Do you know what media training is? If you don't, it's when they teach people to behave on television and radio. They work with politicians, business executives, and, of course, in this day and age, they work with a lot people (and I mean, a lot...) that are involved in corporate and celebrity crisis control. But there's a special group of media trainers that teach you how to cook on television, which is trickier than just sitting there getting grilled by Stephen Colbert, I'm sure of that.
Cooking on tv is much harder, because instead of just sitting there having a casual chat, you need to be fielding all sorts of goofy questions at the same time as measuring out and explaining fourteen different ingredients to the weatherman, wondering where that damn spatula is and how you're going to fold egg whites without one, cursing yourself because you forgot to turn off your cell which is vibrating like mad in your back pocket, trying to get the name of the book you're supposed to be promoting into the conversation when the seriously-skinny host only wants to talk about her diet, and watching out of the corner of your eye because the camera crew is impatiently waiting for you to finish so they can pounce on your brownies.
About ten years ago I had media training, a one-on-one weekend where it was just me and the media trainer—who basically yelled at me for 48 hours, non-stop.
In fact, I think he blew out my left eardrum.
He wasn't doing it to be mean: think of it like boot camp. Because when you have five minutes at the end of the morning news program to make two desserts, which gets cut down to 84 seconds at the last moment because some war broke out or a local kid got his head stuck in a sewer grill down on Main Street (which, for some reason, they seem to think is far more news-worthy than your chocolate cake or pumpkin cookies), you'd better be prepared.
On television, you need to be ready for the worst because no matter how prepared you are, it's going to happen and you're going to be asked the questions that you least want to be asked. They have an instinct for finding them, then lobbying it at you at 6:45am. And when 7.3 million viewers are watching you, if you don't have an instant answer ready while frosting that cake or trying to figure out where the chocolate sauce is (you left it in the green room, and the staff is surely attacking it), you're sunk.
To prove the point, the media trainer showed me a tape of a woman about to make a rhubarb pie on a morning news show. She's confident and well-prepared and just as she's about to start, the host with the pancake make-up, gleaming-white teeth and the cheap suit looks at her, looks at her table of perfectly-prepped ingredients, and says; "Rhubarb?! I hate rhubarb! I once tasted it and...bleech!....it was the worse thing I ever put in my mouth. It was disgusting! God, I hate rhubarb..."
Yet for the next 3:30 excruciating minutes, the poor dear has to make a rhubarb pie and promote her book while the host makes faces and jokes about what she was making. (Me? I would've told the dude to beat it and grabbed the pert, always-ready-with-a-quip weather gal with the nice gazongas.) But there you are, and you're kind of trapped and have to make the best of it.
So here's a recipe for Rhubarb-Berry Jam. If you don't like rhubarb, I'm not going to convince you to make it. (And it doesn't matter anyway, since I can't see you. So if you want to make faces or annoying noises, knock yourself out.) But it's very easy to make and economical; one big bunch of rhubarb and a couple of handfuls of berries and voilà, you've got jam.
Although typically strawberries get paired with rhubarb, I think it's more interesting to add stronger-flavored and darker-colored berries, which I did here. And who knows? The bright red color might turn the tide for rhubarb-haters, and perhaps this jam can train them to do otherwise.
Rhubarb-Berry Jam5 one cup (250ml) jars
Even though strawberries are the classic accompaniment with rhubarb, I find more assertive berries, like raspberries, to be better. I used a mix of many this time around, with black and red currants, raspberries, blackberries, and diced strawberries, just because I had some on hand. So use whatever you wish, and frozen berries work just as well.
Because rhubarb doesn't have much pectin, and I don't use commercial pectin, I'll often add apple juice which helps the jam to set nicely.
3 pounds (1kg) rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/2-inch (2cm) pieces
2 cups (250g) packed mixed berries, fresh or frozen
1 cup (250ml) water or apple juice
5 1/2 cups (1kg, plus 100g) sugar
juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
optional: 1 tablespoon kirsch
1. In a large pot, mix the rhubarb, berries, and the water or apple juice. Cook, covered, stirring frequently over moderate heat, until the rhubarb is cooked through and thoroughly tender. It should take about 15 minutes.Put a small plate in the freezer.
2. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and cook, uncovered, skimming off and discarding any foam that rises to the surface, until the jam is thick and passes the wrinkle test.
To do so, place a small spoonful of the jam on the frozen plate. Return it to the freezer and check it a few minutes later; if the jam wrinkles when nudged, it's done. You can also use a candy thermometer; jam jells at approximately 220F (104C).
3. Stir in the kirsch, if using, then ladle the jam into clean jars, cover, and store in the refrigerator.
Note: I don't process most jams since I eat them within a few months and keep them in the refrigerator. If you wish to process them, check out Practical Canning Tips.
Related Posts and Recipes:
Roasted Rhubarb (Wednesday Chef)
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pâte de Fruit (Tartlette)
Rhubarb Pie with Lattice Crust (Michael Ruhlman)
Rhubarb-Grapefruit Preserves (Wednesday Chef)
Rhubarb Tart (Amateur Gourmet)
Rhubarb Jam & Jelly (Kitchen Parade)
Rhubarb Cobbler (Smitten Kitchen)
Shallot, Beer, Prune, and Cocoa Nib Jam
Rhubarb Sorbet (Simply Recipes)
I just made some blueberry jam and strawberry jam the other day. I like not using commercial pectin either. I just chop up some apples in my fruit. Thanks for this recipe! Your jam looks yummy!
P.S. Small typo: "Even though strawberries are the classic accompaniment with strawberries" I assume you mean "strawberries are the classic accompaniment with rhubarbs".
Great timing. I was just writing a list of plants for the new garden, and you reminded me - must buy Rhubarb.
When I was a kid a stick of raw rhubarb with the chewed off end dipped in sugar was a real treat. I am not so sure my more refines (!) palate could take the punishment now.
We make a lot of rhubarb-raspberry and rhubarb-strawberry jam. Instead of commercial pectin we make our own, by boiling up apple peel and cores leftover from when we make apple pies and apple butter. It works a treat, because you don't have to worry about cooking it too long (a problem with bought pectin) and it uses up our apple leavings.
One thing that's puzzling me. In this post and the white choc one you've referred to one cup jars being 125ml? Is that a uniquely French sizing for jars? I promise I'm not being a smart-arse, I'm genuinely puzzled!
First of all love you site. Last winter (strawberries are in season here during the winter) I got over my fear of making jam and it was a succes. But I'm a little confussed about how long I can save it in the fridge when it's not processed. Most recipes say two weeks. But here you say you save it at least a few months does it depend on the kind of jam your making? (ok that's probably a stupid question)
Very funny, David. Excellent post. And the jam recipe looks great. I have a bunch of red raspberries still leftover from last year's harvest, rhubarb in the fridge, and strawberries in the garden and out the whazoo. (My daughter asked me, "Mama, what's a whazoo?") I'm inspired.
(I made the white chocolate cherry scones yesterday, again. Such a wonderful, wonderful recipe.)
A question: What can I substitute for the kirsch?
Mama JJ: Any liqueur will do, which I add because it brings out the flavor. Grand Marnier, rum, port, or pear Williams can be swapped out for the kirsch. Or since it's optional, you can leave it out.
Celia & Memoria: Oops, fixed 'em.
Simon: I did that too, and tried it recently and it didn't taste the same anymore. I don't know why, but I'm happy to cook my rhubarb nowadays.
Sam: I've kept my jams for at least a year in the refrigerator, but it's impossible to give an exact date to how long it's going to last. In general, if there's no mold on it, it should be fine to eat.
There's something wrong with anybody who doesn't like rhubarb. Maybe it was just eaten raw or something. Your rhubarb/berry jam would be the antidote for sure. I had to smile when I scrolled down my reader to your strawberry photo. I posted a strawberry tiramisu today and a similar strawberry photo to yours.
I just found your site and am really enjoying it! Off to make some scones and jam...
I love rhubarb, but it took an internship at Chez Panisse to really get it. I was even able to turn my husband into a rhubarb lover with a crunch dough rhubarb tart. Delish!
I totally agree about the pairing of rhubarb and dark berries. I once had some overripe and delicious blackberries and mixed them with some rhubarb and the resulting jam was one of the best jam I have made. I bet it would have tasted even better with some liquor.
I never knew about media training, it makes sense, usually chefs swear a lot and that wouldn't go well on tv, except if you Gordon obviously. You recount is very funny, I have to buy your latest book if it is written with the same wit.
Happy Jamming!
I forgot to ask....would the apple juice make the jam too sweet? I like jams to be less sweet than normal, should I cut down the amount of sugar?
Imagine hating rhubarb! But it's so PINK!
I like the idea of adding apple juice (and someone's suggestion of using cores & peels). I've never had something with store-bought pectin work out correctly, anyway. I recently made your cherry jam from a couple years ago and it turned out great.
I made my first strawberry rhubarb pie a month or so ago and it failed miserably, The strawberries were too juicy and filling was so loose it just ran out of the consquently soggy pie shell. Determined not to waste all that fruit, I emptied the filling into a sauce pan, added some chopped dried appricots for color and pectin, and lots more sugar and made it into a jam. It was very good..a little tart, but I will try it again. Wish I'd thought of raspberries, I had those too.
David - your timing is impeccable. Our CSA box this week has rhubarb and strawberries so I'll be making this delicious jam soon. Just finished reading your book and loved it! It made me laugh and it made me hungry too. Those brownies are to die for.
Having been the lucky recipient of a jar of David's rhubarb-berry jam, I can personally attest to its deliciousness.
It's especially good on fresh croissant ...
Gazongas?! I hate gazongas! I once tasted it and...bleech!....it was the worse thing I ever put in my mouth. It was disgusting! God, I hate gazongas!
But if I see a pert, always-ready-with-a-quip weather gal with some nice rhubarb and berries...
haha, like this insightful and funny entry of yours! most of all, like your recipes!
WHO doesn't love rhubarb...I don't know why people don't like it, I think it is delicious...my partner won't go near it no matter how hard I try to persuade him it's nice...lemony and tangy and as sweet as you'd like it to be...I shall not win this battle I can tell but it doesn't stop me trying! David...I was recently trolling through lots of rhubarb recipes and read in some of them that rhubarb has a lot of natural pectin, so I am now confused because I don't doubt for one second that you know your stuff in this department and you say it doesn't have a lot of pectin..... maybe that is why my attempt at rhubarb and mint jam turned out to be more of a candy with a caramel flavour than the joy I had hoped it would be?? Thanks for promoting rhubarb!!
Patricia: Here's the words from a few reputable sources about the low-pectin content of rhubarb: Pectin & Partners for Perfect Preserves and BBC Food. As for your jam attempt, sounds like you just cooked it too long-although it doesn't sound too bad : )
Laura: The small amount of natural sugar present in apple juice doesn't make a different, so don't worry.
i used to eat rhubarb straight out of the garden when i was younger. a family friend grew it like mad on his property and i still remember tearing a stock off and walking around devouring it. i am not all that handy in the kitchen, it's not my forte, but this recipe brings back memories and may have me experimenting with this recipe soon. thanks for the inspiration...as usual. :)
I'm afraid I'm one of those who makes awful faces at the thought of rhubarb. It's not the taste, so much as the texture - and I don't enjoy having furry teeth afterwards!
But I do love home-made jam. Here, it's normally rhubarb-and-ginger jam, the two apparently going together very well (I wouldn't know, that being one kind I don't make!).
I have never tried rhubarb, so no faces here. This sounds really good though. Homemade jam is the best.
Hmmm... Make jam or start packing? Make jam or sort old papers? Decisions, decisions...
Barbra: Well, if you are indeed moving here, then you should sort papers. It's an invaluable skill to cultivate, and one you'll make good use of after your arrival.
Boo hoo! Can't get rhubarb here in Spain and the tinned stuff is awful! It looks so nice too and would be great on my home made scones....
I love rhubarb and have been happily playing with it from my garden. This post reminds me that I really should make some jam with it before it is too late. My current favorite use for it is this lamb stew with mint and rhubarb http://hippoflambe.blogspot.com/2009/06/lamb-stew-with-mint-and-rhubarb.html
It is a true savory use for rhubarb and that has a wonderful subtle flavor that reminds me of lemon and artichokes. Next I think I will try this jam.
-Robin
p.s. my jams usually last a year or more in the fridge, although a low sugar jam will only last a few weeks.
I laughed when I read about the media trainer...
I remember the duck...don't drop him whatever you do!
good luck!
Ok, I said to myself that I would stop buying rhubarb every time I go to the market - I mean really now, move on. I have already made over a dozen recipes in the past few weeks. I have eaten way too many rhubarb roll-ups, and still have 5 mason jars left in my fridge of jam that I made -- any guesses what kind? Rhubarb-raspberry-strawberry. The classic combo with my favorite - raspberries - in it too. Well, despite all that, looks like I'll be trying your recipe after my visit to the market Tuesday morning. My justification - I never tried using apple juice! Enough reason right?
I love rhubarb. But I generally like leaving it plain without other berries, like the other day I made rhubarb ice cream and it was sooo good! I have yet to make jam but I think I might give this one a try. And thanks Celia for the tip about using peels and cores of apples. I usually have lots of those left over from dehydrating apples slices and hate wasting anything that can be used somewhere else!
What a great story! And I was quite amused to see this recipe, since I also made rhubarb jam today (with apricots, not berries, though).
Maryann, we usually make pectin in large quantities from our apple leftovers, then bottle it and preserve it to use for the rest of the year. There's a photo-tute on my blog about it if you're interested, in the Jam section.
Thanks for the tip. Here's the link to the post about making homemade pectin. -dl
Here is an actual link to the lamb stew with mint and rhubarb. (I hope)
Sorry about the earlier messed up link
OMG
First of all, with all the gazillion comments you get I'm not sure if you'll even see this, but I really had to laugh out loud several times. While I've never done a TV spot with 7 million viewers, I did do a spot on Fox News in Las Vegas. Of course I was supposed to have 2 solid minutes, there was supposed to be a sidebar with recipes listed and my website url. Naturally, the newsroom was complete choas because Hurricane Katrina hit the night before. I'm surprised I wasn't cut completely! I had to laugh because I had a dessert sitting there that the camera crew was ready to pounce on as well. LOL Thanks for the laugh :)
Congratulations for being mentioned in the June 12th issue of Entertainment Weekly! Your blog was mentioned in the "Summer Sites" article.
The strawberries look absolutely gorgeous.
I tried making rhubarb-strawberry jam once, and i think i miss measured the water.
The rhubarb I got was not really red, it's kinda green which looks icky.
Anyway, rhubarb is not something asian is familiar with.
it's a totally new thing for me!
I think i'll give this jam another try!
Wish me luck!
Great post, very funny, and such gorgeous strawberries.
The best part of local AM US news shows is the cooking demo segments near the end of the day's broadcast. The anchor or weather girl who is assigned to assist is always so clueless and awkward. I wonder if some of these TV personality people have ever even made a bowl of cold cereal. Maybe I just like seeing people screw up worse in the kitchen than me? I've always enjoyed it for the comedic factor, now though I feel bad for all the chefs, cooks, and authors trying so hard to make a 45 min. dish in 2.5 minutes attached to a moron impeding their work and sales efforts. I'll try not to laugh so hard next time. Because I was focusing to hard on the obnoxious rhubarb hater than the cook trying to promote their new book or restaurant. And in the end, I am truly more interested in the cook!
Well, I am yet another who has not had rhubarb but this jam sounds great and my dad loves rhubarb. I was just thinking about jam today (raspberry) so why not try it!
I made this today with rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries and some raspberry-apple cider I get at my farmers' market. It turned out really beautifully. I first macerated the strawberries in about 1/2 cup of vanilla sugar, so I only added about five cups of sugar later.
David,
I am so grateful, that despite your recent promise to only talk about food on the blog, that you are not editing out what I like to call your "social commentary." Rubarb is great and so is your blog. Thanks for so often making me smile while teaching me how little I know about baking.
Ok....I need your help....
I finally harvested my rhubarb. I only have one plant, so I got about 2 cups after I diced it. I tossed it in a pot with about a cup of dried blueberries and 1/2 cup of crystalized ginger. I added water and let it simmer for about an hour.
So the question is...why can't I taste the rhubarb? Did I harvest it too early? Did I cover it up with the other stuff? Thanks!
Frances: Some rhubarb is pretty red, and other stalks are green. (You can see the difference.) I try to use the reddest rhubarb I can find for best results.
Erin: I've found that candied ginger has a way of masking the taste of rhubarb, and you've added quite a bit. So next time I would dial the amount down.
Naomi: That's a great idea, to macerate the strawberries in sugar in advance. It helps to augment the red color of the strawberries.
Amanda: It is pretty funny won't people don't see. I did a tv show once, flying in the night before, and when I arrived, the woman who'd made my individual chocolate cakes had stacked them one on top of the other, for some reason. When I arrived, they looked like chocolate pancakes. I had to raid the vending machine for chocolate bars and try to remake them in the green room, using the microwave oven.
(Then, on air, I couldn't get the bottle of sauce open...)
Sarah: Most of those hosts know nothing about cooking, but some are a lot of fun. In my youth, and did the Today Show, they were very professional (and Katie Couric always wanted to do my segments with me...and I didn't complain!)
But if you watch, a lot of those people don't eat because they don't want to have a mouthful of food.
And if you want to see a cooking segment gone wrong, this clip with a fed-up Sam the Cooking Guy is pretty hilarious...
Oh my goodness! That Sam the Cooking Guy segment is so funny! I'm glad he let them have it, too bad he went back for the humiliation. I have audience issues with those cooking segments. I don t know how many times I've tried to hear what the Chef is saying only to have it interupted by the attempted humor of the show hosts. Gads..it drives me crazy, Even guest chef's on Martha Stewart's show have problems sometimes, she starts hogging the spotlight. I guess it's the nature of the show beast..they all want center stage.
Apple juice idea is great. No rhubarb here, so no hard feelings for the poor thing! Made a peach-rosemary jam 2 days ago & it didn't set too well, so had to increase the peach content. It's fine now, but next time apple juice might be the key! I have my eye on the cherry jam recipe...yum!! And oh, I think I'll skip media training David...I'm learning quick off your experiences!!
Rhubarb, in all its lovely manifestations, is so wonderful.
Chop the rhubarb, dredge it in sugar, let it stand refrigerated overnight, and it will ooze some liquid. Then when you go to make jam, you won't need to add any (or as much) liquid. Less water added to the fruit means less boiling time when you're making the jam.
For pectin, instead of apple, sometimes I'll boil a whole lemon till soft, let it cool, chop it (careful, the insides may still be hot), remove the seeds, and add that to the jam-pot.
Rhubarb-lemon jam made this way is delightfully zingy, although the colour isn't as nice as David's.
Your jam looks soooo good. Ok, you've convinced me, I'm making this one. But only if I don't have to process it.
Hi David,
I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to jam-making. I was just wondering, why don't you use commercial pectin? Thanks!
Amanda
This is another Oz-emanation recipe,jam-making perfect for Sunday's summer lunch.
Thanks for sharing your recipe jam:)
Love rhubarb and love the idea of making the classic pie combo of flavors into jam. Fantastic.
Oh David, that was hysterical! The Sam the Cooking Guy segment was priceless. Kathie Lee is such a nightmare and attention hog. I would hate to have to work on anything with her, ughhh.
But I'd rather be Kathie Lee's personal assistant than do a two minute segment with Elizabeth Hasselbeck on the View. Seriously, that self righteous Republican Barbie mouthpiece makes me mental. My sister thinks EH is my Mary Hart. (Seinfeld episode where just hearing Mary Hart's voice on Entertainment Tonight makes Kramer go into a seizure)
Love the apple juice! Should try to make some at home.
I made jam just like this last week when a neighbor dropped some rhubarb on my kitchen table. But I didn't know about the apple juice -- next time I will try that. I don't like to use pectin, either, and I don't put up jam. I make tiny quantities, and we eat it right away.
Hello David!
Just wanted to say that I ordered 'The Sweet Life' from the US and finished it yesterday. I really enjoyed it and look forward to trying some of the recipes.
Anne Marie
:)
I made your recipe for strawberry sorbet this evening--and I have to say, the addition of kirsch was totally ingenious! i can only imagine what kind of magic it works on a jar of rhubarb-berry jam. thank you!!
Anne Marie: Thanks! And glad you enjoyed the book : )
Sarah & Susan: Oof! I felt sorry for him, but that's what it's like to be on morning television sometimes. Those hosts should know better, but as a guest, as I mentioned, you need to be ready to veer from the plan. Still, I think that was a regular gig for him so they should both have been more cordial.
I was going a tv spot on the Today Show and Ms. Couric was fascinated with my cherry pitter. So instead of making the dessert, we had a cherry pitting contest. I forgot who won..although I'm pretty sure I did...I'm hard to beat!
What a great post David! I love your site and tweets (always clever). I am a long time food/wine writer and expat in Santiago, Chile and at times, am shocked at how similar French mentality sounds to South America (a "latin" gene?).
Definitely going to give this jam a try; we have copious amounts of rhubarb coming in from the Patagonia year round and I recently overdosed on it w/strawberry.
Your cooking on TV flashbacks are hilarious and reminded me of when I cooked on Chile's "Today Show" in front of millions...add Spanish to the equation too (uh, what language am I speaking?!). I thought I was going to die that day the ginger went flying across the room as I got too excited grating it. When in doubt though, always referring to "What would Julia do?!!" helped.
Thanks for all your wonderful stories!
Tchau, Liz
http://eatwineblog.com
I made a fraise-rhubarbe chutney a couple of weeks ago. http://bombay-bruxelles.blogspot.com/2009/05/fraises-rhubarbe_15.html
The thing about people who say they hate rhubarb is that they haven't tried it enough. Sure, it can be icky and bitter--but if made correctly, we all know it can be delicious. I finally converted my husband, who hates everything. He even ate some of my strawberry-rhubarb ice cream. (Just cooked rhubarb compote wizzed into creme anglaise and processed, adding chopped strawberries during last 5 minutes. Try it. You'll like it.)
I definitely think that cooking segments on TV look tough. The personalities that make it look easy are tremendously talented.