Punk Domestics's blog

Disclosures: There are Amazon affiliate links from which I may make a commission. The giveaway prizes are provided courtesy of Harvard Common Press.

Think about it. It's simple logic:

1. Desserts are delicious.
2. We eat first with our eyes.
3. Everything is cuter in jars, therefore...
4. Desserts in jars are more delicious.

Shaina Olmanson's book Desserts in Jars capitalizes on exactly that logic, serving forth dozens of sweet recipes in several categories both baked and frozen, fruity and custardy, caky and crumbly. Pies, cupcakes, puddings, crèmes brûlées, crisps, crumbles, parfaits, cheesecakes ... the list goes on and on, all made right inside mason jars I know you already have plenty of. There's even a section with recipes for baking mixes to prepare as giftable jars, wrapped as you will with ribbons or butcher's twine or whatever you like to add a little flair. 

I met Shaina at a recent conference here in San Francisco, and I guiltily admitted I'd had a couple copies of the book hanging out in my office, begging to be given away. "Do it for Mother's Day!" She said. And so that's exactly what I'm doing. Read More >

Once again it's Three Things Thursday, where I highlight three things that ran on the site recently that inspired, intrigued or impressed me. Here's this week's picks:

Pickled Golden Raisins
These sweet-tart gems are a spectacular addition to roasted and stewed meats, especially lamb. Stud your basmati with them and a few buttery toasted almonds; your rice just got an upgrade thanks to SuperFancy Chef.

Read More >

Disclosures: There are Amazon affiliate links from which I may make a commission. The giveaway prizes are provided courtesy of Globe Pequot Press who also provided me a review copy.Read More >

Disclosures: There are Amazon affiliate links from which I may make a commission. The giveaway prize is provided courtesy of Storey Publishing, who also provided me a review copy.

Hey, you already have a copy of Sherri Brooks Vinton's seminal work Put 'em Up!, right? Of course you do. It has become one of the most-cited books among members of the Punk Domestics community, a truly invaluable resource for home preservers everywhere. 

Well, I've got news for you. She's baaaaack. And better than ever. 

Put 'Em Up! happily traipsed through a wide array of home food preservation projects, from pickles to relishes to fruit chips. In Put 'em Up! Fruit, Vinton digs deeper specifically on fruit, offering an amazing and inspiring array of treatments for all manner of fruits. 

This is not just another book of preserves recipes, though there's no shortage of things to put in jars. Each fruit gets remixed into a variety of treatments: Chutneys, curds, gastriques, ketchups, salsas, leathers, liqueurs and more. And, as with the first book, she goes further to include recipes on how to use these marvelous creations, so your pantry full of home-preserved goods doesn't just turn into a jar graveyard. Click here to check out the video trailer, and to see Sherri in action, making blackberry gastrique, and then use it with pan-roasted chicken. Yum!

It's been well over a year since the inaugural Punk Domestics trip to Emilia-Romagna, Italy, but a day doesn't pass that I don't reflect fondly on it. I remember each day, each activity as clearly as if it were yesterday: 

• Making a local conserve called savor out of quince, apples, pears, nuts anda saba, reduced wine grape juice.
• Experiencing formaggio di fossa, a sharp cheese left to cure in the tufa stone caves of a small town. 
• Touring through Parma and Modena to unlock the secrets of Pamigiano-Reggiano, prosciutto and aceto balsamico.
• Enjoying the freshest, most succulent seafood imaginable, and learning new methods of preparation, including using the sweet salt from Cervia, known as il sale dei papi, as it was favored by the popes for centuries. 
• Meeting our new friend, the norcino, who stepped us through breaking down a 200 kg hog and turning it into salame, salsiccia, cotechino, pancetta, guanciale, strutto (lard) and the delectable cracklings known as ciccioli. 
• Learning to make hand-rolled pasta, including local specialty strozzapreti, at the tutelage of two very experienced ladies.
• Making piadina, the local flatbread, which has since become a staple in our house. 

We are going back for a return trip this October -- and you should join us! This time around we're letting the pigs live another day, and instead we're foraging for porcini mushrooms, and visiting a charming hill town for their festival of white truffles. It promises to be delicious indeed. Don't just take my word for it -- see what our travelers had to say about the first trip.  

But I simply couldn't wait another six months to relive some of the tastes of Romagna, so I reached out to my friend and tour organizer, Vanessa, begging for formaggio di fossa and the curiously flavorful salfiore di Cervia. So when she and her husband Mauri appeared on our doorstep the other night for dinner, she brought me the goods: A sizeable hunk of that deliciously astringent cheese, and two bags of salfiore. 

I know it may seem odd to be so passionate about something as mundane as salt, but this is truly special stuff. So instead of hoarding both bags for myself (and don't think I didn't consider it), I'm going to share it with you. Yes, you!  Read More >

Disclosure: I was a guest of Casa Noble Tequila, who paid for my airfare, lodging and meals. I was not paid to write this post, and all opinions and observations are my own. -Sean

I'd just finished a multi-course lunch at the airy Guadalajara home of Pepe Hermosillo, CEO of Casa Noble Tequila, along with five other writers, Pepe's wife Gina, and Dave Yan, the distillery's marketing director. As we finished our desserts, Pepe mentioned that someone had expressed interest in infused tequila. That would be me. Pepe wheeled around from his chair to a sideboard, and broke out three cut crystal decanters and a fleet of small snifters. He poured a round from one of the decanters, and distributed them. I took a sniff.

"Bell pepper," he said, and sure enough, the tequila had a bright, vegetal aroma. Yet when I sip, it's mellow, faintly sweet on the palate. When he poured the second, an infusion of jalapeños, I braced myself for a searing burn, but instead was met with something far softer and almost earthy. The third, lavender, was intensely perfumed but has taken on depth and complexity that reminds me of a time many years ago when I had the opportunity to dab my wrist with a rare, 30-year-aged rose perfume. I refused to wash that wrist for days.

"How long have these been infusing?" I ask. "About a year, all of them about a year," came Pepe's reply.

What?

I've made a lot of infused spirits over the years -- and I mean a lot. I've taught classes on them. I've advised steeping ingredients into vodka, rum, grappa and tequila for as long as a couple weeks in the case of oil-rich ingredients like citrus zest, to just a few hours in the case of tea. Last year, for a Cinco de Mayo-themed tequila, I pierced a single jalapeño and left it to steep in a bottle of tequila for 24 hours, resulting in a fiery concoction that could only be tamed with a well-sweetened mix of sugar and citrus. I've specifically advised against leaving ingredients in too long, lest you draw out undesirable flavors like bitterness or woodiness. This changed everything.Read More >

Julia Sforza is the jam-tastic force behind Half Pint Preserves, based in New York's Hudson Valley. A longtime contributor to Punk Domestics from her personal blog, What Julia Ate, Julia brought home the gold for the second time at this year's Good Food Awards, of which Punk Domestics is proudly a media partner. She took some time out of her busy canning schedule to chat with us. (Image: Carolina Weick) 

Kudos on the Good Food Awards for your apple plum jelly! What was it like when you received the news?
Thank you! It was deeply satisfying on a professional level in that the judges are all so highly qualified. Getting their vote meant a lot. And being among a group of preservers I’m inspired by was also very special. The Good Food Awards is really doing so much by showing appreciation and support for these small and thoughtful businesses. 

Tell us a little bit about how you developed your apple plum jelly. What were the "aha" moments?
The essence of the recipe is actually on my blog. Apples for pectin, plums for color, and star anise to put it over the top. I think if there’s an “aha” moment, it’s the star anise. It imparts just the slightest bit of mystery.Read More >

Looking to try your hand at Japanese-style pickles, or tsukemono? Here's a few resources to help you along.

Asian Pickles: Japan
Karen Solomon, who previously brought us Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It is back with an exciting new premise, a series of e-books on Asian pickles. The first installment focuses on the traditions of Japan.  

Once again it's Three Things Thursday, where I highlight three things that ran on the site recently that inspired, intrigued or impressed me. Here's this week's picks:

Growing Peppers from Seed
If you want to start your peppers from seed, now is the time to get started. It's a tricky business that requires patience -- some seeds can take more than 100 days to germinate -- and a warm place. Here's how to get them to cooperate.

Read More >