Peachy

Given the popularity of my peach marmalade with vanilla and cognac, I felt compelled yesterday to do a big batch of peach preserves. Armed with almost 15 pounds of peaches, I launched into preserving while everyone else was drinking frosty drinks in the summer Sonoma heat. Once again, the peach marmalade recipe I have proved fussy, and it's clear I'll have to re-trench and experiment with it to make sure I don't end up with caramelized peaches (as I did yesterday). While waiting for the peach marmalade to cook down, I indulged in a hilarious Wii game, Samba de Amigo, much to the amusement of the doctor and the gamer.

I did manage to succeed with peaches in brandy (ready in about a month), which resulted in a bit of leftover simple syrup that we put over ice cream and happily gobbled up.

Peaches - I'll have to consult with the marketeer to get 'em right the next time....

Ready in a month

Experimenting today - found new Italian canning jars (single lid variety from Bormioli, very Euro), and decided to try two new recipes: creme de cassis and eggplants in olive oil (from my "bible").

As usual, new recipes and new methods mean experimentation, and for the eggplant recipe I used a lovely, fruity Sciabica olive oil which I found at the farmer's market yesterday.

The creme de cassis is a huge experiment - couldn't find black currants so I used red and added a few blackberries for color.

We'll see how they both turn out in a month or so!