Between the continuous stream of political, humanitarian, economic and diplomatic firestorms set by the Trump administration and the actual forest fires here, it’s been a long, hard, hot summer in California and much more stressful than summer should be. I water cautiously, keep moving forward, and try to keep my family healthy and myself from letting it take over.
I’m also looking for an effective civil rights and humanitarian aid group to contribute to–the Southern Poverty Law Center is one; there are also several mothers’ groups raising funds for legal representation for immigrants separated from their children. As I discovered last year during hurricanes Harvey and Maria, making donations for humanitarian aid is an important way to help yourself as well–it’s something concrete you can do that will actually make a difference, and it makes you feel less overwhelmed and powerless as an individual.
Whenever I step back from the newspapers for a bit, though, I look around me and see the brighter side. I consider that my daughter has finished high school with both honors and friends, and for a change doesn’t have summer homework. She’s working in a job she loves, is learning to drive and is nearly on her way to college, which we are all looking forward to. She’s ready and I’m proud of her (although I’m still not quite ready to see Ladybird).
I’m working for a community book festival this fall that promises some fun and challenging authors, I have some interesting new freelance assignments, and my first e-book project is nearly ready for publication. And I’ve started experimenting again in the kitchen–something I really didn’t have the time or concentration for during graduation and its immediate aftermath.
The heat wave is a big factor in my cooking; Pasadena tends to get over 90 F most days of summer (and plenty of times from September to April too), and the past few weeks have seen temperatures in the 100s midday. So the freezer and microwave are essentials in my book. So is eating or preserving enough of the bounty of summer produce while it’s at its best to keep it from going to waste even in the fridge. Because I always tend to go overboard at the greengrocer’s–last year or the year before it was nectarines (this year too). This year it’s plums, strawberries, any other berries I can get at a good price.
Instant Frozen Yogurt
Most berries are good if you just wash and freeze them while they’re still in decent shape. Mix three or so ounces of frozen blueberries or blackberries with a 4-ounce/half-cup dollop of plain nonfat Greek yogurt and a teaspoon of sugar in a small plastic cup or snaplock container (the plastic is a better insulator than ceramic cups or glass) and you have nearly instant all-real and nicely purple frogurt–the small berries get the yogurt freezing the right way, right in the cup, within about 30 seconds as you stir.
But what if the berries are going a bit ugly and soft–like strawberries?
There’s nearly no point in trying for homemade strawberry frogurt or ice cream unless you really personally like it. Sorbet, I can definitely see, but for my money, strawberry ice cream is generally an insultingly pale pink, not terribly fresh, and tastes duller than plain vanilla. It would be a lot better to stick some actual fresh strawberries or a not-too-sweet fresh strawberry purée on the side of some good-quality plain vanilla because you’d have a real contrast between two actual flavors, not one mediocre pink in-between.
Well, what about jam?
Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits—fresh and raw or else frozen, unsweetened. But I actively dislike most strawberry jam—the cooked, oversweetened blandness bears no resemblance to the fresh, tart wild-tasting fruit I love.
Commercial strawberry jam is not only unbearably sticky-sweet and gluey but the fruit itself, when you encounter it, is usually a slimy dull gray lumpette with five o’clock shadow, something to pick out cautiously rather than savor. It’s not the best of the fruit to start with, and it’s now overcooked and showing it.
But there are still some really heavenly strawberries out there going overripe on the market produce shelves, and I had about half a pound left just a little too long in my fridge after a party. I discovered by fooling around that strawberry jam or at least compote that still tastes like strawberries is possible to do at home if you microwave it lightly instead of cooking it to death. And I even liked it.
Could I keep the tartness intact? Could I keep it lightly cooked enough to still taste fresh and like strawberries to me? Could I keep it from being slimy?
Based on a few of my other impromptu microwave fruit spreads (peach, plum, apricot, kumquat) and fruit-rescue attempts (faux sour cherry, nectarine sorbet) I decided I’d give it a quick try in the microwave with just a spoonful of sugar to avoid sicky-sweetness and a sprinkling of citric acid powder instead of lemon juice so the strawberries would keep some tang but still taste like themselves, not lemons. The citric acid, together with the short cooking time, might also keep them from going grayish and slimy. And it seems to have worked–well enough for me, anyway.
I cut off a couple of nasty spots, hulled and sliced them before adding the sugar and citric acid and nuking 3 minutes. That was just enough time for them to start breaking down a little, and the whole mass bubbled up nearly over the edge of the bowl. Although the mixture didn’t gel completely once cool, it did make kind of a thick compote that’s still red and fresh-tasting, with most of it still fruit, identifiably strawberry slices. It’ll stay good in the fridge a week or as long as it lasts, and it’s actively decent on toast or over yogurt.
This makes a small batch amount—a cup, say, from half a pound or so of pretty to excessively ripe berries that you don’t just want to eat straight. You’re just going to microwave it, not can it, but you’ll eat it within a week or so and/or freeze it for later. It’s comparatively low in added sugar so it won’t last on a cabinet shelf, but still sets well enough to eat on toast after chilling, and the citric acid should keep it looking and tasting bright and pretty fresh for longer than a week.
Microwave Fresh Strawberry Jam
- 1/2 lb./250-300g/10-15 ripe to overripe strawberries, washed, hulled, trimmed as needed and sliced
- 1-2 T sugar
- 1-2 T water
- small pinch or light shake of citric acid powder (if not, a squeeze of lemon juice, but citric acid is better; just don’t overdo the amount)
Put strawberries in a microwaveable ceramic or pyrex bowl (preferably old New York Corning Pyrex; I’m not too sure about the newer stuff in a microwave). Sprinkle on the sugar, water and citric acid powder and microwave 3 minutes on HIGH or until the mixture starts bubbling up. Let cool and scoop into a small snaplock container or very clean/sterilized jam jar with a lid. Refrigerate and use it up within a week or so.
Filed under: breakfast, frugality, fruits, Microwave tricks, Revised recipes, sauces and condiments | Tagged: food, low-carb cooking, recipes |
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