Monday, January 28, 2013

Compliments to the Chef

You know those cooking shows where the chefs make perfect little soups, perfect little casseroles, and perfect little cupcakes? They add a pinch of this and a squirt of that, and at the end of the half-hour show they taste their dishes and declare, "Mmmm . . . That's so delicious!"

When I was a little kid, I loved watching those shows. (Who am I trying to fool? I STILL love watching those shows!) It drove my sister crazy, and my parents were sure I would grow up to be a chef one day. Alas, I did not. However, I do enjoy a good meal and trying new recipes.

A couple weeks ago I bought a new cookbook to add to my collection. (This one brings my total to seven, I think.) As I was flipping through the pages, making my mouth water with the tantalizing pictures, I discovered a neat and not-too-complicated recipe for homemade jam. Trying this recipe could be a lot of fun and also save me some money (or help me make some if it turned out scrumptiously delicious.) So, I gathered the ingredients for grape jam and gave it a go this weekend.

The recipe, surprisingly, was not deceiving. The jam was super easy to make and, I must admit, quite enjoyable to tinker with. The neatest part was seeing the sugar bubble and foam up as it dissolved in the crushed fruit.

Before my family and I tasted my first attempt at homemade jam, I decided to also make a batch of cream biscuits, also found in the newest addition to my cookbook shelf. I figured the biscuits would go perfectly with the jam. Of course, now we'd have two new creations to taste-test, but my parents and sister uttered no complaints.

Once I snapped a few photos of the finished products, I almost didn't want to taste them. I was nervous! Thoughts flew through my mind. What if it doesn't taste right? Did my family get their hopes up only to be crushed when the jam and biscuits hit their taste buds?

Throwing caution to the wind, I bit into a jam-filled biscuit. Wow . . . That was my first thought as the concoction melted in my mouth. The biscuit was soft and moist. The grape jam complimented it perfectly as it was not too sweet and absolutely delicious. My parents and sister all agreed: These two recipes are definitely keepers!

Now that I've heard from my food critics, the only thing left to wonder is . . . What flavor of jam should I attempt to make next?



What is YOUR favorite flavor of jam?

No comments: