Yay! My pal Amy has joined the Be Here Now experiment. Here’s her story (and a recipe I will definitely try out this weekend):
Cooking keeps me in the moment, especially if I’m trying a new recipe or the kind of hands-on baking that doesn’t allow for shortcuts or wandering attention. Peeling apples, pitting cherries, blending butter into flour with my fingertips— it’s impossible to do these things and check e-mail.
This past weekend, I found strawberries on sale and decided to make jam for the first time. I stirred and stirred and stared into the pot, watching the sugar dissolve and thinking about nothing else but the smell of strawberries.
Fresh Strawberry Jam
1c sugar
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
Combine the sugar, zest and juice in a small saucepan and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Add the strawberries and continue to cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until strawberries are quite soft and juicy. Stir often but gently. Mash the berries up with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Dribble a little of the juice on a very cold plate (keep one in the freezer for a few minutes). If the juice gels, you’re done. If not, cook and stir a little longer. Store in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it all within a week (this will not be a problem).
