Today started off well, with sunshine and running and yoga and cheerful kids going for walks and having croissants for breakfast.
By early afternoon - one tablet-related problem, wind and rain and a fair bit of squabbling later - we needed a reset button.
Luckily, I had one in mind, courtesy of the lockdown barter system; I'd traded some of my bread flour for some of my friend's rhubarb, and some yeast for Bramleys from my parents.
Son No1 had been nagging to try the crumble recipe in his school Food Tech workbook, and we were running low on jam.
And so Son No2 was put in charge of chopping apples, and Son No1 the rhubarb - "therapeutic violence!" he exclaimed, happily (so it is definitely A Thing now). I hovered and really hoped they'd retain the same number of digits they started out with.
Jam first: chopped fruit, 700g of sugar, juice of one orange and one lemon (or 2 satsumas and a couple of tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, which was all we had), three teaspoons of minced ginger and a little bit of water because I got The Fear that it looked too dry.
Into the pressure cooker, for two - two! - minutes.
Taking the lid off at the end was nerve-wracking; I was half expecting a horrible mass of burned fruit and a ruined pan. But no, lovely golden pink jam which was a bit runny (we didn't need the water, it turns out) but tasted glorious.
Then the crumble: butter and oats and sugar and plain/wholemeal flour for the topping, and some sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg added to the fruit. Baked for half an hour or so.
Rejuvenated, the lads wandered off to be introduced to The Fellowship of the Ring (Film Classics that aren't Star Wars or Dinosaur-related Lockdown Education Programme), and I made popcorn.
I love making popcorn. Like jam, there's something about the way you can achieve complete transformation with no skill, just heat that feels as close as you get to magic. I'm childish enough to use a pan with a glass lid so I can watch it popping. It's ruined by the weirdos with whom I share this house liking salt AND sugar on, but whatever.
The popcorn disappeared, the jam's jarred up, and the crumble was absolutely delicious and just what we needed on a gloomy afternoon.
Practical magic :-)
By early afternoon - one tablet-related problem, wind and rain and a fair bit of squabbling later - we needed a reset button.
Luckily, I had one in mind, courtesy of the lockdown barter system; I'd traded some of my bread flour for some of my friend's rhubarb, and some yeast for Bramleys from my parents.
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| No fingers were lost in the making of this post |
Son No1 had been nagging to try the crumble recipe in his school Food Tech workbook, and we were running low on jam.
And so Son No2 was put in charge of chopping apples, and Son No1 the rhubarb - "therapeutic violence!" he exclaimed, happily (so it is definitely A Thing now). I hovered and really hoped they'd retain the same number of digits they started out with.
Jam first: chopped fruit, 700g of sugar, juice of one orange and one lemon (or 2 satsumas and a couple of tablespoons of bottled lemon juice, which was all we had), three teaspoons of minced ginger and a little bit of water because I got The Fear that it looked too dry.
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| Jam |
Then the crumble: butter and oats and sugar and plain/wholemeal flour for the topping, and some sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg added to the fruit. Baked for half an hour or so.
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| Child Labour Crumble |
Rejuvenated, the lads wandered off to be introduced to The Fellowship of the Ring (Film Classics that aren't Star Wars or Dinosaur-related Lockdown Education Programme), and I made popcorn.
I love making popcorn. Like jam, there's something about the way you can achieve complete transformation with no skill, just heat that feels as close as you get to magic. I'm childish enough to use a pan with a glass lid so I can watch it popping. It's ruined by the weirdos with whom I share this house liking salt AND sugar on, but whatever.
The popcorn disappeared, the jam's jarred up, and the crumble was absolutely delicious and just what we needed on a gloomy afternoon.
Practical magic :-)
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| And lo, there was popcorn |
Oh, brilliant. Proper therapy cooking (including essential violence), and the jam looks delicious. I'm with you on popcorn, even when I'm microwaving I stand peering through the door to see the bag expand. I like the sweet and salty kind too though. Soz.
ReplyDeleteSweet and salty is the best kind of popcorn, sorry! Crumble and jam sound magical - can't believe it was only two minutes, what is this world!?
ReplyDeletePressure cooker alchemy - I guess it all simmers as the pressure builds, so by the time the levels are right the jam's done. Much better than lurking by a pan, swathed in tea towels and trying to avoid the flying drops of lava (bitter experience).
DeleteI like magic in kitchen.
ReplyDeleteEh, I have almost got used to the sweet n salt thing now. It's still wrong though. Sick and wrong.
ReplyDelete