This June we will be exhibiting at the Fancy Food Show in NYC for the first time. I attended this huge food business show last year and so I know what we are in for and will be bringing plenty of delicious jams for buyers to sample.

In July it will be just two years since we sold our first jar of jam at the Winchester Farmers Market. I made a big  stack of 12-jar cases (much more jam then I had ever made at one time before) and hoped to sell them over the course of the summer at Winchester and Arlington markets. I remember saying to my hubby that I hoped to sell a least 6 jars at that first market. He advised me to bring every single jar I had made; I advised him that he was nuts.  We did not bring any jars home!

A great market season led to getting a wholesale license and selling in wonderful stores from cheese and gourmet shops to produce shops to boutiques and gift stores with more exciting places coming on all the time.

I would love to know any ideas you have for places that should carry our jam, flavors that we should make, or recipes you have made with our jam that you would like to share. Please leave us a comment here or on Twitter @dovesandfigs or on our facebook page. Thanks and keeping on spreading the local jam love!

We now return to our regularly scheduled blogging from my kitchen for more recipes…

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 x 9 baking pan. Melt 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Put 1 1/2 cups of matzo meal in a medium bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon over the matzo meal. Pour the melted butter into the matzo meal and mix well. Pat the matzo crumbs into the baking pan covering the entire bottom of the pan. Pour a 8 oz jar of fig jam over the crumbs(I used Doves and Figs Chocolate Fig Sunshine, but you can use any fig or other flavor jam you like). Spread jam to within about a 1/4″ of the edges. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and press down gently. Bake for about 20 minutes and allow to cool before slicing into bars.

Make any Passover friendly recipe for deviled eggs (I added a bit of horseradish to mine) and then arrange them with green onions, watercress, dill, and radishes to form flowers and buds. What a lovely dish this would make for a Passover (or Easter) brunch!

When I heard there was going to be a seafood throw down contest at one of the local farmers markets where we sell our jam, I had to share my recipes. One of our flavors, a spicy orange marmalade called South Beach Sizzle was even selected by one of the competitors to be used in their dish. So here are a few pairings you might like to try and  I will post more ideas when the summer flavors arrive:

Coat a boneless cod filet with Cranberry Fruit Mustard and a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs. Place in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish and roast at 350 degrees until the fish is cooked through.

Falling Leaves fig, apple, cranberry conserve fills baked trout with a rich earthy flavor. Take 2 cleaned and prepared whole trout and lay each on a lightly oiled square of foil.  Slice and saute a medium sweet onion in a little olive oil until tender. Spread about a tablespoon of Falling Leaves on the inside of each fish.  Layer in the sautéed onions. Add a small sprig of rosemary and drizzle with some lemon juice. Wrap the foil around the fish and cook at 400 degrees until cooked through (about 15 minutes).

Make a delightful appetizer by serving grilled shrimp with a dipping sauce of South Beach Sizzle – our spicy orange marmalade.

Salmon and orange marmalade are a match made in heaven. Mix a few tablespoons of Orange Blossom Express blood orange and Meyer lemon marmalade with some dried dill and a teaspoon of hot water. Sear the salmon in a very hot pan, turn the heat to medium and add a splash of white wine. When the salmon is nearly done, glaze with the marmalade and cook for a few minutes and serve.

With the delicious flavors of horseradish and dill, our Spring! conserve makes a great topping for grilled swordfish and other grilled fish steaks. Simply grill the fish until done and top immediately with a few spoons of Spring!.

Sea scallops get a warm smoky heat when paired with Evil Apple our spicy apple and chipotle conserve. Sear Scallops in a mix of butter and oil a very hot pan. Serve imediately over fresh greens with a dollop of Evil Apple on each scallop.

Here is the recipe and it should be mixed by hand with a fork (no need for the heavy machinery here!). If you like whole wheat flour that will work fine. If you would rather use brown sugar-go ahead. No buttermilk-no problem use whole milk. Keep this recipe handy and honor the lonely banana!

Lonely Banana Muffins
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 very ripe banana
1/2 Stick butter
1 egg
1/4 cup butter milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
pinch of ground cinnamon

6 cup muffin tin and no-stick spray or a bit of butter to grease the pan

Melt butter in a two-cup measuring cup or a small bowl (measuring cup is great because you can use it to gather all the wet ingredients and pour into the dry later). In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon and stir with a fork. To the melted butter add buttermilk, egg, banana and mash the mixture together with a fork. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry and stir with (you guessed it) a fork. If there are little lumps and no flour showing when you finish mixing, you have done it right. Stir in the walnuts gently. Pour into muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until risen and nicely brown.

There are many recipes available in books and on-line for basic marshmallows but I was interested in making the type that uses egg whites and I wanted to try to make them without corn syrup.  I tried substituting golden syrup, which is made from cane sugar, and it worked perfectly.  I share the recipe below but I warn you; yo may not be able to stop making them…

Vanilla Marshmallows

Lightly spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Sugar Syrup
Place 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup water, and 1 tablespoon golden syrup in a heavy bottom pan. Heat gently and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Raise heat to medium and stop stirring. Place a candy thermometer in the pan and heat to 255 degrees.

Gelatin
In the top of a double boiler (or a bowl over a pot of water), pour 3/4 cup water. Sprinkle the contents of four envelopes of unflavored gelatin over the water and allow to stand for a few minutes.  Heat until the gelatin liquefies.

Egg Whites
In a stand mixer, beat 2 egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar until stiff but not dry

Combine
Once the sugar syrup reaches 255 degrees, combine the warm gelatin mixture with the hot sugar syrup and pour into the beaten egg whites while beating on high.  Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Beat for about 10 minutes until the mixture begins to get very thick.  Pour mixture into the prepared pan and allow to stand at room temperature for at least three hours.

Finish
Mix 1/2 cup of confectionery sugar with 3 tablespoons corn starch.  Dust a cutting board with the mix and turn marshmallows out onto the board. Cut in strips with a sharp knife or pizza cutter and dust each cut side with the sugar and corn starch mix.  Cut the strips into pieces and dust the cut sides.  Store in an air tight container.

To make this dish, select two skin-on salmon fillets  (about a pound and a half each) that are matching in thickness and shape.  You will also need one or two lemons sliced into rounds, one cup of apple cider, and 1/2 cup white wine for the roasting pan. Make stuffing (recipe below). Lay long piece of twine in roasting pan and place one salmon fillet skin down on top of the twine. Mound the stuffing on the fish up to about a half-inch from the edge all around.

Carefully place the remaining piece of salmon on top matching the shape. Press down gently. Wrap the twine around the fish several times knotting at the top as you would tie a roast. Tuck lemon slices and fennel fronds into the twine. (see picture above) . Pour wine and 1 cup of cider into the pan and place in a 375 degree oven.  Cook until internal temperate reaches 165 degrees. Rest at least five minutes, cut and remove twine and slice.

Stuffing
1 large loaf crusty bread sliced and toasted
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 apple (peeled, cored, and sliced)
1/2 cup fennel bulb (thinly sliced, save the fronds for decoration)
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
3 cups low salt vegetable broth
1 cup apple cider
1/2 tsp paprika
salt
pepper

Heat a medium skillet and melt butter (or olive oil) and saute the onion and fennel and set aside. Crumble the bread into chunks and place in a large bowl. Add the apples, sautéed onions, fennel, broth, and cider. Beat the egg and mix in well. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.

Today I woke to cold, wind-whipped rain slamming against the bedroom windows. Despite the downpour, I ran way too many errands getting soaked in the process.  After a trip to two banks, the dry cleaners, and delivering jam to several stores;  I stopped into Whole Foods and they had chicken parts on sale.  I already had some root vegetables from the winter farmers market and I decided it was the perfect time for staying home the rest of the day and making pie.

Here is my Chicken Pot Pie recipe which yields extra stock and extra chicken for another recipe.  Stay at home days don’t come often for me so later in the week I can use the chicken for chicken tacos and the stock to start a quick soup.

Stock
8-10 cups of water
1 whole chicken breast and 2 chicken thighs (both bone-in)
4-5 carrots
2 parsnips
1 small turnip
1 onion
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon kosher salt
a few springs of rosemary, parsley, and thyme

Peel onion, carrots, parsnips, turnip and cut into large chunks
Split chicken breast in half
Place all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil
Simmer for an hour or until chicken is tender
Strain stock and let chicken and vegetables cool slightly
Separate the chicken meat from the bones
Slice the carrots, parsnips, and turnip into bite-sized pieces
Reserve about 4 cups of stock and 3 cups of chicken and the vegetables for the pie filling.  Store the rest of the chicken and stock for another meal.

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter cut in about teaspoon sized pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
6 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in food processor or mixer bowl
Add shortening and butter and mix until pea sized crumbs form
Pour in cold water and mix just until the dough comes together.
Gather dough in a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
Chill for 30 minutes or up to overnight

 
Pie Filling
3-4 cup chicken
1 small onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 cups of stock
1/4 cup cream
2/3 cup frozen peas
carrots and parsnips from stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon instant flour such as Wondra

Slice the onion and cut slices in half
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and saute onions and mushroom until onions are just translucent
Add stock and simmer until reduced by about one-third
Add carrots, parsnips, turnip, and chicken
Add instant flour and cook until very thick
Add frozen peas and cream and set aside to cool slightly

Making the Pie
Prepared and chilled pie dough
Prepared pie filling
1 egg yolk plus 2 tablespoons of water for egg wash
9″ deep dish pie pan

Heat oven to 375 degrees
Divide the pie dough in half
Roll half of the dough to about 1/4″ thick 12″ circle and place in the pie pan, pressing gently into the pan and leaving edges overhanging
Pour filling into the pan
Roll remaining dough to 1/4″ thick circle and cover the filling in the pie pan
Cut off any extra dough and crimp the edges by using a pie crimper or pressing between thumb and forefinger all around the edge
Cut a few slits for steam to escape during baking
Brush top with egg wash
(optional) use the leftover dough to make decorations using a cookie cutter and attach using a bit of the egg wash
Bake for 1 hour until nicely brown and cooked through

Assign each person a small rectangle of dough (you can fit about three on a typical cookie sheet) and stand back.  Watch adults giggle at the crazy combinations they are making while normally picky kids become foodies fussing over creative culinary creations. Have the oven very hot (450 degrees) and ready for the pizza masterpieces.  The pizza will need to bake for only about 15 minutes and is done when the crust is brown at the edges and lightly brown underneath.

Some of our pizza party topping favorites have included Thai peanut sauce, barbeque sauce, pesto, cocktail sauce mixed into tomato sauce, duck sauce, olives, capers, cashews, smoked salmon, fig jam,  speck or bacon, hoisin, roasted chicken. Some toppings are great layered on the pizza before it goes in the oven while others such as truffle oil or microgreens are best added after baking.

The pizza pictured above is topped with our Doves and Figs Falling Leaves jam (apple, fig, and cranberry), shaved piave cheese, speck, and thin sliced Meyer lemons.

Dough Recipe
3 cups All-purpose flour+additional for kneeding
½ cup low salt vegetable broth (warm not hot)
½  cup warm water
1 pkgs dry rapid rise yeast
1 tsp sugar
non-stick spray

In a mixer or large bowl mix water, broth, yeast, and sugar
Mix together until yeast disolves
Add 2 cups of flour and stir or mix together to form a soft dough
Turn the dough out onto a floured board and kneed in about one more cup of flour and continue kneeding until dough is no longer sticky but is still soft.
Form the dough into a ball
Coat a large, clean bowl with non-stick spray
Roll the dough in the bowl to coat and cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise.
Allow dough to rise to about double in size
Divide dough into three pieces
Lightly spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and press the dough into rectangles on the cookie sheet.  Pulling and patting the dough to shape it.
Top as desired and bake for about 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

For the Crazy Apple Creatures you need some nice big apples (I used Cortlands from Kimball Fruit Farm), a sharp knife,  creamy peanut butter, creamy nut butter, or cream cheese, plus jam and an assortment of nuts, seeds, raisins, and dried fruit (a used a bag of Fastachi nut mix that I bought at the farmers market). You will also need a about two cups of water mixed with a teaspoon of lemon juice in a small bowl.
Start by cutting the apple into quarters and then remove the core.
Cut a V-shaped piece out of the skin side of the apple as shown here.
Dip the cut apple in the lemon juice mixture and they are ready for the kids to decorate.  For the Apple Ghosts just peel the apples, cut the same as for Crazy Apple Creatures and decorate nuts or currants for eyes.

The Creepy Finger Sandwiches start with a few slices of whole wheat bread, a rolling pin,  local goat cheese (I used Crystal Book Farm) or cream cheese, a few sliced almonds, and a bit of red  jam, such as strawberry, raspberry, or cranberry (you know we used Doves and Figs).
Cut all of the crust off of the bread and roll flat with the rolling pin.
Spread the cheese on the bread and roll up tightly as you would a jelly roll.
Cut a few shallow slashes to look like knuckles
Place a dab of cheese at one end and top with a sliced almond for the fingernail
At the other end smear a bit of jam for the super creepy blood (eeeewwww)
HAPPY HALOWEEN!!