Clearly Delicious

I bought this book in Canada, so my cover is different, but I bought this version for my mother in law and it was the same inside as mine. The pictures are gorgeous, and the recipes are good too. This book is definitely for people who enjoy canning, preserving and so on. I have used several recipes with success and every few months I pull the book out just to look at the pictures.

The photographs in Clearly Delicious are clearly inspired. The cover is just a temptation into visual pleasures. The age-old craft of preserving the flavors of summer is displayed in picture after picture. Glistening bottles filled with jams, fruit dripping in syrup or seduced in alcohol, luxurious oils & vinegars, spicy treats, fruit cordials, syrups,. fruit curds and many more treats await. Some of the recipes included are: Pear and Damson Plum Jam Brandied Carrot Jam Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam Cranberry and Apple Jelly Peach Butter Lemon Curd Tipsy Apricots Raisins in Genever with Juniper Berries Pineapple and Lime Syrup Mixed Vegetable Pickles Spiced Oranges Dark Mango Chutney Fiery Chili Oil Rosemary Oil Mushrooms in Oil Goat Cheese with Herbs in Oil Spiced Blackberry Vinegar The "Herbs and Spices" chapter was a very pleasant surprise. Have you ever wanted to make your own Garam Masala, Pickling Spice, Quatre Epices, Five Spice Powder, Herbes De Provence, Bouquet Garni, Seasoning Salt or Barbecue Blend? Well, here are the recipes! The last chapter is, well.....just intriguing. I have never thought of painting one of those decorated bottles. It looks so fun. If you love "craft" projects...there are quite a few. To decorate the jars, they have some very creative ideas and some that are more traditional. Presentation ideas gives ideas of how you can make mini-gift baskets. A handy index leads you quickly to your favorite recipe. The step-by-step instructions stress the value of careful preparation so you can be assured of delicious results ever time. One of the most beautiful "cookbooks" I have yet to see! This is a completely illustrated guide to some of the most delicious recipes I have ever found all in one book! If you make one "preserve" recipe in your life...make it "Lemon Curd." It will seduce you into trying more recipes or you just might make that one recipe again, and again, and again! You will need to head to the kitchen shop and also pick up a "zester." An interesting little tool to remove the "zest/yellow peel from lemons"" or you can use your grater. I found many places online that sell bottles or most grocery stores do have the cutest bottles with colorful lids or do a search online for "canning jars." ~The Rebecca Review

Enjoyed this book mostly due to the photographs. It does have alot of simple and easy, yet elegant recipes for jams and jellies that will be consumed by the average family. The label and gift wrapping ideas add a unique twist to the every day kitchen gift.

I started canning jams as a food science experiment with a now out of print Harrod's book. Clearly Delicious (hardback) added recipes for preserves, marmalades, and flavored vinegars to try. The jam and marmalade recipes do not use commercial pectin, and seem more challenging than those found in the indispensible Ball Blue book, but turn out to be easy with clearly written and well-illustrated directions. Clearly Delicious is useful after a berry picking expedition, a trip to the farmers market, or mid-winter. I have made the wonderful lemon marmalade in December as a last minute addition to Christmas gifts and by repeated requests. The lemon marmalade is also good stirred into tea, in thumbprint cookies, as a cake filling, and for fast Chinese lemon chicken.There is a separate section on packaging food for gift giving. In the hardcover edition, the food is shown in a variety of jars and bottles. This is ok if the food is to be refrigerated, and the author and publisher do note that the the food was photographed just after packaging and the jars shown are not all suitable for longterm storage. Longterm storage directions are included with standard canning jars, so this is not a concern.

This book is great for someone wanting to create beautiful gifts from their kitchen and/or garden. The photographs are very inspiring!