Strawberry and Tea Jelly

If insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results (Albert Einstein), cooks, bakers and food blogger must be really sane people! As our time spend in the kitchen is mostly about trying, changing ingredients, temperatures and proportions to finally come to the expected result.

Because in life, much like in the kitchen, we should all learn from our mistakes. Not falling back to old patterns, we may know as familiar, but that will end up being bad for us. This is how I think we grow, even if we all have our crosses to bear and our walls to break.
Coming back to food, if desserts, chocolate or sugar would be illegal, I'd be an outlaw for sure. But I know I have to be (most of the time) carefull and wise, that's what this dessert is about.

I hope I'm not making this sound too boring, because even if I came up with this recipe in order to have a lighter dessert, I really enjoyed this and will do it again. Plus, you can mix and match teas and fruits. Regular gelatin could work too, but Agar-Agar is a healthier option in my opinion and is quicker to set. If there was any sun around, it would be a nice summer dessert.

Strawberry and Tea Jelly

Serves 3

1/2 a Liter of Water
2 Tablespoons of Strawberry Flavoured Black Tea
2 Tablespoons of Agave Nectar (Syrup)
2gr of Agar-Agar
10 Strawberries
6 Tablespoons of Vanilla Yogurt

Prepare your tea, boil the water and let the tea infuse for about 8 to 10 minutes. Pour your tea in a sauce pan thru a sieve (to remove all residue from the tea) add the agave nectar (or honey if you prefer) and the Agar-Agar (mine is powder), bring to the boil and set aside, check if it's sweet enough for your taste.

Wash the strawberries, than cut of the top and slice them not too thinly. I used 3 glasses (20cl), place the sliced strawberries evenly in each glass, than pour the tea slowly over. Leave it too cool on your kitchen counter, before placing them in the fridge. They just need a couple of hours to set, but you can leave them overnight.

To serve, pour 2 tablespoons of vanilla yogurt on top of each jelly and enjoy.

Looking forward and making Jam

Let's pretend it is actually spring, that the sun is shining, the temperatures are getting warmer and we enjoy day after day without rain... Are you convinced? Well here, it would take a lot of persuasion strength to make you believe so. Even if it's finally getting better, temperature wise, the weather forecast keeps showing me a little cloud with raindrops falling! It's almost june, c'mon!

So hoping this will bring the sun out from behind the clouds, I'm making jam, and not just any jam, one that includes beautiful strawberries. When I brought them back home, my sister asked me what I would do with them, immediatly I said Jam! She thought it was a pity for such good looking strawberries.
But I don't see jam as a way to get rid of fruit that is about to turn bad, I see it as a way to enjoy summer fruits in the middle of the winter, and I know I'm going to remember how gorgeous they were, when I'll pop that lid open on some cold(er) days.

Nature does things right, because mostly what grows around the same time, can be used in the same recipe. This is a classical combination: rhubarb and strawberries. And it is a classical for a reason, it goes perfectly together.
Now for a little change and adding a personal touch to it, I've added something that starts to be in season here aswell: melon. It doesn't have that acidity you find in the rhubarb or even a little in the strawberry, so you don't need as much sugar in the end.

Rhubarb, Strawberries and Melon Jam

for about 3 Jars

300gr of Rhubarb
300gr of Strawberries
300gr of Melon (about 1 or 1,5 depending on the size)
1 Lemon
800gr of Sugar

Peel and cut the rhubarb into 1cm pieces, place them in a bowl with 300gr of sugar on them, leave them like this for a couple of hours.

Clean the strawberries before you cut the top off, and cut them in 2 or 4 pieces depending on the size.

Cut the melon in two, remove the seeds, and slice every half in 4 pieces. Cut the skin away, and cut the flesh to about the same size as the strawberries.

Place the rhubarb with the sugar and the liquid that came out of them into the pan you're going to cook the jam in, add the strawberries, the melon, the remaining sugar (500gr) and add the zest of the lemon, then the juice of it.

Place it on a medium heat soo it starts to bubble, and cook it for at least 20 minutes. To check if it's good, place a plate in the fridge when you start to cook, place a drop of the jam on the cold plate, place it back in the fridge for a minute and see it the consistency suits you.

Pour the jam into jars you have sterilised in boiling water, place the lid on, let them cool up side down and you can store them for about 1 year.