Save money, make your own Mascarpone Cheese

Without frugality none would be rich, and with it very few would be poor. – Samuel Johnson 

The end result. Well worth the 2 day wait.

(This is a re-post, but who doesn't want to save money at Xmas!)

The Christmas season is probably for most people the most expensive time of the year. Even not counting gift buying, there's a thousand things to suck up your money. Food is often a big culprit.

This post covers how to make your own mascarpone cheese. It's disgustingly expensive in stores and is often called for in many "fancy" desserts. So if you're entertaining this holiday, you may want to make this. It doesn't take much active time, and very little skill.

This full recipe makes about 3 cups of mascarpone, which would cost you at least $12-$15 at the grocery store. Full cost of the ingredients is about half that amount.

Mascarpone is made by coagulating cream via acid – tantric, citric, or lemon juice. After coagulation the whey is slowly drained out. 

Aside from the 48 hours for the whole process, this cheese is a breeze. It makes much more than you probably need (word to the wise) unless you're making a big dessert, like tiramisu for 12 or so... 

So feel free to halve it. The result will be the same. Go big or go home, I say.

Mascarpone makes the cholesterol police go on red alert. I always remember Julia Child’s admonition: “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” 

This stuff should be treated with some respect. The finished product has about 60%-75% butter fat. We’ll just leave that fact to settle in…

Mascarpone is the colour of cream and is thick like a spread. It has many uses (including in tiramisu). It can be served in savoury dishes or as a fresh fruit topping. It can also be used as a substitute for butter, or for parmesan in pasta sauces or in risotto.

The important fact is that it is wonderfully delicious and addictive. But just like everything else in life, don’t overdo it.

Homemade Mascarpone

Time: 2 days  |  Yield about 3 cups

2 cups 36% whipping cream

2 cups 18% coffee cream

2 tbsp lemon juice

instant read thermometer

double boiler (or similar homemade contraption)

The cream mixture needs to be around 25% butter fat. To do so use the two different creams. The ingredients above make a combination of 27%. Close enough.

Combine the cream in the top part of a double boiler. I do not own a double boiler so I inserted a smaller pot inside another pot partly filled with water. It works just fine.

Raise the temperature of the cream to 185°F. Scalded milk is 180°F so a little beyond that stage. You really need to use a thermometer… (remember yesterday’s post?)

Once the cream reaches 185°F on the thermometer, reduce the heat to hold it at 185°F and stir in the lemon juice. This is barely a low simmer – certainly not a boil.

Mix well. Cover the pot, hold the temperature at low simmer and let cook for 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the double boiler. You will notice that the cream has thickened slightly. It will thicken more as it cools.

Place the pot with the cream in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

After 24 hours you will see the cream has thickened more (second photo at top). Strain the cream/cheese over a bowl through fine cloth lining a sieve to remove the excess moisture. Let it sit, back in the refrigerator, for another 24 hours.

After 24 hours remove the cheese from the cloth and place in a storage container. The cheese will last refrigerated for about one week.

This is the cheese, plus all the whey that came out. keep that whey! You can
use in in making bread, watering plants, as a treat for your pets...

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Success with Pie Crust

There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons. – Denis Waitley 

I’ve pre-empted my regularly scheduled programming to bring you this important public service announcement. It’s about how to make a decent pie crust.

This was brought about by Fb comments from a friend who feels they are a bit pie crust challenged. I was going to post an Indian spiced steak recipe. Oh well, another time.

A lattice crust is woven from strips.Turn the bottom crust OVER
as opposed to under after trimming.

Many excellent bakers break out in a cold sweat when confronted with the prospect of having to make a pie crust. That’s a real shame. It’s actually very easy. There’s plenty of things far more difficult. Try making a sabayone.

Strike while the iron is hot, so the saying goes. Now is the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with pie crust since this year’s apples are now in farmers markets. I have some on my table. Every time I walk by I smell them. Who doesn’t love apple pie?

I pride myself on my pie crust. Sometimes I have a dud, but most times it’s flaky and pretty good (if I do say so myself). The trick is to just bring the dough together and not knead it until it's smooth. Rough dough is flaky dough. I learned that from my dad, who was an impatient baker. His always came out well.

I’m posting two recipes, but have more buried in individual posts on this site. Search “pie.”

The first is what you would find in Fannie Farmer and most other cookbooks. The second I dug up somewhere else. It uses vinegar and egg. You can also substitute some vodka for part of the cold water.

All trimmed and vented, ready for the oven.

You can use three different sources for “fat.” Lard, vegetable shortening or butter. I find lard the best. Regardless, all three have to start off well chilled before cutting in. I find butter softens the fastest.

You don’t have to have a pastry cutter, either. You can get an excellent result using two table knives and dragging then across each other through the fat – like crossing swords.

The whole point of making a pie crust is making flakes. This is done by flattening out to paper-thin small pieces of lard in the flour as you roll the crust. Overworking it (or my dad used to say, “mauling”) is a bad, bad thing.

Two things that will kill a crust?

1. Cutting in the fat too small. No pieces, no flakes.

2. Kneading it so much that the dough is smooth. Smooth means no pieces of lard.

Remember those two simple rules, and you’re good to go.

If you’re making an open single crust pie, use 3/4 of the recipe (1.5 cups flour, etc). Don’t ask me why, but it seems that is the rule.

Before adding the wet ingredients.

Recipe 1: Traditional 9" double crust

Prep: 15 min  |  Chill: 30 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup shortening or lard, chilled

1/2 cup very cold water

Recipe 2: Not-so-Traditional 9" double crust

Prep: 15 min  |  Chill: 30 minutes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

2/3 cup lard

1/2 tsp salt 

1egg

2 teaspoons vinegar 

1/4 cup ice cold water

After adding the wet. Mix first with a fork. Only use your hands
enough to bring it together. It must not be smooth.

Make the crust by cutting the lard into the dry ingredients until the size of peas. Mix together whatever wet ingredients you are using. Stir into the dough with a fork until just combined. Then briefly use your hands.

Do NOT force it together. It needs to be ragged. Any additional flour left in the bowl can be incorporated by using it on your board to roll out the crust. 

Chill the dough in the mixing bowl for 1/2 hour until ready to use. While that is happening, make your filling.

Divide the dough in half and roll out using enough flour so it doesn’t stick to the board. Line a 9” pie plate with half of the rolled pastry. Do not trim the edges. Let it hang over the sides at least 1” the whole way around. Add your filling. 

Top with the remaining crust. Trim both top and bottom doughs about 1/2-3/4” out past the plate rim. Fold both in under the inner edge of the plate. Pinch together, crimping the edge. Cut several vents in the top.* 

Bake according to the temperature and directions of your filling recipe. 

Let cool slightly before serving to allow your filling to set. Most fillings are thickened somehow and need that cooling time to firm up.

*HINT: I cut six vents in the top of a strawberry cranberry pie. I found it very easy to cut along the vents to serve and the crust didn't break apart or collapse. Six vents equaled six slices. If you wish, cut 8 vents and divide the pie into that many pieces. This is a trick I will be using a lot in the future!

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Claiming A Hillside Micro-climate

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. – Marcus Tullius Cicero 

One level of terracing completed. The other(s) may have to wait until next year.
Our Scarborough Fair herb lineup: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, plus others.

We don’t have much room here in the country. Since we want to grow as much of our own food as we can we need to be a little clever.

One of the best areas we have is on the north side of the house. It is almost completely free of shade and since the driveway goes down that side to the garage it is less used than the south side yard.

A but gloomy looking because it was raining. Nice and bright
when the sun is out.

One part of it we planted about three weeks ago when we removed a very overgrown rose. Luckily the rose had killed everything underneath it. Unluckily we had to dig the rose root out. But we did and planted a cheek-by-jowl garden. 

It’s coming up quite well. We have beans (green and purple), peas (sugar and regular), purple and regular carrots, corn, chard, salad mix, beets and squash (spaghetti and buttercup). It’s fenced in so hopefully will be protected from the deer.

Besides the far side yard, the other area that we have that’s sunny is a small hill. In the spring we had used it to burn old wood and some other items we should have gotten rid of quite some time ago. So it was fairly bare to start and begging for green.

There’s two ways to plant on a hill. You can either plough it and plant rows, or if you’re into a little extra work, you can terrace it. The soil you take from the incline fills in the terraced parts. Just make sure you improve it with manure or other fertilizer.

The clay pots came with us from the city. They
were unsuccessfully used in there. Just not enough sun...

We chose the terracing and started yesterday. We (my spouse actually) were able to put in one tier thanks to a very large piece of wood we had on hand. At least one more is in the works, probably for next year. 

The reason one would chose terrace over rows has a lot to do with what you want to plant.

If located in the right area, a hillside can be a micro-climate, giving you the potential for a half a USDA zone increase, or even a full zone, from the rest of your yard. Our hill faces north, but has sun through most of the day. 

It’s also sheltered. The sheltering is what’s important for those plants that may need a little more special care and warmth. It’s an ideal place for herbs that overwinter outside in Nova Scotia.

We have several Mediterranean herbs that do so in Nova Scotia. Among them are sage, oregano and thyme. If they like where you plant them they will get quite large. Lavender would be another good choice, but has minimal culinary use. (Good in liqueur, though.)

Rosemary, although usually only an annual here, benefits from the additional shelter a terraced hillside offers. We are going to try to protect it over winter, although a new plant next year will only cost about $4.00. I’ve heard it may be possible. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Some other herbs that we put in our terrace are chives (thanks to a dear friend), mint (thanks again), basil, parsley, Italian parsley and dill. They will all be happy in a warm place. We also put in tomatoes (always heat lovers), lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant and bok choy.

All were purchased as plants, so the late-ish date won’t put anything behind as far as harvesting. We filled in some areas with seeds. We'll see how that goes.

It will be interesting to see how the creation of a micro-climate changes the speed of growth. Just 20 feet away we have tomatoes as well, so they can be our yardstick.

If you have hilly property with sun and want a garden, be it vegetable or flower, think about terracing. Our is just small scale, but a step in the direction of self sufficiency. Hopefully it will give us the boost we need to grow those more challenging plants that like it a little warmer.

We may try a watermelon or two, although they probably won't get very big. At the very least I am looking forward to having hardy herbs for many years to come.

This is our other garden. Everything is growing. It's a good feeling.

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Questions? Comments? Derogatory remarks? Just ask! I’ll answer quickly and as best as I can. If you like this post feel free to share it. If you repost, please give me credit and a link back to this site.

Waste not, want not. Homemade Glass Cleaner

Without frugality none can be rich, and with it very few would be poor. – Samuel Johnson

Everyone should be doing this. It's great.

Here’s a quickie post before we all get going on our day.

I have discovered one of the best kitchen “secrets” on how to make a homemade cleaner that will help replace window cleaner and other kitchen/house cleaners.

It’s as simple as you can imagine: lemon rinds and vinegar. That’s it.

Last week I made a lemon tofu (yet to post) and was thinking it was a shame to throw out the squeezed lemons. 

I placed the squeezed lemons in a sealable jar and topped them with vinegar. After sitting on the window sill (looking not un-aesthetically pleasing) I strained the result and bottled it.

At first the mixture smells very vinegary, but within a week it takes on a very pleasant lemon smell. You could also do this with orange, grapefruit or lime – or a mixture.

It cuts through grease splatters like nobody’s business and doesn’t leave streaking when used on glass.

Vinegar is really cheap. The rinds were going to be thrown in the compost. I now have another batch brewing on the sill. The downside was I didn’t make enough!

I have to use a bigger jar.

So next time you’re ready to take those squeezed lemons to the green bin, think again.

Keep some money in your pocket with this simple – and effective – homemade cleaner.

I’m really, really pleased with how well this works. I’m sure you will be too. Especially since it costs a fraction of what we pay for commercial cleaners.

My spray bottle came from a dollar store.

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Let’s make Homemade Cultured Butter

You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture; just get people to stop reading them. – Ray Bradbury

Almost 1 lb of cultured butter, plus over 2 cups of buttermilk from 1L!

Chalk this one up to the experience, as opposed to a massive cost saving measure. It costs a few dollars less ($5.49 for 1 L cream versus $8.00 for 2 packages commercial) than purchasing it. So I guess it does save some money, and it's also satisfying to make!

This one was fun to do, if a bit messy.  As the liquid came out of the butter I had to resort to using my mixer’s splash guard. But it was a small price to pay for nearly one pound of homemade cultured butter.

I "cultured" my cream on the counter with a little yogurt.

Making butter at home would be great to do with your kids. They would be amazed. Try it on a rainy day for an indoor activity.

There are two main types of butter on the market: regular butter and cultured butter.

The first is made from cream that has been pasteurized. Very good, and can run you anywhere from $3.50/lb on a good day to around $5.00. It depends on the brand, and what sale may be offered.

Cultured butter is different. Usually it is sold by the half pound at approximately $3.99. Commercial cultured butter has bacterial cultures added to it to give it a more homey, country taste. It’s meant to mimic butter that was made on the farm.

When people made butter on the farm they used to have to collect the cream over several days. This meant the older cream would sour somewhat as the proper quantity was collected.

This souring gave the butter a delicious tangy taste. When making cultured butter at home, you have to artificially introduce culture. This is done by adding yogurt to the cream and letting it sit on your counter.

Don’t worry, it won’t “go bad” during the time it matures. The good bacteria in the yogurt help in that regard.

This step can get a bit messy. You're whipping 1 L of cream.

The result of culturing on the countertop is that you can adjust the taste of your butter. The longer it “sours” the tangier your butter will be. I left mine on the counter the whole day I was at work, but my home was a little cooler than 70°F, which is normal room temperature.

The souring works best at 70°F, or warmer. The warmer your room, the faster it will culture. The cream will thicken slightly and take on a slightly (very slightly) sour smell and taste.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you whipped your cream too long? Well, here’s the result.

When you make your own butter it goes through some defined stages. First it whips, then it separates and becomes “grainy,” and finally it whips into a luscious buttery mass.

The original recipe called for 1 pint of cream. I doubled it to make nearly 1 lb. Go big or go home, I say. This actually yielded two products, the butter and well over 2 cups of buttermilk.

This butter is sweet, yet a little tangy. I was amazed how much it made. I guess I’ll have to make some homemade bread worthy of it!

This is what I had after pouring off the first collection
of "buttermilk." I poured off a little liquid two more times.

Cultured Butter

Adapted from Food52, posted by Ashley Rodriguez

Makes almost 1 lb

1 L heavy cream 

1/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt 

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Use good quality whipping cream and whole milk yogurt with active bacterial cultures.

Place the cream in a container and add the yogurt. Shake or stir well to combine. (Don’t shake too hard or you’ll start to whip the cream.

Cover and place somewhere at room temperature, about 70°F. Let the yogurt culture the cream for a few hours. Taste it to see when you want to stop. The longer it goes the tangier the butter will be.

Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Slowly beat the cream, increasing the speed as it thickens. This will help reduce splashing when using 1 L of cream.

The butter is lighter in consistency because it is whipped,
but it felt nearly the same weight as a purchased block of butter.

The cream will pass from fluffy whipped cream into a consistency far more “lumpy.” At this point you will see the buttermilk begin to separate from the butter. Drain the liquid off as it collects. Save the buttermilk for another use.

The whole process will take anywhere from 6-10 minutes depending on your mixer. The KitchenAid finished the job in about 5 minutes, but that's because of the planetary action of the mixer, which makes mixing everything faster. Ahh, KitchenAid – how I love you..

Once it seems that all the liquid has come out of the butter turn the mixer to low. Add 1/2 cup of very cold water and “wash” the butter. Do not beat the water into the butter.

Drain the water off (but don't pour it into your collected buttermilk) and knead the salt in with your hands. The amount of salt you use will be up to your individual taste. 

Drain off any additional liquid that appears as you knead, if any.

This butter is best on bread or vegetables where it can be appreciated on its own. It’s a bit tricky to bake with it as the moisture content is different than commercial butter. That probably won't stop me, though.

Cultured butter will keep in the refrigerator for between 7-10 days.

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Recipe: Squash Ravioli with Mushrooms and Sage

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. – Edwin Way Teale

OK. It’s autumn. The time has come to break out the pasta machine, because the new harvest of squash is in the stores and farmers markets.

Nothing beats squash ravioli with sage in my books. It is the most wonderful combination of flavours. The pasta has bite, the squash is sweet and the sage imparts a taste and aroma that just can’t be beat.

Every Italian restaurant worth its salt will have either squash or pumpkin ravioli on the menu in the fall. Most good restaurants vary their menus by the season to offer diners the best and freshest ingredients. Come autumn, that means squash.

I had my first squash ravioli at Il Mercato on Spring Garden Road several years ago. They were fantastic. From that point on they were on my radar to make at home and I have done so several times since.

Don't worry if your pasta dough isn't completely smooth after
kneading. That 30 minute wait does miraculous things.

Here's an interesting tidbit for people who dislike "wet" squash as much as I do. I think I have found out the secret to picking a dry squash out of the pile at the market.

I love dry squash. Mushy squash is, well, gross. Dry squash is fluffy, light and soaks up butter like it was born to it.

The secret is kind of obvious. You lift the squash and compare how heavy ones of similar size feel. I was doing this at the store to get the biggest one for the least amount of money. They sell squash by the pound (most times). I was being cheap.

I have tried other techniques: pressing my fingernail into the skin to see if it dents easily, tapping for a hollow sound, etc. But my new technique makes so much sense. A lighter squash will have less water content. less water content means drier flesh.

Duh… It's worked twice so far, but "third time's the charm," so they say. I guess my theory will either pass or fail next time I buy a squash.

Don't be daunted by making your own pasta. Making it at home is really quite easy. Ravioli is a little more time intensive but the work is worth it. All you really need is a hand crank pasta roller. In Halifax the only place I was able to find one was at Stokes in Dartmouth Crossing. They’re about $29.98.

Go and get one now. You should have one. Tell them I sent you.

They don’t know me, but I will get some bizarre pleasure thinking about what they will think when people start showing up to purchase rollers and all say “Docaitta sent me.” Puzzled looks all around, I bet.

Anyway, less about my ego and more about ravioli. Homemade pasta cooks in minutes. As such everything that goes into a filling needs to be cooked beforehand. (There is an egg used for binder, but the usual four minutes cooking time is enough.)

Another important tip about ravioli is that you have to make sure they are well sealed on all four sides. If not you will have a terrible, disappointing mess when they cook. I usually pinch them together again just before cooking.

One last note. If you’ve never had fried sage you have no idea what you have been missing. A simple fried sage butter sauce is the perfect complement to these fall ravioli or even plain pasta. Two ingredients, and superb.

I added mushrooms to the sage/butter sauce to make it a little more filling, but that is all. Do yourself a culinar favour and make homemade ravioli soon. If you don't eat them all they can be frozen very easily.

Space the filling evenly along the strip of pasta.

Squash Ravioli with Mushrooms and Sage

Prep: 1 hour  |  Cook: 3-4 minutes  |  Makes 24 ravioli

Just before boiling, press the edges together again –
just to ensure the filling doesn't leak out.

Pasta dough:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/4 cup milk + 1 tbsp

Filling:

3/4 cup cooked squash

140 g soft goat cheese

1/4 cup parmesan (optional)

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 tsp cracked black  pepper

Sauce:

3/4 cup butter

150 g crimini mushrooms

1/2 cup sage leaves

cracked black pepper

Mix together the egg and milk in a small dish. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Whisk the egg mixture into the flour with a fork.

Continue to mix with your hands until a ball is formed. If necessary add a slight bit more milk but err on the dry, rather than wet, side.

Place the dough on a board and knead for about 5-8 minutes until relatively smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest on the counter for 30 minutes. You can also let it rest longer in the refrigerator.

While the dough is resting, make the filling. Mix together the squash, goat cheese egg, salt and pepper. It should be fairly dry and a spoonful will keep its shape. If not, add the parmesan. Set aside.

After the dough has rested cut into four equal pieces. Roll each piece out to a thin sheet. (On my pasta machine I have seven settings. I roll to one from the thinnest – 6.) Roll all four pieces of dough.

Lay one sheet on the counter. It should be about 2-1/2 feet long. Place a rounded dessert spoonful of filling at each end of the dough about 1/2” from the edge. Place 10 more spoonfuls along the dough at equal intervals.

If your filling isn’t equally spaced adjust the balls so they are. Dampen all the pasta showing around the filling with water. Take a second sheet and place over the fillings. Firmly press down between the filling trying to push out as much air as possible. (Air will make them explode when cooking.)

After the top sheet is well adhered to the bottom trim the outer edges and ends with a sharp knife. Then cut down between each ball of filling. This will make 12 ravioli.

Repeat with the remaining sheets of pasta. Place the finished ravioli on a lightly dusted surface or a piece of plastic wrap or tin foil. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect. That is part of their charm.

Make the sauce by melting the butter in a frying pan. Coarsely chop the sage leaves. Chop the mushrooms and add to the butter. Once the mushrooms start to soften add the sage leaves and let cook until the mushrooms have browned and the sage has darkened. Do not let the sage burn. Season with pepper.

Brin water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the ravioli and let cook for 4 minutes. Drain and serve with the mushroom/sage/butter sauce.

These ravioli are on the large side. An appetizer serving is usually three or four ravioli; an entrée is six to eight.

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How to make: Perfect Crêpes

Love is a fire of flaming brandy, Upon a crêpe suzette. – 10cc, 'Life is a Minestrone'

Light, thin, delicious crêpes ready to be used however you desire.

Crêpes. The mere suggestion of having to make them sends some cooks into a panic. “They’re complicated. They’re fussy. I can never do them at home.”

Let the batter rest – just like pancake batter.

That’s not true. They’re very easy to make and are amazingly versatile, too. If you can make pancakes you can make crêpes. They’re cousins, if not siblings, of the kitchen.

The word is French from the latin crispa, meaning “curled.” When most people think of crêpes they think of French cuisine.

Crêpes can be made for both savoury and sweet fillings. The difference is the addition of sugar in the batter for sweet dessert crêpes. That’s it.

There are some very famous recipes that have crêpes as the star. Crêpe Suzette, probably the most famous dessert crêpe, is simply folded crêpes with orange peel, and Grand Marnier liqueur that is dramatically lit afire at the table.

Mille crêpe is a “cake” made from many individual crêpe layers. Between each one is a sweet filling—usually pastry cream—but many others are used as well. I saw a Nutella mille crêpe recipe not too long ago.

Savoury crêpes can be served for lunch or even dinner. Fillings include cheese, meats, mushrooms or a combination, and even ratatouille (a recipe for which I posted two days ago).

My pan made 8" crêpes.

Although “crêpes” are mostly associtaed with French cuisine, their popularity is worldwide, albeit with different names.

In Sweden they are pannkaka, and in Denmark, pandekage. In Italy, crêpes are called crespella – which is very close to the Latin origin. In Spain they are a staple at carnivals.

Crêpes are also part of the cuisine of Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, Turkey, Chile, Argentina, Russia, and many more countries.

One way I like serving crêpes is in blintzes. A  crêpe is wrapped around a filling of cottage and cream cheese whipped with cinnamon and nutmeg. The stuffed crêpe is then fried lightly and served with a fruit sauce of apples, blueberries, etc.

A non-stick pan, although a great help, is not necessary for making crêpes; neither is a crêpe pan. Even if you use a regular frying pan there is probably enough butter in the batter to ensure they don’t stick. You can help by rubbing the pan with a little butter between frying each crêpe.

The big secret to thin crêpes is to quickly swirl the batter around in the pan as soon as it is added. It's very easy to do, but you have to act fast. If you’ve never made crêpes do yourself a favour and try. They're really easy and quite impressive.

The day I made these I stuffed them with salmon and baked them in a Mornay sauce. Mmmm…

Small bubbles will form on the top surface as the bottom cooks.

Perfect Crêpes 

Prep: 5 min  |  Rest: 30 min  |  Cook: 15 min  | Yield 8-9

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 lg eggs

1 cup milk

1-1/2 tbsp butter, melted*

1/4 tsp salt

(for dessert crêpes, add 2 tbsp sugar)

Place the flour and eggs in a bowl. Mix until well combined.

Slowly start to add the milk, making sure the you do so slowly so lumps don’t form.

Once smooth, add in the butter and salt. If making crepes for a desert add the sugar. Mix well.

Let the batter sit for 30 minutes for the gluten in the flour to relax.

Heat a non-stick pan or crepe pan on the stove. Using a measuring cup, ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Instantly pick up the pan and swirl the batter to cover the bottom.

Let cook until small bubbles form on the top surface and the crepe starts to slightly brown on the edges.

Flip the crepe and let brown on the other side. Cooking both sides shouldn’t take more than 1-2 minutes.

Remove each crepe to a plate as they cook. Then use as directed in your recipe.

* margarine can be substituted (but not olive oil margarine, that has olive flavour)

Salmon stuffed crêpes with mornay sauce, ready for the oven.

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Recipe: Lacto-fermented Homemade Ginger Ale

The last sound on the worthless earth will be two human beings trying to launch a homemade spaceship and already quarrelling about where they are going next. – William Faulkner 

6 x 500 ml, pressurizing already after about 1 hour after being bottled.

Outside overnight, it magically carbonated! I was so happy

I’ve been AWOL for two days again. Sorry. This is NOT a trend – just a blip. I’ve (we’ve) been more than a little busy with the house. Once we’re done things will settle back again – until we sell and move. The there will be another upheaval.

Anyone want to buy a house?

And I must say the old girl cleans up pretty good. Over the last 48 hours we have had two different work crews in – University Painters for painting exterior trim, and our buddy Bill for some odd jobs inside and the bathroom ceiling.

We have also completely transformed a back bedroom with some good old-fashioned elbow grease, replaced about 1/3 of our back deck, rebuilt our back fence… You kind of get my drift. We’ve been… “preoccupied”.

In retrospect it’s funny, all these things that seemed overwhelming when looked at all together really aren’t that bad when tackled one at a time. Why we didn’t do them before is beyond me.

Oh right. I remember why now. Over the past few years we have nearly had non-stop evil happening around and to us. You name it – we had it happen. It’s a long, long list.

It all started the year before this blog when our darling Simon died. Maybe he was a sort of angel-on-earth that was protecting me. If so I would like to ask him to start doing it from doggie heaven. We could use it.

Someone was very busy and
I appreciate it.

We’re so close to getting our 1860 Victorian on the market I can taste it. But back to my lack of posts. I was busy, so what, right?

Well I have also been cooking up today’s post at the same time we’ve been doing everything else. My last post was the cherry soda. That stuff has an exceedingly great amount of carbonization. I’m quite impressed. It’s fun making bubbles.

Today’s post is a bit of a work in progress: ginger ale (or ginger beer if you prefer).

I had lots of ginger mother starter (also known as “ginger bug”) left over from the cherry soda. Every 3-4 L batch of soda only takes 1 cup of starter and I had made 1 L. So I either have to use it or let it go to waste.

I hate the latter. So I’m about 3/4 the way through making ginger ale. This doesn’t taste like ginger ale from the store. It actually tastes “real” if that is a way to describe it. The three simple ingredients really make an interesting brew.

Make sure you get “unprocessed” brown sugar. It needs the molasses flavours to round out the soda flavour.

I placed the “wort” in my 4L jug and then added the mother. because the weather has been so wonderful I’ve been ageing it outside. This morning I had activity. Tons of bubbles on the top – just like the cherry, but it took 2 days. Go figure.

And once again, I wished I had a carboy. I have also decided at this juncture that making my own soda is something I will continue to do occasionally. It's easy and quite a lot of fun.

I think this ginger ale is going to be great. I still have more mother left over. Maybe cola should be next, or homemade D&B…

The photo is brown because we're looking down through
pantyhose. (To keep the critters out.)

Homemade Ginger Ale

Makes 3 L

3 L spring water

1-1/2 cups ginger, grated

3 large limes, sliced

1-1/2 to 2-1/2 cups demerara sugar*

3 teaspoons sea salt

1 cup ginger mother (see previous post here)

Individual bottles

Bring all ingredients except for the ginger mother to a simmer in a large pot. Pour into 4 L jug and let cool. This is your wort.

Make sure the wort is cooled to room temperature or at least no warmer than body temperature. Remember, the “mother” is a living organism and heat will kill it.

Then add the mother, cover tightly and let sit for 3-5 days, stirring every day at least once. The brew is ready when you have lots of bubbles on the surface. It may take 1 day, it may take 5.

Bottle and let sit on the counter overnight. If using recyclable PET bottles they should be “hard”. Then place in the refrigerator (or in a cold room) to slow the carbonization. Don’t keep it anywhere really warm or you will regret it...

Consume within one month.

* The lower amount of sugar makes a more tart  brew (from the lime rind). For sweeter, use the 2-1/2 cups of demerara sugar, or perhaps even 3 cups.

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