Curiosity Did All That

I'm too chickenshit to be an experimental cook. When I do bugger around with ingredients I'm relatively conservative with my choices. (Except for chilli, I can't be trusted around chilli). But I've seldomly found myself tempted to add apple jelly to a béchamel sauce or cumin to chocolate muffins.

I think I'm probably mostly afraid of failure. My unsuccessful dishes haunt me. I'm appalled by them. Affronted. Aghast. Asmidgemelodramatic some might say. But there have been, and still are, incredible people out there who aren't scared. Who don't care if they don't get it right.

They throw things in and pour things on top and (God forbid) leave things out just to see what will happen. They break the mould, stir things up and boldly go where no man has gone before.

There's a saying about standing on the shoulders of giants. That's what careful cooks like me do every time we take to the stove. Thanks to those brave, daring cooks who went before us and did the hard work because they were driven by culinary curiosity that far superseded their fear of failure.

I told my dad there was no way a rockhard-latex-oozing-fig could be made edible. I was wrong. There's no way I would've ever thrown together the ingredients for marshmallows unless I was on LSD. And lemon vodka instead of a lemon in vodka? I'd have to drink half the bottle before that occurred to me.

So thank you, to those who dared, so scaredy-cats like me, get to be amazed.

xx
J

PRESERVED FIGS 

1kg Unripe figs

1t Bicarb

1.25kg Sugar

Slice the tops off the figs. Then stab each one with a screwdriver or something relatively thick and scary. (From what I understand this is the part that helps to get rid of all the disgusting gunk and taste. I dunno. I'm still freaked out that those rocks turned yummy and oozy. So don't take any chances and stab away.) Cover the figs with cold water, add the bicarb and leave to soak for at least an hour. Put a plate on top to force the figs underwater.

Drain the figs, put in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then drain with cold water. Do this three times. The point is to once again get rid of the gunk. Put the figs in a pot with 1.25kg sugar and 3c water and bring to the boil. Add 2T lemon juice and 1T vanilla essence and turn down to a simmer for about 2 hours. Keep and eye and add water if necessary - you want syrup not glue - and more lemon and vanilla to taste if required.

VANILLA & LEMON MARSHMALLOWS

10 Leaves gelatin
1c Sugar
1/3c Glucose
4 Egg whites
Pinch of salt
2t Vanilla extract / 3t Lemon juice plus a few drops yellow food colouring
1c Icing sugar
1c Maizena

Soak the gelatin in 2c water for at least 5 minutes. Melt the sugar and glucose with 1/3c water and bring up to 118C. (Don't even try this without a candy thermometer). Meanwhile beat the egg whites until stiff. Try and time it with the sugar syrup reaching the correct temperature. Continue beating at a high speed and pour the syrup in slowly. Melt the gelatin leaves over medium heat in about 2T water then add to the egg whites. Keep beating until the mixing bowl is completely cool to the touch.

(At this point I split the mixture and added 1t vanilla extract to the one and 1.5t lemon juice to the other as well as the food colouring.) Sift together half the mixture of icing and maizena to cover the bottom of a tray completely then pour the marshmallow mix in. Or you can, like me, drop blobs onto the tray. Leave to dry uncovered for about 4 hours, then dust with the rest of the icing/maizena mix.  

LIMONCELLO

Zest of 4 lemons
1.5c Vodka
1c Sugar
4T Lemon juice

Add the zest to the vodka and put in a glass jar with a tight lid. Put in a cool, dark place for about two weeks, shaking the jar every couple of days. After two weeks heat the sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool down completely. Add the lemon juice then combine with the zest/vodka mix. Put back in your cool, dark place for another 4 - 6 weeks. Serve ice cold. (I'm only on day 2 of the 2 weeks, I'll report back if I make it for another 6 - 8 weeks...)