserve the color. Set out on a towel to dry.

• When you’re ready to grill, toss each kind of vegetable with a little olive oil, salt, and spices. Black pepper, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika are all good. Avoid adding garlic or sugar-rich sauces or vinegars (such as balsamic) until after grilling, as they burn quickly.

• Grill over medium to medium-high heat, turning once. You’ll notice that carrots, potatoes, and fennel all develop an appetizing blistered surface as they cook. That’s the water talking. It’s telling you it’s time to flip and cook the second side. These sorts of vegetables shouldn’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes total. Mound them on a platter, garnish as desired, and let them linger enticingly while you grill the protein.

Here, I blanched baby beets with their tops and grilled them whole:

For leafy vegetables like romaine lettuce, radicchio or other chicories, or sprigs of purslane or rapini: soak in ice water before grilling. Cut lettuces and chicories in half or into ½- to 1-inch thick slices vertically, keeping the core intact. Soak in ice water for 15 minutes or so, pat dry, toss with olive oil and seasonings. Grill over medium, not high, heat until tender and charred in places, 5 to 10 minutes total. Use a large offset spatula or pancake turner to flip lettuces and chicories, and tongs to flip a tangle of sprigged greens. I prefer to grill this type of vegetable AFTER I’ve grilled the meat so that it picks up the flavors and brown bits on the grate.

For water-rich vegetables like zucchini and pattypan squashes: The truth is, I prefer to roast these in the oven for better control. When I do grill them, I tend to do them whole. The skins keep the moisture in, which yields more custard-like flesh. Just poke a few holes in first to let off a little of the steam.

To round out your menu and know-how for your 4th of July celebrations:

• How to Grill Grass-Fed Meat
• Easy Strawberry Shortcakes for dessert! Add blueberries!

Interested in learning how to navigate the farmers’ market like a pro? Sign up for my guided tour of the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market on Wednesday, July 10th. Find more details about the tour here.

Perfect Grilled Carrots

1 ½ to 2 pounds large carrots
Olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Some optional seasonings: crushed or ground chipotle chiles or red pepper flakes, ground cumin, turmeric, coriander, smoked paprika
1 lemon, optional
¼ cup coarsely chopped herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, basil, mint, or oregano, depending on spices used, optional

Cut carrots on the diagonal into largest possible oval slices, ¼- to ½-inch thick.

Have a bowl of ice ready. Cook carrots in salted boiling water until color brightens and carrots are slightly flexible, 2 minutes. Drain and immediately add ice and cold water to stop the cooking process and preserve intense color. Toss with ice until cool. Drain and pat carrots dry. Carrots may be prepared a day ahead to this point and refrigerated covered.

Heat grill or grill pan to medium or medium-high. Toss carrots with about 1 tablespoon olive oil, about ½ teaspoon salt, and any other ground spices. Spread carrots on hot grill surface and grill until the top surface looks a little blistered and the underside has nice grill marks, but are not burnt, about 4 minutes. Adjust grill head accordingly to slow down or speed up cooking time as needed. Turn and grill second side.

Place carrots on a serving platter and drizzle with a little more olive oil if you’d like, and additional salt and seasonings. Zest lemon over carrots, if using, and add a nice squeeze of the juice. Scatter herbs over all.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Be sure to check out my Summer Entertaining E-Book for more great seasonal recipes and cooking tips!

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