The National Trust Book of the Country Kitchen Store Cupboard

The National Trust Book of the Country Kitchen Store Cupboard by Sara Paston-Williams has a title almost as long as the book itself. Sara Paston-Williams is one of those cookery writers with a profound sense of history and the historical place that food plays in that history. She has worked for the National Trust, managing restaurants and writing about much of the traditional fare that would have graced the tables of many a stately home.

As you know, I love larders, pantries, and store cupboards, so this book speaks to me. There is a section on fruit cheeses. A fruit cheese is a type of curd. As a child, one of my favorite cakes was a Lemon Cheese Cake. Yankee's (especially the New York kind) don't understand Lemon Cheese Cake, an airy white cake filled with a pungent, jaw-aching lemon "cheese." I remember making one and my roommate saying, "That's not cheesecake!" We have always tried to forgive the ignorance of those less fortunate individuals who never resided in the South.

I make a wonderful Tomato/Orange Marmalade/ChowChow confiture, so I was intrigued with this jam.

Tomato and Orange Jam

2lb (900g) red tomatoes
Grated rind and juice of two oranges
Juice of 2 lemons
2lb (900g) sugar

Choose firm tomatoes. Wash and skin the and cut into quarters. Put in a pan and add grated rind and juice of the oranges. Cover a the pan and cook gently for about 10-15 minutes or until tomatoes are very tender. Add lemon juice, and stir in warmed sugar, heating gently until the sugar has completely dissolved. then, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes, until setting point is reached, stirring occasionally. Allow jam to cool for about 5 minuets before pouring into jars. Cover and store. This jam is very good spread thickly on wholemeal or granary bread or scones.

Seems to me, it might be great right out of the jar.