Can we start a Rec thread on homemade gifts for the holidays?

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
I thought we had a thread on this but I only found a store bought thread. What's in your gift baskets?

It would be nice to have a list of recipes all in one place: liquor, vinegar, sauces, cheese, sweet, savory, etc - even non-food related!

I'm trying to buy/give less "stuff" and instead give useful/consumable/handmade items.

Also, some folks get sugared out at the holiday so savory or non-sweet items to include would be nice too.

 
Rec: Caramel Nut Popcorn (aka Poppycock)

Caramel Nut Popcorn (aka Poppycock)

2 quarts (8 cups) popped popcorn
2 cups peanuts, or cashews, or macadamia nuts, or mixed nuts (cashew/macadamia nut combo is good and I think my favorite)
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix popped corn and nuts in a large bowl or stockpot. Combine butter, sugar, and Karo syrup in a 1-1/2 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly (a wooden spoon works well). Continue boiling and stirring occasionally about 12-15 minutes, or until a light caramel color (see notes below). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour over popped corn/nuts and working very quickly mix to coat well. Spread out to cool on an aluminum foil-lined cookie sheet. Break apart and store in an airtight container.

Notes: A popular food gift. Lovely in a cellophane bag tied with colorful ribbon.

Pat’s notes: A note about the Poppycock..after the first batch I discovered that the caramelly flavor develops further the longer it's cooked. The first batch I only cooked the syrup about 10 minutes, the second batch about 12 or 13 minutes. Don’t cook at too high heat and be sure to keep stirring so it doesn’t burn...really keep an eye on it towards the end. Sometimes I make my own popcorn using Orville Reddenbocker (see notes below) and sometimes I just microwave a bag of popcorn which is a bit under 8 cups but that’s fine because you get more caramel coverage that way.

Marilyn/FL's notes: Here's what I do and I get minimal kernels...First, I use only Orville Reddenbocker popcorn. We used to buy whatever was cheapest...but trust me, this brand does make a difference in unpopped kernels. I use my biggest pot (dutch oven, pasta pot, stock pot...whatever you want to name it. I call it my big pot), turn the burner on med-high, add 2 tbl of corn or vegetable oil (you can add up to 1/3 C if you're not concerned with fat...but with less oil you have to shake the pot more often to keep it from scorching). Then I put one or two kernels in the pot. Only after they pop do I add the rest of the kernels....at least enough to completely cover the bottom of the pot. Swirl to coat the kernels. Here's the key part for tender kernels....do not keep the lid on tight!! Either keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam escape or use a wire strainer that fits the diameter of the pot. Leaving the lid ajar works fine, but unfortunately keeps you dodging a mini-firing range of kernel projectiles. The strainer works great for keeping the popcorn where it's meant to be--but gets flecks of oil on the stove. Keep shifting it around. Have a big bowl ready to dump out some popped kernels if you run out of pot room to keep shaking and moving it. I rarely get a single unpopped kernel from this method. I've never measured the amount in quarts, but it makes a HUGE bowl--it's 16" in dia and 6" deep---WAIT! I can do the math here...no, forget it, I can't. I haven't had my coffee yet, so it's difficult to think in one dimension, let alone in volumetric units. And while this explanation seems lengthy-- actually, it took longer to write than to make it. So...in a nutshell: Add oil and a kernel and heat till it pops Add rest of kernels. Leave lid ajar for steam to escape. Keep moving it. Good luck!

 
REC: Cashew Macadamia Crunch

Cashew Macadamia Crunch

2 cups (11.5 oz. pkg.) milk chocolate or chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped salted or unsalted cashews
3/4 cup coarsely chopped salted or unsalted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Line 9-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan; butter foil. Cover bottom of prepared pan with chocolate chips.

Combine cashews, macadamia nuts, butter, sugar and corn syrup in large heavy skillet; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to cling together and turns golden brown.

Pour mixture over chocolate chips in pan, spreading evenly. Cool.

Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Remove from pan; peel off foil.

Break into pieces. Store tightly covered in cool, dry place.

Makes about 1-1/2 pounds candy.

 
Rec: Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles

Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles

8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1/4 cup boiling water
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder

To make the truffles, place the chocolate and butter in a 4- to 6-cup heatproof bowl set in a wide skillet of barely simmering water over low heat. Stir frequently until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Remove the bowl and set aside. Leave the skillet on low.

Place the egg yolk in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the boiling water. Place the bowl in the skillet and stir constantly until the yolk mixture thickens slightly to the consistency of light cream and registers between 160º and 165º on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the skillet and scrape the yolk mixture immediately over the melted chocolate.

Stir gently, without whisking or beating, just until the egg is completely incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl. Cover and chill until firm, 2 hours or more. (Pat’s note: I did a quicker chill setting the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water...worked well, took about 20 minutes.)

To form the truffles, remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator and allow it to soften about 30 minutes if the mixture is very hard. Pour cocoa into a pie plate. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of hot water, wipe off the excess water, and scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1-inch ball. Pinch the truffle into shape with your fingers if necessary; it should not be perfectly round. Deposit the truffle into the cocoa. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat truffles with cocoa. Store truffles, tightly covered and refrigerated, up to 2 weeks or freeze up to 3 months.

Variation: Bittersweet Mint Truffles. Add 1 tsp peppermint extract to the melted chocolate with the egg mixture.

Source: A Year in Chocolate, Four Seasons of Unforgettable Desserts, Alice Medrich Notes from the cookbook: “These are still my favorite chocolate truffles, but the original recipe, from Cocolat, included raw egg. Here the egg is adequately heated to prevent salmonella. The truffles are as good as ever. A dozen or so nestled into a gold foil bag tied with a pretty ribbon is a popular teacher gift at Christmas. My daughter gets excellent grades.”

Pat’s notes: When I first made this recipe I didn’t have time to wait 2 hours for the truffle mixture to chill so I set the bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and kinda spread the mixture up the sides so it would cool quicker. It worked great.

 
Same old Same old for me: Julia's peanut brittle. It'scheap, quick and everybody loves it.

PEANUT BRITTLE

3 cups (1 pound) roasted salted peanuts (Trader Joe's)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4-1/2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups water (I use distilled)

A 2-quart pan with tight fitting cover
A very large oiled marble slab or metal tray, or two oiled jelly roll pans
A wooden spoon and two long-handles metal spoons.


Toss the peanuts with the soda and set aside.

Combine sugar and water and bring to the simmer. Off heat, swirl the pan until syrup is clear. Cover the pan and boil, letting the steam wash down the sides of the pan. Uncover and boil without stirring, watching carefully, until it turns a rich amber color. (When the bubbling becomes slow and quiet you know it's about to caramelize.)

Immediately add the peanuts and stir with the wooden spoon. It will bubble vigorously. As soon as the peanuts are incorporated pour the candy out onto the prepared tray(s). Spread with the wooden spoon as thinly as possible, then as it begins to set try to pull it thinner, using the two spoons like tongs.

Let cool and break into pieces. Store airtight.

From The Way to Cook by Julia Child

 
Rec: Cashew-Cinnamon Brittle

Cashew-Cinnamon Brittle
Courtesy Gale Gand, “Butter Sugar Flour Eggs” by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin, Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, 1999

Vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups roasted, salted cashew nuts (if using unsalted cashew nuts, add 1/8 teaspoon salt with the sugar)
1 teaspoon baking soda




Using vegetable oil, generously oil a sheet pan (preferably one with sides), at least 11 by 17 inches. In a medium-size heavy saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cream of tartar and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium heat. Using a candy thermometer to test it, boil the mixture until it reaches 350 degrees, or is amber-colored. Remove from the heat and, working quickly, whisk in the cinnamon. Whisk in the butter, cashews, and baking soda. Pour the mixture onto the oiled pan and spread it out a bit with a wooden spoon, to about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thickness. Don’t spread it too thinly. Let harden, uncovered, in a cool place, 30 to 45 minutes. (To wash the saucepan, soak it overnight.) Using your hands, break the brittle into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 1 sheet
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes

 
Essence of Chocolate Squares

Essence of Chocolate Squares

by Lisa Yockelson

This double dose of chocolate, in two contrasting but harmonious layers, is uninterrupted by nuts or anything else. These are provocative and candy-like, and are the most thoroughly chocolate-flavored bar cookies I've ever baked.

Ingredients

Use a nonstick cooking spray to prepare the baking pan.

Fudgy chocolate bar cookie batter

• 1¼ cups unsifted, bleached all-purpose flour

• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsweetened, alkalized cocoa

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 pound (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

• 4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid

• 4 large eggs

• 2 cups vanilla-scented granulated sugar

• 1½ teaspoons intensified vanilla extract*


Dense chocolate frosting for topping the fudge chocolate layer


• 3¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unsifted confectioners' sugar

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 pound (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid

• 2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled to tepid

• 1/4 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons light (table) cream

• 1 teaspoon intensified vanilla extract



Bakeware

9x9x2-inch baking pan

Makes 16 squares


Preheat the oven and prepare the baking pan
Preheat oven to 325° F. Film the inside of the baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the fudgy chocolate bar cookie batter
Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.

Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl to blend well (about one minute), then add the vanilla-scented granulated sugar and whisk slowly for one minute, or until just combined. Whisk in the tepid melted chocolate-butter mixture. Blend in the vanilla extract. Sift over the dry ingredients and mix until all particles of flour are absorbed into the batter, using a whisk, wooden spoon or flat wooden paddle.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth over the top with a rubber spatula.

Bake the fudgy chocolate bar cookie layer

Bake the cake layer for 35 to 37 minutes, or until just set. Cook the cake layer in the pan on a rack for five minutes while you make the frosting.

Mix the dense chocolate frosting

Place the confectioners' sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the melted butter and melted unsweetened chocolate in a small mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Add the milk, light cream and vanilla extract. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the frosting on moderately low speed until creamy and completely combined. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl two or three times to keep the frosting even-textured.



Frosting texture and frosting mixture observation:
Do not beat the frosting on high speed or it will become airy and fluffy, instead of creamy and dense.

Top the fudgy chocolate bar cookie layer with the frosting
Immediately and carefully, place large dollops of the frosting evenly over the surface of the hot bar cookie base and spread it, using a flexible offset spatula. Spread it smoothly and lightly, to keep the bar cookie layer intact.

Cool the sweet
Let the sweet cool in the pan on a rack for three to four hours, or until cooled and completely set. The cooling time is especially important in hot, humid or damp weather. Cut the caked into four quarters, then cut each quarter into four squares, using a small, sharp knife. Remove the chocolate squares from the baking pan, using a small metal offset spatula.

Freshly baked, the squares keep for four to five days.

Variation

For essence of chocolate squares with Dutch-process black cocoa, use one tablespoon of Dutch-process black cocoa, and one tablespoon plus two teaspoons of unsweetened, alkalized cocoa. You can top the fudge frosting with Dark micro-chips.

Best baking advice

Spreading the frosting on the top of the hot bar cookie layer can be tricky. Place spoonfuls of frosting in rows across and down the bar cookie layer, wait a minute, then begin to spread it. The heat of the bar cookie layer will begin to melt the frosting enough to make it spreadable. Don't panic if the bottom layer of the frosting seems soft; it will firm up as it cools.

*Intensified Vanilla Extract

Ingredients

• Half of a small, pliant vanilla bean, split with a paring knife to expose the tiny seeds

• 2-ounce bottle vanilla extract

Holding one end, dip the split vanilla bean several times in the vanilla to release some of the seeds into the extract. Bend the bean in half to shorten it, then slip it into the bottle. Cap the vanilla tightly, shake several times and store on a cool, dark pantry shelf for four to five days before using. This mega-vanilla extract is best used within six months, when the flavor is at its boldest and best.

 
From my try file: REC Ultimate Fruitcake (anyone make this?)

Ultimate Fruitcake

Makes one 10-by-16-inch cake

For the fruit foundation

8 ounces dried figs, stemmed and cut into pieces
8 ounces pitted date pieces
8 ounces candied orange peel in 1/8-inch strips
8 ounces raisins
8 ounces golden raisins
8 ounces dried currants
4 ounces dried sweetened cherries
4 ounces dried pineapple
4 ounces walnut halves
4 ounces macadamia nuts
4 ounces whole almonds
1/2 cup dark rum For the cake batter
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 pound butter at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 large eggs

For the marzipan
1 pound almond paste
1 pound powdered sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup For the syrup
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup dark rum


1. Toss the fruits and nuts with 1/2 cup of rum, cover and let rest
overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 300. Butter an 11-by-17-inch pan and line it with
baker's parchment.
3. Whisk the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking
soda and cloves. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the butter and
brown sugar and, one a time, stir in the eggs. Add the dry ingredients all
at once to the butter and egg mixture and stir until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter over the fruit and nut mixture, fold everything together
thoroughly and scrape into the buttered pan.
4. Press a piece of parchment over the top of the batter and bake it for
50 to 60 minutes, or just until the cake is firm. (Do not over-bake, or
the cake will be hard and the sugar in the fruit will caramelize and turn
bitter.) Cool the cake in the pan on a rack.
5. Make the marzipan in a food processor, pulsing the almond paste,
powdered sugar and corn syrup together to form a soft dough. Knead the
dough until it's smooth and keep it covered with plastic wrap until you're
ready to top the cake.
6. Stir the corn syrup and rum together and brush the top of the cake with
half of the syrup.
7. Roll half the marzipan into a rectangle the same size as the fruitcake,
drape it over the surface of the cake and press down to make it stick.
Invert the cake out of the pan onto a clean surface and brush the other
side with the remaining syrup. Roll out the remaining marzipan and press
it onto the second side of the cake.
8. Trim a half-inch from each side of the cake, cut it into 40 two-inch
squares and wrap each square in plastic wrap. The wrapped pieces of cake
keep refrigerated for several weeks or, frozen, several months.
— Adapted from Nick Malgieri's Oxford Fruitcake in "How to Bake"

Pass It On
This is fruitcake you'll eat — really
"You only have to make it once," they say. "Then it just gets handed down from generation to generation." Or, "If you don't like it, you can always use it as a door stop."

But there is one fruitcake so good that no one jokes about it. When it's discussed at all, it's whispered about in hushed tones that border on reverence. And I have become known, in my own small circle, as the guy who makes the fruitcake.

As if they were discussing some illicit drug, my friends want to know, "Did you bring any this year? We've come to depend on it, you know."

This cake is not only edible, but remarkably so. It's too small and too good-looking to be used as a doorstop. And while the cake itself will definitely not be passed down from generation to generation, the recipe probably will be.

It's an adaptation of "Oxford Fruitcake" from renowned baking instructor Nick Malgieri. Malgieri, whose new book "Perfect Cakes" (Harper Collins, 2002) contains an entire chapter on fruitcake, directs the baking program at The Institute of Culinary Education, formerly known as Peter Kump's Cooking School in New York. He procured the recipe from one Daphne Giles, the British sister-in-law of a childhood friend named Noel, who used to make it every year for Noel's Christmas birthday. I took one look at the picture in Malgieri's book "How to Bake" (Harper Collins, 1995) and decided then and there that it would become a tradition in my family. So far, I haven't missed a Christmas.





Part of what makes it good is a plethora of real dried fruit and a corresponding dearth of candied fruit — those bits of emerald-green citron and stoplight-red cherries — that even in the garish light of Christmas can be disconcerting. Nick kept them to a minimum, using raisins, currants, dates and dried figs in their place. And even though Nick wailed "Oh no!" when I told him so, I replaced the remaining bit of candied fruit with Washington-grown dried cherries and my own candied orange peel. In a fit of allegiance to my West Coast sensibilities, I also slipped in a few macadamia nuts.

But the most appealing aspect of this cake is the way it looks, which hasn't really changed a bit with my slight variations. Sandwiched between sheets of marzipan and individually wrapped in two-inch squares, the cake is nothing like the weird stuff your Great Aunt Alice passed around after Christmas dinner in the 1970s. It looks, in fact, nothing like it, and if anyone you know has been too traumatized by fruitcakes past to even try the stuff, don't tell them it's fruitcake at all. Just call it candy.

Greg Atkinson is chef at IslandWood. He is also author of "The Northwest Essentials Cookbook" (Sasquatch Books, 1999). Barry Wong is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.

 
Rec: Rooster's Famous Fire Crackers

Rooster's Famous Fire Crackers
Makes 40 crackers

You won't be able to stop eating these pepper-hot, crisp, crunchy, cheesy crackers. They make a perfect party food, tailgate snack or home-cooked gift. Try the basic recipe, any of the accompanying variations or dream up your own cheese-spice combination. Since these crackers come together so quickly, you'll be tempted make them all.

40 fat-free or regular saltines
10 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 teaspoons red pepper spice blend (such as McCormick Smoky Sweet Pepper Blend)
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees (450 to 475 degrees if your oven runs hot).

Arrange crackers in rows on a 10-by-15-inch jellyroll pan so that crackers are touching each other. One sleeve of crackers fits almost perfectly in this size pan.

Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese. Top evenly with seasoning, then sprinkle with as many pepper flakes as you dare.

Place pan on center shelf of oven, close door and turn oven off. Leave in oven overnight or at least about 4 hours. The hot oven melts and browns cheese, producing an even coating of crisp brown. Fat from the cheese soaks into crackers and puffs them slightly. Leaving them in the oven dries them out well so that they are super crunchy. Break apart and eat or store; they keep well for several weeks sealed in an airtight container.
Basic recipe adapted from Shirley Corriher

Keep in mind
Here are a few tips to remember as you make these snacks at home:
• Use any type of saltine cracker you like.
• Finely shred the cheese using the small holes on the grater, so it melts into a uniform layer.
• Don't be afraid to improvise; any kind of cheese/herb combo is fair game, though we especially like spice blends combining some heat and a bit of sweetness.

Fire Cracker variations
Make these versions using the accompanying basic recipe for Rooster's Famous Fire Crackers, or use them to inspire your own creations.

Smoky cheddar crackers
6 ounces of smoked cheddar (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning blend (such as KC Masterpiece BBQ Seasoning)

Spicy jack crackers
6 ounces pepper jack (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
1 tablespoon Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning (McCormick)

Gouda and seed crackers
6 ounces gouda (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
½ teaspoon dehydrated garlic flakes
½ teaspoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
½ teaspoon black sesame seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Lemon-parmesan crackers
5 ounces shredded parmesan cheese (shredded on the finest holes of a grater)
Grated zest of 2 lemons

http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2009/05/turn_saltines_into_an_easy_che.html

 
Limoncello

I don't remember where I got this recipe--maybe eGullet, back in the day... But I did make it a few years ago in Prague and was hoping to make it for gifts this year. We left a batch in my father-in-law's fridge for a couple of months, one summer, and came back to find it empty. (In his defense, it was a very hot summer.) smileys/wink.gif


Limoncello
12 lemons
1 lime
1 750-ml bottle of 100 proof vodka
750 ml bottle of regular vodka
2 c. water
2 c. sugar

Wash lemons and lime. Remove peels from 12 lemons + 1 lime with a vegetable peeler. (Some say microplane, for increased surface area--I think when I made this, I used a vegetable peeler.)

Place the peels into an airtight container (i.e., a large screwtopped jar) and cover with
one bottle of 100 proof vodka (i.e., 100 proof Smirnoff). The higher alcohol level seems
to get better extraction from the peels.

Place the jar in a safe place for at least two
weeks, giving it an occasional shake and sniff to check on it. You'll be able to see the
vodka turning bright yellow as it pulls the flavorful oils from the peels.

When the peels no longer look colorful and the vodka doesn't seem to be gaining any
more visible color or scent, it's done.

Filter through a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a large bottle or jar and press down to
remove all the vodka and oils that you can from the peels.

From bottled water, make a 1:1 simple syrup (2 cups water to 2 cups sugar) boiled lightly
until completely dissolved and syrupy and cooled off. Thin further with approximately
another 750 ml bottle of your favorite regular vodka.

If it needs to be cut down or sweetened further, just use filtered or bottled water and more
simple syrup. It's really a matter of taste as to how sweet and/or strong you like it. You
can also make "Orangecello" the same way.

 
Rec: Kahlua

Kahlua
This is a tried and true recipe. One year at
my office we had a “Kahlua - cookoff” this
recipe won the best tasting contest.

2oz Instant Coffee
4c Sugar

Dissolve with 2 cups boiling water. Let
cool.

1pt Brandy
1 Vanilla Bean

Add 1 vanilla bean which has been crushed.
Add 1 pint of brandy or more*. Mix. Put in bottle with tight cover let stand 30+ days.
SHAKE BOTTLE EVERYDAY. Strain after 30+ days.

* I only use one pint.

 
Rec: Jamaican Jerk Rub

Re: ISO: Ideas to concoct a dry rub for steaks on the grill. NT (Claire
In Kelsey)
Date: Thu, 01 Jul 1999
From: Topaz/Central LA

Jamaican Jerk Rub *delish!*

This is one of my personal favs... I made up huge batches and gave in
gift baskets for
Christmas.....I found the recipe in a great Cook Book called SMOKE and
SPICE
We use this on chicken, steaks, pork chops, shrimp, even burgers!

Makes 1 1/2 cups

6 tbsp onion powder
6 tbsps dehydrated onion flakes
2 tbsps ground allspice
2 tbsps fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsps cayenne
2 tbsps turbinado sugar
4 1/2 tsps dried thyme
4 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsps ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp dried ground Habanero chilies (opt)

Mix all together thoroughly. Store in a
covered, air tight container, in a cool dark
place.

 
REC: Cranberry Mustard

Forum Home Page: Gail's Recipe Swap
Previous Message: Jerk Sauteed Oysters (Pam)
Next: Could someone please tell me some ideas on how to use Pumpkin Butter?
Thanks! NT (Dawn/SanDiego)
Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 16:47:21 GMT
From: Carianna in WA (@207.149.220.146 ())

ISO: Dawn/Sandiego REC: Cranberry Mustard for you smileys/smile.gif
(I was afraid we'd get archived above)
This is great on turkey sandwiches - but I
like it on ham too. It's a pretty pink color.

3/4 c. yellow mustard seeds
1 1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 1/4 c. dried cranberries
3 T. honey
1 t. salt

Combine mustard seeds, vinegar and
cranberries in a non-reactive bowl and soak
for 48 hours, adding additional vinegar if
necessary to keep seeds covered with liquid.

Scrape mixture into a food processor and
process until mixture turns creamy flecked
with seeds and bits of cranberry. Add honey
and salt. This process can take anywhere
from 3-4 minutes. Add additional vinegar if
desired to make it creamy. It will thicken
slightly upon standing.

Keeps indefinitely, refrigerated.

I originally got this recipe from a mustard
page somewhere on the internet, but I'm
sorry to say I no longer remember where.
I've used it for a couple of years now, and
it's one of my favorite mustards.



Alert us of bad posts.
Responses
1. Carianna, this sounds fantastic. i think a batch is in the works for
tomorrow, thanks a bunch! nt (lisa)
2. Thanks Carianna! My mother-in-law will adore this. NT (Dawn/SanDiego)
3. quick question, do you use sweetened cranberries or plain? nt (lisa)
1. Lisa, I always use Craisins (cause I can get them at Costco) but I'm sure
either would work >> (Carianna in WA)
1. thanks, i can't wait to try this! nt (lisa)
4. Thanks Carianna. I work for a cranberry grower so new cranberry recipes are
appreciated! (nt) (AGM/Cape Cod)
5. Carianna, this recipe came from..... (Judy in Mass)
1. Thanks for the source Judy - I do remember that when I originally printed
it out >> (Carianna in WA)
6. Made this last year for Christmas gifts . . . it was great . . . (NT)
(magnolia in chicago)

 
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