Strawberry Balsamic Jam and Peach Crostata!

There's nothing as simple as making a crostata.  This italian rustic freeform dessert is perfect anytime of the year.  If company is coming over and you want to prepare an effortless yet delicious dessert to serve with coffee this is ideal.

While visiting the blog Scrambled Henfruit last week I happened the come across a recipe for Strawberry Jam with a Twist.  Of course I was intrigued, and when I viewed the recipe found that the twist was Balsamic Vinegar a favorite ingredient of mine, and a recipe Scrambled Henfruit found on the blog Savory Sweet Life. 

The world wide web is wonderful for sharing and finding recipes and ideas.  One recipe leads to another and before you know it your meeting total strangers that have the same interests as you do.  I love it!

Anyway, when I saw this recipe I knew I wanted to make it.  I've actually never attempted to make jam before but I had all the ingredients at hand since it didn't use any pectin. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has guidelines for cooking without pectin that you might find helpful. 

Since my husband goes through jars of Strawberry Jam I figured why not try this and if he likes it, then I'd have more fun making batches of Strawberry Balsamic Jam for him than purchasing jar after jar of the ready-made varieties.

The recipe made a small amount so it wasn't necessary to "can" it, which thrills me.  Since that would take a whole other lesson that I wasn't in the mood to tackle. However, uncanned jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Here's more information if you'd like to learn how to can jam.

Once I made the jam, I decided that I'd make a crostata using the Strawberry Balsamic Jam and the White Peaches that I had just purchased.  Together the two were a marriage made in heaven.  Warm out of the oven it was everything I had imagined and then some.  To say the least, it didn't last the day.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam and Peach Crostata
serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped strawberries
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 large peaches, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1 (9") premade Pillsbury pie crust
3 tablespoons sugar
water
1 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Strawberry Balsamic Jam:

Combine strawberries, 1 cup of sugar and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until sauce is a honey-like consistency or 220 degrees on a candy thermometer.  (For altitudes other than sea level see this chart for guidelines).

Remove from heat and cool.  If desired you can run through a blender to puree once completely cooled.

Crostata:

Slice fruit and place in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of sugar.  Mix together and set aside while preparing the dough.

Place parchment or foil on a countertop and roll out one 9-inch premade Pillsbury pie crust to approximately 12-inches. Place all on a pizza pan or sheet pan.

Spread approximately 3 tablespoons of the jam over the surface of the dough as if spreading sauce onto a pizza, leaving a 2-inch border all the way around.

Add the sliced peaches to the top of the jam and carefully pull up the sides of the dough over the edges of the fruit.  Leave an opening in the middle. Be careful not to tear the sides of the dough or fruit juices will ooze out during cooking.

With a pastry brush, spread water over the top of the dough and then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool at least 10 minutes.  Place on serving platter and serve slices warm or at room temperature.

Note:  You can make any type of crostata using your favorite ingredients.  Simply follow these guidelines and you're sure to have a perfect tasting crostata everytime.

Enjoy!

Here's the recipe for a Peach and Blueberry Crostata that I posted in a previous blog.

(For those of you that have been following my blog for awhile, what type of recipe would you like to see me post or what topics would you like me to discuss?  Your feedback is important to me).

Arugula Salad with Grilled Chicken & Strawberries

The weather was so unbelievably beautiful today especially since originally the forecast was for rain and storms all day.

I felt like something light for dinner this evening so I decided to make a salad. My family didn't mind since I always make big meals. So tonight was light and easy.

I had some chicken (which I grilled), strawberries, Ciliegene Mozzarella, and Arugula on hand and made some fresh croutons.

Then I made a Pomegranate Raspberry Vinaigrette to go with the salad. For those of you that purchase store bought vinaigrette's it's so easy to make your own. A simple rule of thumb is:

3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. I tend to make it with 1/2 the amount of vinegar to the oil. That's because I like mine with a little more tang. Then I added some Dijon mustard, Agave Nectar for sweetness and a little salt and pepper. You can also add some chopped shallots and minced garlic if you like. I didn't add those this evening.

Tonight's dish was simple and delicious. In fact, the croutons I made by just using some whole grain slices of bread. Then spraying them with Pam, adding a little salt and pepper and putting them in the oven until brown and crispy. Then I just sliced them into cubes and added them to the salad. Easy, delicious and low fat.

So if you're in the mood for something light, why not whip up a salad for yourself using the ingredients you have around. Whether you have red wine vinegar, balsamic, strawberry or any type of vinegar you can make a vinaigrette with the oil you have on hand, although Olive Oil would be my preference. It's that simple. Give it a try!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce

This weekend for Mother's Day I thought for dessert I would make Grilled Peaches, which have just come in season, with Homemade Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and a Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce to go on top.

I made the Strawberry-Rhubarb sauce last week and put it on top of sliced pound cake with vanilla ice cream. It was amazing, and everyone else thought so as well. But I thought I'd try to make the meal light and healthy for everyone so I'll be using frozen yogurt in place of ice cream and grilling up peaches instead of using the pound cake.

However, if you try this recipe and don't feel like going to the trouble of grilling fruit and making homemade frozen yogurt then purchase the store bought ice cream/yogurt and pound cake, it's sure to be a hit.

This recipe comes from a wonderful book called, "Eating Local." It talks about farmers throughout the U.S. and their stories, plus recipes that they've created with the foods they grow. It's a beautiful book with an important message to everyone. Support our local farmers by purchasing sustainable foods.

Strawberry -Rhubarb Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, cored and quartered lengthwise
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
6-8 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Put the berries, rhubarb, orange juice, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Set over moderate heat and heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cover, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit softens and forms a sauce, about 10 minutes. Keep a close eye on the saucepan, reducing the heat if the mixture threatens to bubble over. Cool slightly, then taste and add more sugar if desired. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill thoroughly.

Prepare your dessert as desired and spoon approximately 1/3 cup sauce over each portion. Serve immediately.

I know you're going to love this. If for some reason you're not comfortable using the fresh Rhubarb then you can purchase the frozen kind using the same amount. Although the purpose of this stunning book is to use farm fresh ingredients. Here's some information that you might like to read about Rhubarb from Friedas.com that might help you feel more comfortable about cooking with it.

Enjoy!