Can Jam Feb - Carrots

It's time for another Can Jam!

Huh - That month went by fast.

This month the challenge item was carrots.

At first, I was nonplussed. Carrots? Hmmmm. I like carrots, but I'm not crazy for canned carrots. Plus there was the addition of safety concerns. We can only use boiling water bath canning not pressure canning, so the recipes would be limited to pickles, relishes or what?

Well, while I was researching the Daring Cook's Feb. challenge, a Mezze dinner, I discovered rose water. Then I discovered Morabaa-yeh Haveej or Persian Carrot Jam made with rose water and lime.

Ok, maybe I can get into this carrot idea!

Morabaa-yeh Haveej or Carrot Jam with Rose Water and Lime

1 quart carrot juice

2 cups shredded carrot

1/2 cup bottled lime juice

2 Tbs rose water

1 tsp butter

4 cup sugar

1 pkg no sugar needed pectin

In a large pot boil together carrot juice, shredded carrots, lime juice, rose water and butter. Boil for 5 mins, add 4 cups of sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil and continue boiling for 20 mins. Add pectin, return to a boil and boil for 1 min.

Pour into prepared jars and boil in a boiling water bath canner for 10 mins.

Makes 6 pints and 1 half-pint.

Shredding carrots.

I had a few limes hanging around in my fridge so I squished them into the pot too.

A little added acid.

Jars getting ready for tops.

Pretty! I love the color of this jam!



I made some challah bread to eat with the jam.

This jam is awesome! It doesn't taste like carrots exactly. It tastes like a combination of pears/apricots/peaches.

I asked my Dad to blind taste test it. He didn't even get close to guessing that it was made from carrots. But he said it tasted good!

Personally and honestly, I think this is the best jam I have ever canned.

*Best Jam Ever*

Just think of all the beta carotene.

Super healthy jam too!

Persian Love Cake

While searching for rose water recipes, I stumbled upon recipes for Persian Love Cake. There seem to be many different people making the same recipe. The same strange recipe. It looked like a lot of people were using this recipe from Epicurious via Bon Appetit. I was confused by some of the directions in the recipe, so I took it to the best cake expert I know - my Mom.

She pointed out quite a few flaws in the recipe, re-worked the recipe and baked the cake for me.

Awesome!

The Epicurious recipe irritates me. It sounds like it was written by someone who tasted this cake and then decided to make up a recipe for it.

~

This is NOT a copy and paste recipe from Epicurious/Bon Appetit. This is a totally NEW recipe.

Persian Love Cake

Candied Rose Petals:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

petals from 1 rose

Cake:

2 1/4 cup cake flour

1 cup superfine sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp grated lemon or orange peel

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Frosting:

2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided

pinch of saffron (I would skip this next time)

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp rose water

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease 2 8 inch pans, line pan bottoms with parchment paper. In one bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Mix remaining wet ingredients in another bowl. Add one cup of the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir for 1 1/2 mins. Add remaining wet ingredient mixture and blend together. Pour batter into the 2 prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean. About 20 mins.

Allow cakes to cool completely.

Frosting: If you are using the saffron - take half of the cream and heat in a small pan until it simmers. Add saffron, stir and let cool.

Candied Rose Petals: Whisk 2 egg whites in a small bowl. Separate the petals from one rose and dip them in the egg whites. Just wet the rose petals, so the sugar will stick to them. Don't leave lumps of whipped egg white, like we did, that was one of the mistakes in the original recipe.

The egg whites shouldn't be stiff - like they are in this picture.

Allow the petals to dry overnight.

For the frosting: Whip the remaining cream. Strain the saffron infused cream and add to the whipped cream. Continue to whip until thickened, then add sugar. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Cut the cakes in half, so you have 4 layers.

Frost cake.

Frost sides.

Decorate with rose petals and fresh roses.

This cake would make a beautiful wedding cake.
However, it's not a pure white cake, because of the saffron.

Skip the saffron.

It tastes weird.

Without the saffron it will be a pure white cake.

Rose Water Sugar Cookies

Rose Water Sugar Cookies

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3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 Tbs rose water

1/4 tsp cardamom

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup colored sugar, for coating

~

-Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets.

- Beat together all ingredients, excluding flour.

-Stir in flour.

- Drop the dough by the tablespoonful into the colored sugar, rolling the balls to coat them. Place them on the prepared baking sheets.

- Bake the cookies for 10 mins. until they are just barely stating to brown, they'll look soft. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 mins. then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Rolling the dough in colored sugar.

Baked cookies.

These cookies are very yummy.

They combine my two favorite flavors: cardamom and rose water.

If you have never tried rose water - it is amazing!

It adds an addictive quality to these cookies, increasing the buttery flavor and adding a sweet aftertaste - that makes you want to eat more!