Had the people over for dinner last night. The cherry tomatoes had one last magnificent hurrah and produced 60 more so I made easy tomato jam via the Suburban Soapbox. I scaled the ingredients back a bit because I didn't have big tomatoes or as many as required. The important part about making it is to let it boil a lot and make sure it is in a very non-stick pot. It has to thicken up - the sugar has to candy a little and then it is done.
I paired it with goat cheese and thin crackers. I got some port salut cheese as well - a soft cheese with a decent taste. Both went over well. Once you add the tomato jam, it is just the sweet topping to round it out perfectly.
I paired it with goat cheese and thin crackers. I got some port salut cheese as well - a soft cheese with a decent taste. Both went over well. Once you add the tomato jam, it is just the sweet topping to round it out perfectly.
I also made bread rolls, the main course was beef. It's fall (y'all), so why not make it hearty? These corn-fed midwesterners need their carbohydrates. I found the recipe in a small cookbook from my mother, circa 1980. I love her old cookbooks. This one is English and was hard to translate. The dough was too sticky, so I had to add more flour during the first kneading & set to rise a 2nd time for about 30 minutes.
I used a big bread bowl not pictured here to mix everything together and then transferred over to a glass bowl greased with olive oil.
Kneading post-2nd rise. Do not over-knead it or they will be extra-crusty-tough. Rolled into a long tube. Cut sections. Every place I have lived before my current house did not have a countertop I could use as a giant cutting board. Now, I am a spoiled, American brat. It is handy, but I still got a lot of flour on the floor (and me).
Had I been a more practiced bread-maker, I could have added a brushing of egg to make the tops golden. I might have made them all the exact length and shape, too. Again, do not let your inexperience concern you. The point is, just make stuff. Try things out. I greased the pans with olive oil because it has a higher temp threshold before it turns everything black above it.
Right out of the oven, these were really good. They were soft but very crusty (over-kneader!) at dinner. Good yeasty character, but not overwhelmingly-so.
It's not my favorite version yet. They pack well for reheating in the microwave for 8-10 seconds. Hot butter to finish.
It's not my favorite version yet. They pack well for reheating in the microwave for 8-10 seconds. Hot butter to finish.