Apple - Beetroot Jam

Hola - It’s the happiest season of the year… as Christmas is just around the corner and the true magic of Christmas is  Love, Joy, Togetherness, Kindness and Care…..

Apple plays a significant role during festivals … as is considered to be an image of paradise that symbolises Joy and apples being winter fruit has made its way into so many winter holiday traditions. 

During Christmas,  stockings use to  be filled with apples and oranges, over the time now the stockings are filled with different goodies, but still today the toe of the stocking is filled with an apple or an orange. Apples are given as gifts in Eastern European culture, men have traditionally given girls a decorated apple as a romantic gesture during Yuletide (Christmas time). In China many young people have developed a tradition of giving gift wrapped apple on Christmas Eve as they say in Chinese language the word for Christmas Eve and Apple almost sounds the same meaning Peaceful / Safe night. 

Apples and Honey is a traditional dish served by Ashkenazi Jews on Rosh Hashanah - The Jewish new year. A blessing is said in Hebrew for Sweet New Year. The apple is dipped in honey and eaten. Apples have been a part of the Christmas decoration too. 

- Net source 

So let’s make Apple- Beetroot Jam this Christmas- 

Ingredients 

1 1/2 kg Apples boiled 

1 Big Beetroot boiled and grated 

Juice of 2 Oranges or juice of 1 big Lemon 

1 tbsp grated Ginger 

1 tsp Salt

750 grams of Sugar 

2 Star Anise 

1 stick of Cinnamon 

Method 

Take the boiled apples, remove the peel,  the core and seeds of the apple, blend the apple and strain the pulp through a wire mesh strainer. Take a heavy bottom pot, add the apple pulp, orange juice or lemon juice, a bottle of water, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Stir and let the pulp simmer on medium to low flame, stir occasionally. Gradually remove the jam foam that gathers on the top of the liquid. Once done add the beetroot. Continue to simmer the until the liquid has thickened. To test if the jam is ready, place a small spoonful onto a cold plate. Wait for 2 minutes or keep the plate back in the fridge for few minutes, the jam will hold its shape, incase the jam is still runny then continue to cook. Once done cool the 

Jam, while still warm, keep the jam in a clean sterilised glass bottles. This portion makes 6 bottles of jam. This jam is good to pair with bread butter, bacon and ham. The jam stay good for a year when refrigerated. 

Cool Berry Mint Ice Tea...

As it's extensively hot, I am just practically living on water, for a change drinking juices with sugar is not healthy too... Here is a drink without sugar and it's a perfect, energetic and healthy summer drink for you from my kitchen. 

For a glass..

Ingredients 

2 Strawberries 

2 tbsp dried Cranberries 

1 tbsp dried Blue Berries 

Few Mint leaves

2 tbsp or more Honey as per your requirement..

1 cup Water

Pinch of Salt 

2 tbsp Lime juice

1 cup Leaker Tea ( Take a cup of hot water, add 1/4 tsp of tea leaves. Cover and keep for 2 minutes. Strain it.)

Method 

Take a pot. Add water, strawberries, cranberries, blue berries, few mint leaves and pinch of salt. Simmer it on medium heat till it reduces to 1/2 it's quantity. Cool it. Take a blender. Add the berry and mint decoction, leaker tea, honey, lime juice and ice. Blend it well. Pour it into a glass and enjoy the perfect, healthy and energetic drink.

P. S. You can also use fresh berries, if it is available.

Summer Cool Fresh Fruit Ice Popsicle Candies.....

As the heat is terrible, I wanted to have something chilled... My memory took me back to my childhood days, where we use to buy these ice popsicles candies (pepsi as they were called) after a long afternoon play with friends in the summer break. They costed 50 paisa those days and was made with artificial colours and flavors. But who cared... After that a good scolding at home.....

Here is a easy recipe of ice popsicles candy with fresh fruit pulp, lime juice and chaat masala... very simple to make, taste great and it's healthy for children too..... you can customise it with your choice of fruits and can add condensed milk or evaporated milk and sugar to make flavoured milk ice popsicles candies too. 

Ingredients 

1/4 cup of each Fresh fruit pulp

(Mango, Strawberry, Black Grapes and Kiwi or any fruit of your choice)

1/4 tsp Lime juice for each pulp

1/4 tsp Chaat masala for each pulp

1/2 tsp Sugar for each pulp

1/4 cup Water for each pulp

Method 

You get ice popsicles candy bags, I made them at home with the help of a sealing machine.. 

Take any fruit pulp, add sugar, lime juice and chaat masala. Mix it well. Repeat the same process with the other fruit pulps. Take a popsicles candy bag and a big syringe. Fill up the juice into the syringe and transfer it into the candy bag or you can use a funnel to fill the juice into the bags. Fill 3/4 of the bag and tie a knot to the open end of the bag. Freeze it till it forms ice. Cut an edge and enjoy the hot summer afternoons...

Fresh Fruit Compote with Creamy Yogurt..

Fresh Fruit Compote with Creamy Yogurt..

 

Fresh Fruit Compote
Ingredients
1/2 cup of Red Grapes chopped
1/2 cup of Strawberries chopped
1/2  of the Pineapple chopped
2 Kiwis chopped
1/4 cup of Sugar
1/4 cup of Honey
Pinch of Salt

Method
Take a pot.. Add Sugar, Salt, Honey and all the fruits. On a low flame, stir and cook till the sugar has incorporated well with the fruits and the liquid have reduced...

Creamy Yogurt
Ingredients
1 cup Hung Yogurt
1/2 cup Fresh Cream
1 cup Icing sugar
2 tbsp Honey

Method
Beat the cream for 2 minutes, add the yogurt, beat it, add icing sugar and honey, beat it until we get soft peaks.  

For Assembling
Take a small bowl, add 2 tbsp of fruit compote... Pipe in the yogurt.. Decorated with dried cranberries and drizzle with strawberry syrup... 

P.S. You can increase the sugar according to the taste...