The Chicken that Died in Vain

This story may not sit well with everyone, but here goes… The true foodie appreciates where her ingredients come from, and wants nothing more than to have the freshest food possible grace her plate. So when B told me that he was going to help a friend kill a couple of his chickens that reached their prime, and that we were going to get one for ourselves, naturally I… threw up in my mouth a little.

Okay. I eat meat. I understand that said meat was once a living animal and that someone had to kill that animal in order for me to eat it. But having that person be my boyfriend is another story.

But B already promised his friend, and was excited to eat fresh chicken. He is the chicken man, after all. So, I relented and said he could bring it home, as long as it was completely cleaned before I had to look at it. I honestly wanted the thing to look like it came straight from the grocery store. I even suggested he have it shrink wrapped. (I will forgive B for having to finish plucking its feathers in my kitchen sink… after I sterilize my tweezers.)

Did I mention that B recently watched Alton Brown cut up a whole chicken on Good Eats, and decided that we would need to cut up our own chickens from now on? And did I mention how I told him that I didn’t have the right kind of knife to cut up a whole chicken, so oh darn, we’re going to have to buy them pre-butchered? And did I mention that he bought a boning knife so that the problem was solved?

Yeah, that’s B for you. A real problem solver.

So needless to say, B wanted to cut up this chicken himself and roast the pieces rather than the whole bird. (Okay, in fairness, he told me it was going to be a 10 lb bird, and I was concerned about it cooking evenly at that size, so I kind of talked him into it. But since he was dying to use that boning knife, I didn’t have to talk very long.)

Armed with a series of You Tube videos and my Good Eats: The Early Years book, and our new boning knife, this chicken didn’t stand a chance. Well, actually, this chicken didn’t stand a chance 24 hours earlier when Greg and B grabbed it for slaughter. But I digress…

He did a pretty good job for a first timer (and who am I to judge, really), but practice makes perfect as the old saying goes. See for yourself:

Once the bird was fully cut up (and the remains were in the stock pot with some carrots, celery and onions), we tossed the pieces with olive oil, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper. Alton Brown suggested we fry the chicken, but we went with the Better Homes & Garden Method of roasting the meaty pieces.

We should have listened to Alton. I was concerned that it would be hard to cook evenly, but figured it wouldn’t be that bad. Needless to say…

How good does chicken jerky sound to you? Not that good, right? Well, then, imagine chicken shoe leather because it was just a tad drier than that.

I felt awful. B slaughters, guts, and butchers a farm fresh chicken. And yet I’m the one who killed it. I can’t believe I ruined what could have been – or should have been – the best damn chicken we’ve ever eaten. Hopefully Greg has to off another couple of birds soon, so we can make amends with the chicken Gods. This time, we’ll definitely whole roast it. It will be prepared with dignity.

As always, B was full of supportive sentiments. “We learned for next time. It’s not that bad. You can still taste that it would have been good, etc.”

And I really thought he meant it until he ate the dessert I made. We got a batch of strawberries that were definitely on the pushing list, so I made a strawberry crisp that came out awesome (despite all the mistakes and “we’ll see how this works” corrections I had to use). B said it was “redemptive.” I thought he meant that I saved the strawberries, but no… he meant that I redeemed myself for ruining the chicken.

And that is the story of the chicken who died in vain, and the dessert that redeemed this wannabe foodie.

ATK Warehouse Sale

By now you all know that I’m a big fan of the America’s Test Kitchen. I recently ordered a book from them, and the package included a flyer with the details of their warehouse clearance sale. These prices are too good to keep to myself , so here are the highlights of the sale:

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (1st Edition). I have the second edition, but at $10.50 (while supplies last), it shouldn’t matter. This originally sold for $34.95, and was published only a year before the second edition. How different it could be? This is my go to cookbook, and if you have any doubts about how good it really is after reading about my cooking skills, spend a few bucks and check it out for yourself. The book has over 1,200 recipes, with photos.

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. Like it’s non-baking counterpart, this is my go to baking book. It has 700 recipes and is on sale for half off at $17.50

TV Companion Books. From 2002 – 2007, and $14.95 each (or $79.95 for all 6), you can get all the recipes, taste tests, and equipment recommendations from the entire season of America’s Test Kitchen. These originally sold for $34.95 - $29.95, so the price represents a savings of 50% or more. (Hint… I just purchased the ten year anniversary book for $35 that included all the recipes from all ten seasons… so your money may be better spent on the one big book.)

How to Cook Master Series. This is a 7 book set that covers specific culinary topics such as “How to Saute,” or How to Barbecue and Roast on the Grill.” It sells for $29.95, which is 71% off the original price. I’m thinking about picking this one up for myself.

The Kitchen Detective. For $11.95, you get 159 recipes for all kinds of interesting dishes. The flyer boasts “coca cola chicken” as one of them. None of these recipes have appeared in the Cook’s Illustrated magazines or cookbooks. However, it does note that the 159 recipes includes variations.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these books, or the other ones featured in the sale (there are ten more included on the flyer), visit the ATK Warehouse Clearance Sale and use promotion code CHP10A to take advantage of these offers.

These are really great books, and the recipes are very reasonable for the average home cook. Just don’t make the clam chowder (I don’t want anyone to have to live through the same tailgate disaster of October 2009 that I did)!

Happy cooking!

No Flan For You!

I’m a little obsessed with custards right now. After my success with crème brulee, I have been determined to tackle other custard-based desserts. I love the richness and texture of custards, and the fact that they have just a touch of sweetness but not too much. The other day, it was time for flan.

B and I had a family cookout to attend yesterday, so I thought I’d make a trial flan before relying on it to impress his relatives. Once again, I turned to my friends at America’s Test Kitchen for a recipe.

Where do I start?

Okay, how about I start with the fact that I had no intention of writing about the flan. I figured I already wrote about the crème brulee, so I shouldn’t bore with you another custard story. But this was too good to pass up.

The first step is to make the caramel. The recipe said it should be a light amber when it hits 300 degrees, in 3-5 minutes. I long ago learned to rely on temperature over time, so even though it was approaching the 5 minute mark, the temperature was only around 250. It couldn’t possibly be ready.

About a half a second later, the caramel was burnt.

So I wash the pot, and start over again. This took a little longer than I would have liked because burnt, stuck on caramel takes some time to dissolve and release. But this was okay, because it gave those eggs some more time to come up to room temperature.

So, back to the caramel for round two. This time, I tried to rely on color versus time or temperature. Based on how it looked and how it tasted (not that my taste buds should be considered a reliable source after I killed most of them by tasting boiling hot caramel), it was not quite ready. But I was too afraid to leave it on the heat for a second longer. Caramel will turn on you without warning, and I just didn’t want to face round three.

So, the “caramel” is poured in the cake pan, hardening in anticipation of the custard. (Wow, that sounds a little dirty. Shame on me.) The recipe called for a 9” cake pan, but I only had 8” cake pans. And guess what? An 8” cake pan would have to do.

So the custard base, consisting of low fat milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs and lemon zest was ready and waiting. I poured it into the cake pan, half expecting it to overflow since I was an inch shy. But miraculously, the pan was perfectly accommodating and didn’t fill up to the top.

The cake pan had previously been settled in a roasting pan, so I placed the roasting pan in the oven and then added the hot water bath. This reminded me that I really need to get a kettle, especially if I’m going to continue to be custard obsessed and accident prone. Eventually, pouring boiling water from a sauce pan into a roasting pan is going to get me.

Okay, so everything’s ready to go. Close the oven door, set the timer for 35 minutes and get ready for my flan. As I wait, I imagine how impressed everyone will be by my dessert. “Oooh, flan!”

Bing! The flan’s ready. But it’s not. It’s completely liquid. Seriously? How is this possible?

Oh, I see. I somehow managed to turn off the oven. So my flan just spent 35 minutes in a warm water bath in a lukewarm oven. Yeah, that’s gotta be good for milk and eggs. Oops.

So, oven back on. Timer set for 40 minutes (the recipe said 30-40 minutes, but considering the time didn’t start at the right temperature, I gave it an extra 5 minutes for round two.)

I’m just hoping that whatever bacteria grew during the oddly inappropriate temperature stage of round one doesn’t kill us.

After the flan finishes baking, it needs to rest at room temperature for two hours, then in the refrigerator for two hours.

B and I opted to skip dessert at dinner that night to go home and sample the flan. The verdict? Not too bad. The caramel definitely tasted more like a sugar syrup than caramel, and the custard was fine – it did have a nice lemony flavor from the zest, maybe a little too lemony, but it was good. However, we determined this wouldn’t be a crowd pleaser so I didn’t make a second one for the cookout. They would have to be impressed with my flank steak marinades and grilled radicchio instead.

Here’s a picture of the flan, minus the piece that B and I ate. It looks like Pac Man.

Reminiscing...

This Wannabe Foodie has had a bad couple of weeks, and needs to take her mind off some things, including, but not limited to, the bureaucratic weasels that represent the company who employs her. And I mean the organization not the people I work directly with, just in case anyone is reading this.

But I digress.

So, I thought I’d use this time and space to reminisce about some of the great restaurants I have visited and some of the delicious food I have enjoyed since I started this blog almost a year ago. (Can you believe it’s been almost a year and I still don’t have a book deal? Ha, ha, ha…)

 Restaurants

• Grill 23 & Bar on Berkeley Street in Boston. I cannot compose a list of the best dining establishments that I have frequented without including my most favorite place of all. Tops for juicy, flavorful steaks and exceptional bar service. Plus, B and I had our first date here.
• Mesa Grill at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. I will not soon forget that barbecue duck taco. Thank you, Bobby Flay.
• Le Jules Verne on the second level of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Thank you B for not one, but two unforgettable meals in the most beautiful city in the world.
• L’Table de Joel Rubichon in Paris, France. Thank you again, B, for wearing the jacket that surely got us seated without a reservation even though I was wearing “clam diggers and flip flops.” It was another one of those unforgettable meals and an experience I will cherish for the rest of my life.
• Craftsteak at MGM Grand at Foxwoods. Technically, I believe I ate here before the birth of the Confessions of a Wannabe Foodie blog, but it may have been the dining experience that motivated me to get the blog started. Yummy steaks, delicious raw bar, and really great, attentive service a la Tom Colicchio.
• Bar Americain at Mohegan Sun Casino. Before I started this blog, I didn’t even like Bobby Flay. I couldn’t stand seeing his mug every 5 seconds on the Food Network. And here I am, not even a year later, putting not one, but two of his restaurants on this list. Victory is yours, Mr. Flay. You are indeed a super chef. (Try the venison.)
• RM Seafood at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. There was something very special about Rick Moonen’s cioppino. I think it was the pasta that he served with it. I would go back to Vegas for no other reason than to have another taste of this dish.
• Aureole at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Truth be told, I consumed approximately two bottles of champagne (no lie) before dinner at this restaurant, that was in celebration of my sister’s wedding, and I don’t really remember the meal. But it is a family mandate that we include this restaurant on any sort of “best restaurant” list we may compile. Not that my family compiles a lot of these lists, but my mother would kill me if she ever found out.
• Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton, MA. B will probably be shocked to see this on my list. It’s a restaurant he has brought me to a few times, and I think that he thinks it’s a bit too big for its britches. (Something about Boston prices but not Boston caliber food.) But I really love it there. The food is really good, but it’s the atmosphere I enjoy most. It’s such a quaint, rustic space (and I love rustic), and it’s located on a farm. You can literally watch cattle grazing in the distance while you eat your meal. Right now, I’m considering it one of my happy places.

Food

• Since I already called out that duck taco from Mesa Grill, I need to start the list with that. If I remember correctly, and I think I do, it was melt in your mouth delicious.
• Both B and I agreed that the quail at L’Table was the best bite of food either of us ate in Paris. And since he only had one tiny bite of my tasting portion, that says a lot. It was perfectly cooked, seasoned and tender. And I will love it always.
• And as I did with that duck taco, I have to give a nod to Rick Moonen’s cioppino. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to it being served as either a stew with no accompaniment, or that accompaniment being rice (and if it’s not risotto, I don’t like rice), but his was served with this wonderful pasta. I have to admit, I can’t remember if the pasta was nice, wide noodles or thick rings (similar to calamari – I may just be remembering the calamari though), but it was some of the best pasta I’ve ever had.
• And speaking of some of the best pasta I’ve ever had, how about that pipé and Bolognese sauce from Pastapapa in Paris. Hmm hmm good.
• Oysters. Anywhere they serve them. Well, almost anywhere. B and I went to Minado for dinner one night (the Japanese seafood buffet, which in most cases is quite good) and waited about 20 minutes for the oysters. After we wrestled some oyster hog to the ground and grabbed a few for ourselves, we couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. Now I’m telling you, this oyster hog was taking 20 at a time. While it was an all you can eat seafood buffet, and you do want to get your money’s worth, it was clear this man was spending $25 to eat nothing buy oysters. And they were not good. Completely flavorless. No amount of lemon juice or cocktail sauce helped. Flav-or-less. And I will eat oysters all year round (none of this limiting myself to month’s with an R in the name). These were just plain gross. The oyster hog can have them. B and I still can’t stop talking about how bad they were, and how foolish that man was.
• I’ve tried my share of new (to me) foods this past year as well… quail (first had at Craft in NY, which did not make my list), chitterlings, pigeon (good, but ewww), venison, caviar, ox heart and roasted bone marrow. It’s been quite an adventure.
• And what about the foods that I prepared myself? My recent effort at crème brulee was quite a success. That Easter lamb came out good. And we can’t forget the ultimate roast chicken. But my heart belongs to my Wally the Green Monster ice cream, even though it seems like every where I go now I see a mint flavored Oreo cookie ice cream. (And I still swear that I came up with that idea completely independently.)

So now that all the reminiscing is out of the way, what’s next for this Wannabe Foodie? This week marks the first pick up from the community supported agriculture (CSA) program that B and I joined. It’s actually with Gibbet Hill, the restaurant I mentioned as my happy place. For 20 weeks, we will get a supply of farm fresh produce that Gibbet Hill Farm grows for their restaurant, and they have promised a variety of produce that we won’t typically find in a grocery store nor through any other CSA program. I promise to keep you posted as to what we get, and how we put it to good use.

To Brulee or Not to Brulee

I finally did it. I got my crème brulee torch. It’s so cool. And you’ll be happy to hear that no injuries or fires have been reported. (Although, I did have to take it away from B. What is it with men and fire?)

The torch cost me $20 (shout out to Bed Bath & Beyond), and it came with a set of four ramekins (butane not included). So on Sunday, I pulled out my trusty America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book and found the recipe for vanilla bean crème brulee, and got things started.

The custard was not hard to make at all. I will tell you that it’s a vat of fat (or in more culinary terms, egg yolks and heavy cream), seasoned with vanilla and sugar. I steeped the vanilla bean pod (with the seeds removed and added to the mixture) in some of the heavy cream and sugar until it was brought to a simmer. Then I let it sit for a while before adding the rest of the cream, and then gradually whisked the mixture into the egg yolks. Once that was done, it was time to strain it to remove any remnants of the vanilla bean pod.

Voila! The custard is ready for the oven. I set up the ramekins in the roasting pan, only to realize the recipe called for 4 oz ramekins and clearly these were not. So I had to dig through my cabinets for some filler ramekins before I was back in business.

Okay, ramekins of various shapes and sizes are now filled and arranged in the roasting pan. Time to add the hot water bath. The recipe recommends placing the pan in the oven and then adding the boiling water. I thought that was silly until I splashed boiling hot water on me. Damnit, Beth. But at least it wasn’t the torch that caused the burn which I know is what you all predicted would happen. Ye of little faith.

Okay, custard in ramekins? Check. Ramekins in roasting pan? Check. Hot water bath filled to approximately halfway up the ramekins of various shapes and sizes? Hmmm… semi-check. Good enough.

They baked for about 35 minutes and then needed to be removed from the roasting pan and hot water bath, and moved to a separate pan (I used a brownie pan), covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for at least two hours.

Now, it’s time to torch. The recipe called for turbinado sugar, or sugar in the raw. Which is effin’ expensive as far as sugar goes, let me tell you. But I was committed to doing this right so I spent the $4.49 on a two pound box of sugar.

Here’s what I can tell you. When I did this at dinner the other night (oh by the way, I made roasted Cornish game hens with lemon sage butter served with sautéed baby spinach and a garden salad, thank you very much), it was easy peasy. No problems. But…

When I re-enacted this tonight to take a couple of pictures to post with the blog, the flame went crazy! I have no idea what happened, but I’m a little afraid to put the torch back in the cabinet because it seems to have some pent up energy or something. See for yourself:

But, crazy flames and the threat of burning my house down (which didn’t actually happen, so it doesn’t count), it came out really good! It actually tasted like crème brulee. In all honesty, it was more of a pain to make with the hot water bath, than it was hard to make. And this was my first custard. So I think this will only lead to bigger and better things for this foodie down the road.

If only I could get rid of that burning smell in my kitchen…

It's Gazpacho Time

A few things collided for me this weekend – a need to keep busy, a desire to go to town with my chef’s knife, and a hankering for some fresh produce. The solution? Gazpacho. Or as B likes to quote Lisa Simpson, “tomato soup served ice cold.”

I love gazpacho in the summertime. You get a nice serving (or two) of vegetables, it’s light, refreshing and full of flavor, and it’s just so fun to make. I developed my recipe a few years ago after feeling like my cookbook recipes didn’t deliver the same quality gazpacho that I would get in a restaurant – not even close. So I did my homework, researched various cookbooks and websites and pulled together my own recipe that makes me pretty damn proud.

And today is your lucky day. Because I’m going to share my gazpacho recipe with you. (You’re welcome.)

Beth's Best Gazpacho

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 5 scallions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 1/2 cups navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 6 T red wine vinegar
• 46 oz. tomato juice
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 T minced fresh parsley
• 1 T minced fresh basil
• 1/2 T minced fresh oregano
• 1/4 t salt 

In a 4 quart serving bowl, combine cucumber, bell pepper, scallions, garlic, tomatoes, celery, navy beans, olive oil, vinegar and tomato juice. Season with cumin, parsley, basil, oregano and salt. Adjust salt to taste, if desired. Using an immersion blender, puree approx. 1/2 of the mixture (more or less depending on your personal taste). Stir. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. Serve cold.

Every time I make gazpacho, I tinker with the ingredients. This time, I made the following adjustments:

• Used canned whole tomatoes with puree in place of the tomato juice. I had to add some extra salt since the canned tomatoes do not have as much salt as the juice. But the canned whole tomatoes did increase the fresh flavor of the dish.
• Added some chopped red onion. I had some on hand, and wanted to give the dish a little more kick – more for B than for me, but it worked.
• Added some fresh ground pepper. Like the red onion, it gave it a little extra kick while increasing the basic seasoning of the dish.
• Excluded the diced tomatoes. In all honesty, I just forgot them. It wasn’t until I went to write this blog that I realized that. Oh well. Oops. Worse things have happened.
• Used 2 medium Italian peppers in place of the green bell pepper. I just like Italian peppers better. I don’t know why I used green bell pepper in the recipe to begin with.

It came out pretty good, despite the lack of tomatoes (perhaps the canned tomatoes instead of the juice made up for that a bit). The navy beans add some protein and fiber and make it a more filling lunch option. When serving, I like to add a dollop of reduced fat sour cream, a fresh herb garnish (chopped parsley, basil or chives are best) and a wedge of lime. A squeeze of lime adds some brightness to the fresh flavor.

And the best part is that I can puree the hell out of what’s left after my FOURTH root canal tomorrow and drink it through a straw since I’ll have a mouth full of stitches. 

Enjoy.  

Condiment Wars!

I’m really trying to eat less processed, pre-packaged foods and focus my diet more on whole, natural and home made foods. This effort led me to make my own mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise over Memorial Day weekend. I took it one day at a time – ketchup on Saturday, mayo on Sunday and mustard on Monday.

I’m going to take this a little out of order and start with the mayo.

If you are in possession of a food processor, and if it has one of those mayonnaise holes in the feed tube, it is super easy to make this yourself. And it truly tastes better. However, I felt the flavor changed a little on the second day and I got a little nervous since I used raw, unpasteurized eggs. So keep this in mind if you try it yourself… make it for immediate use and not to be stored for a couple of weeks. Or try to find pasteurized eggs. (I can’t guarantee the flavor after a couple of days with pasteurized eggs, but it should be safer to eat.)

The ketchup wasn’t too hard either, but I think this is something you need to experiment with to find the flavor that is right for you. While I love all things tomato, I loathe ketchup. French fries and cheeseburgers are the only things I can stomach having with ketchup. I was on a date years ago, in the (dark) days before B, where my date put ketchup on his steak. I almost walked out. Truth be told, I should have walked out when he brought me to Ruby Tuesday for dinner, but I digress…

Back to the ketchup. I think it’s too sweet and artificial tasting. So, if I can find the right flavor with homemade ketchup, this could be a win for me. It took about 20 minutes to prepare, and then you need to let it cook for about an hour.

As is very typical of me, I found a recipe and didn’t read it carefully. I bought all the ingredients, did all the prep, and was in the processing of making the ketchup when I noticed that the instructions called for salt, but the ingredient list did not. I added kosher salt, one teaspoon at a time, until I got to about 2 1/2 teaspoons. I also added some pepper. Even though I didn’t think the flavor was exactly right, I was concerned about making it too salty so I didn’t add any more.

The end result? It was okay. A little too sweet for my liking (you’ll see from the recipe below it calls for a lot of sugar), and it had more of a barbecue tang than normal ketchup. My niece Michelle did a taste test for me with my homemade version and a conventional (read, boring) store bought version. It was obvious to her almost thirteen year old palate which was homemade, but she did say she liked the flavor of mine better. Score one for Beth.

Now, onto the mustard. It’s a lot more expensive to make homemade mustard than it is to buy it. And it’s really not all that un-natural and processed to begin with, so there isn’t much of a point in putting myself through this exercise. But as much as I loathe ketchup, I love mustard. So I had to give it a try.

In my head, I was expecting the recipe to yield yellow mustard but it turned out to be more along the lines of Gulden’s spicy brown mustard. Don’t get me wrong, Gulden’s is good. But I’m a French’s yellow mustard kind of a girl. I think where I went wrong was buying generic mustard seeds. I see now that the recipe specifically called for yellow mustard seeds. Oops. Oh well, I bought what the grocery store carried. I should have used the internet. Or actually looked in more than one store.

Still, the homemade kind was good. In fact, it gave the store bought version of spicy brown mustard (not Gulden’s, some organic variety that I had on hand) a run for its money. In the blind taste test, Michelle guessed which one was homemade, but she said they both tasted identical. I guess mine looked a little less machine made. And I consider a tie on taste a win. Store bought mustard is good. And if I make something that tastes good, then I win!

So where do I go from here? The homemade mustard and ketchup will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator. I think I can work with the ketchup recipe to make it less sweet and more savory – it’s definitely worth trying again. (Maybe for 4th of July?) If I find mustard seeds in bulk at BJ’s Wholesale Club or on sale somewhere, I would definitely make it again. And maybe this time I’ll try to find yellow mustard seeds to see if I can take on French’s. As for the mayo, if I’m ever having a get together that requires me to put out some mayonnaise, I’m definitely making it from scratch.

The recipes are below. Give it a shot, and let me know how it worked for you. Condiment wars are on!

Mayonnaise
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 1/2 C canola oil
1/4 t salt, or to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the lemon juice, egg and egg yolk. Pulse until smooth. With the processor running, add the oil using the feed tube and the mayonnaise whole so that it is incorporated in a slow, steady stream. Process until smooth. Season with salt. Transfer the mayo to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Ketchup
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes in puree
1 medium onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 T tomato paste
2/3 C packed dark brown sugar
1/2 C apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste (I used 2 1/2 t)

Puree tomatoes (juice and all) in a blender until smooth. Cook onion in a 4 qt heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until softened (about 8 minutes). Add pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar and salt. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, for about 1 hour. Stir more frequently towards the end of cooking to prevent scorching. Puree ketcup in 2 batches in blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Chill, covered, for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to develop. Makes about 2 cups.

Mustard
1/2 C yellow mustard seeds
3/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/3 C water
1 1/4 t sugar
1 1/2 t salt

Soak mustard seeds in vinegar and water at room temperature for 2 days. If seeds are not submerged, add just enough additional water to cover. Puree mixture in a food processor with sugar and salt until almost smooth, about 2 minutes. Thin to desired consistency with additional water and season with salt. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.