Raspberry Syrup

Remember the leftover raspberries from the Raspberry Cordial, this is what I did with them. Hubby's grandma always made her own raspberry syrup for pancakes so I thought that'd be perfect for these mashed raspberries. Granted the syrups has a lot of seeds, but it still tastes delicious. If I didn't make syrup I'd have made pastries like turnovers or something where it didn't matter that they were squished through cheesecloth and a strainer. Just adding a little bit of pectin would have made some delicious raspberry preserves.

If you don't want to start with the cordial, heat the frozen berries without water until warm, mash with a fork or blend 3/4 of the berries until somewhat smooth. I like to leave some bigger chunks if possible.

Raspberry Syrup

INGREDIENTS
36 oz worth of mashed warmed raspberries
1 - 2 cups sugar (to taste)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to stock pot and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes until reduced by a third and it has become thicker and syrupy, to your desired consistency. I like mine pretty thick, but pourable when warmed for 10 seconds in the microwave.
Pour into clean sanitized jars. You can see this made quite a bit, aprroximately 24 oz.

Raspberry Cordial

I've long been a fan of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Anne describes her life in such vivid detail that you can almost imagine what things were like, including the foods and beverages she mentions. Marilla's Raspberry Cordial and Current Wines have always fascinated me. So, this weekend on a whim I decided to try making Raspberry Cordial. I stuck to a non-alcoholic version similar to what Anne and Diana would have had, assuming they grabbed the right bottle.

Raspberry Cordial

INGREDIENTS
36 oz frozen raspberries
8 cups water
juice of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups sugar

64 oz container
cheese cloth for straining

DIRECTIONS
Bring water, raspberries and lemon juice to boil in 6 qt stock pot.
Simmer for 45 minutes, reducing to between 4-6 cups of liquid.
Strain through cheese cloth, returning liquid to stock pot.
Puree raspberries left in the cheese cloth in a blender or mash with a wooden spoon to get most of the juice out, strain through cheese cloth, adding liquid to the pot. (Reserve berries for raspberry syrup!)
Add sugar to liquid in pot, simmering until dissolved.
Pour liquid into 64 oz container, add cold water until full, cap and shake to mix.
Keep in refrigerator.

Bagels

While time consuming, these are VERY easy to make and well worth it. Especially when they are fresh out of the oven, they are the perfect blend of soft, chewy and crispy. I love these smeared with a bit of garden vegetable cream cheese.

Bagels

INGREDIENTS
3 1/2 cups bread flour
4 1/2 tsp dry yeast
3 Tbsp honey or sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup hot water (about 120-130 degrees)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp corn meal

DIRECTIONS
Using a stand mixer, using your normal beater blade, mix together 3 1/4 cups flour, yeast and salt. If using sugar, mix it in with the flour, if using honey, mix it in with the hot water. Add hot water and mix together, add remaining flour 1 Tbsp at a time until dough becomes heavy and difficult to handle. Switch to dough hook, mix in remaining flour and continue mixing on medium low for 10 minutes. Add additional flour if sticking to the side of the mixing bowl.

Coat a large glass bowl with vegetable oil, turn out dough into bowl losely cover with plastic wrap, set aside and let rise 1 hour.

Punch down, set on lightly floured surface, form into 10 evenly sized balls, let rest 2 minutes.



Flatten balls in palm and push thumb through center to form bagel shape. Set aside and allow to rise for 10 minutes.



While the bagels are rising, in a 6 qt stock pot, bring 3 qts of water with the 1 1/2 Tbsp of sugar to boil.

Preheat oven to 400F and sprinkle 2 baking sheets with the cornmeal.

Once the bagels have risen, using a skimmer/strainer lower them into the water 3 at a time and boil for 30 seconds each side. Using the skimmer move them to the baking sheet. Once they've all been moved to the baking sheet, brush with the egg white and sprinkle with salt.

Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Ham and Bean Soup

A simple dish, nothing spectacular, yet comforting at the same time. An excess of ham after Easter leads to a few days of ham omelets and ham sandwiches. As I get down to just the bone and just a bit of meat left, I start thinking of soups. This year I went with a white bean soup, simple and filling! This requires a bit of prep, which should start about 10 hours before you want the soup ready. If you start the night before it will be ready for lunch, if you want it for dinner, start first thing in the morning. I like to serve this with Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread. You probably won't need any salt, but if you use low-sodium chicken broth you may want to add a bit.

Ham and Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 lb dried white northern beans
ham leftovers, approx 1 lb
6 cups water
1/2 lb bacon
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream
thyme
white ground pepper
salt

DIRECTIONS
Prep time:6-8 hour bean soak, 15 minutes active prep, 60-90 minutes cooking time.

Place dried beans in 6 qt stock pot and cover with water to 2 inches above the beans, let sit 6-8 hours. Drain and rinse well, set aside.
Remove all meat from ham bone and cube, set aside.
Rinse stock pot and fill with 6 cups water, add ham bone and scraps/trimmings from meat. Bring to a boil and reduce to approx 4 cups. Strain ham stock and set aside.
In the same 6 qt stock pot, add bacon and render until crispy, remove bacon to a plate and break into small bits.
Add carrots and onions to bacon fat in pot and cook over medium low until slightly translucent, add garlic, cook until onions are just beginning to caramelize and then go for about another 30 seconds. You don't want them brown, but you want the caramelized flavor.
Add beans, ham, ham stock, chicken stock to the pot and cover, turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour, remove lid and simmer for additional 30 minutes.
Add white ground pepper and thyme to taste, add cream, stir well and simmer 5-10 minutes uncovered to thicken a bit.
Serve and sprinkle with crispy bacon bits.