raw strawberry kiwi jam | heat, gluten, (sugar) free

For how many recipes there are all over the internets that use jam (hello, thumbprints), the gingham-topped jar seems to always be out of focus and in the background.

Making your own jam is underrated. Understandable. When a jar of Bonne Maman costs 6 bucks at a grocery store, one would think that making jam or jelly is an artisan, somehow tedious ordeal reserved for someone with skill and time. Not so, I say! It’s an easy and versatile process, one that has survived stovetop abandonment when my mom locked herself out of the house for 2 hours.

If you find yourself facing that problem often (totally understandable?????), fear not, because this requires no heat whatsoever. It’s raw, gluten free, potentially added-sugar free, and uses chia aka magic seeds.

I asked Jack about interesting flavor combinations for jam, thinking he was gonna get foodie on me and say something like apricot-elderflower or mint marionberry. Ha, nope. We drove by some franchised smoothie place and he said strawberry kiwi. First thought: weird. Kiwi is tart and makes you pucker your lips and squint your eyes. Jam is sweet and rich and makes you feel fuzzy on the inside. 

But then I thought, why not. A jammy anomaly that's both an ode to the departure of winter and its affordable tropical delights, and a welcome to spring/summer through the first cartons of strawberries. I couldn't imagine cooking down the kiwi as you would to make jam, nor did I want to go back to the store when I realized I didn't have pectin/gelatin/arrowroot/etc. Cue chia seeds and food processor.

Props to Jack, because strawberry kiwi just moved up real quick in my jam flavor hierarchy. +It's roommate approved. It's bright and fruity, perfectly tart and sweet and is amazing with scones (like these) or on yogurt.

This technique is so easy and versatile, and works with blueberries, raspberries, etc. The texture depends on how coarsely you choose to process your foods, so play around. I'll never say no to whole pieces of fruit, but if you're gonna replicate the kiwi-strawberry approach, blitz the kiwi first so that the strawberries are the ones giving texture. For true, cooked-down jammy texture, use a 2T/cup of blitzed fruit chia ratio. Depending on the sweetness of your fruit, add some sweetener. Stevia works well here because it doesn't interfere with the flavors, but agave, maple, soft sugar (think brown, something that will dissolve and won't be granulated) or honey could work well too.

I'm hungry. 

Raw Strawberry Kiwi Jam | Heat, Gluten, (Sugar) Free

Stuff

Yields 2 cups of jam 

6 ripe kiwi fruit, soft to the touch

650g ripe strawberries 

4 T black chia seeds

Actions

Peel the kiwi and remove the stems of the strawberries

Give the strawberries a coarse chop if you want them to add a lot of texture to the jam 

Pulse the kiwi in your food processor. Leave some texture before adding strawberries. 

Add the strawberries and pulse until you reach consistency à la you. 

Taste test mmmmm and add sweetener if you so choose.

Mix in your chia seeds and let the magic texturize overnight, or for at least 3 hours if you can't contain yourself. 

wanderlust in frittata

I spent 10 weeks in Europe last summer, absorbing, to the best of my ability, all of the foreignness that was around me. To no surprise, the satisfaction of being "home" didn't last long after landing back in Seattle. School. Class. Winter. 

Once you travel, I don't think traveling leaves you. Even though you hated it, you dream about a night of broken sleep on a night train through the Czech country. You miss the accents of the bat-shit-crazy Australians, and the cheap beer. You even miss the expensive beer. You miss that "new air" that you can distinguish with every new place, the beauty of unfamiliarity, the not knowing who you'll meet or how or where. 

And when you recollect, you challenge yourself with what's next? What could possibly be more exotic that steamed cabbage and dumplings? Where else can you get lost amongst strangers with no cell service and a torn up guide book?  

Yesterday, while Spring's beautiful 6pm sun coming through the window, I decided to make a frittata. Simple; something that I would imagine that my Italian grandma would make for me as an after school snack if I had an Italian grandma. See, nonna knows how to navigate a frittata. She knows how to get the most out of the eggs, knows exactly how to make it fluffy and airy, knows what to put into it to make it her frittata and make it tasty. To her, a frittata is nothing new. Been there, done that, seen it. 

I've never been to frittata-land. I googled everything from what should go into it to how to whisk eggs properly, only to find myself getting overwhelmed while eating pretzels. And after reading all about whisking techniques and herbs and tortillas españolas and omelettes, I just decided close my computer and to make a frittata. It was great. Airy and cheesy and flavorful, with just the right amount of salt to bring out the freshness of the zucchini, and just the right amount of thyme to accentuate the mushrooms. Frittata-land, navigated. 

Tomorrow we go to San Francisco. It's far from exotic or complicated, but it's new and there may just be steamed cabbage and dumplings. Definitely dumplings. The greatest things is... we're going into it without having watched videos on how to whisk. We're letting the result be unknown, just kind of hoping that we add the right amount of salt to it. Maybe nonna can help us out, if we find her. But I think we'll be alright without. 

Leftover frittata for breakfast.