Tag: Condiments


Nov
2023

Sparkling Lavender Mustard

categories: Condiments, Edible Flowers, Lavender, Mustard, Sparkling

Hello Food Lovers, Who doesn’t love a homemade gourmet gift?  And you know who has time to home-make gourmet gifts?  Posh people that’s who! And, as we know posh people like to eat flowers, this is not just plain old homemade mustard, this is sparkling wine and lavender mustard!  Very posh indeed. And so easy to make!  The recipe for this comes from the  xxx edition of that bastion of posh food,  xxxxxx.  So why not get your retro gifting on and make some for your friends this year? T

Sparkling Lavender Mustard

As well as lavender buds and sparkling wine, this mustard has a heap of herbs in it which makes it quite green.  The lavender is not overbearing, in fact the mustard packs quite a strong mustardy punch rather than some old fusty thing you would find in your nana’s cupboard.  It goes perfectly with ham or other meats on your Christmas table or in sandwiches with leftovers.  I have also stirred a spoonful of it into mayonnaise and then used this mix as the dressing for a potato salad. It would also be great in a Beef with Lavender Mustard or in an Elsa Greer Roast Beef Sandwich.  You could even put some of your leftover Beef in Lavender Mustard into your Elsa Greer Sandwich!  🤯

Sparkling Lavender Mustard2

Sparkling Lavender Mustard – The Recipe

Sparkling Lavender Mustard Recipe

 

Variations

You could also experiment with the herbs used in this  – a  handful of tarragon would be lovely.  Or, if you are not a lover of sparkling wine you could use white wine as suggested by the actual recipe.

For me though, a little glass of sparkling as I made this was a perfect way to kick off the Christmas vibe!  Sparkling Lavender Mustard3

A quick note on making the mustard. I found that my little food processor shown above, did not process the mustard seeds as much as I wanted them to be processed, so I took the mixture out and bashed it about a bit in a mortar and pestle until I got it to the consistency I wanted.  This likely would have been easier to do before putting the seeds into the food processor.  Also, bear in mind that the more you bash the seeds about, the more pungent your resulting mustard will be. The photo below shows the difference in texture between the two.

Sparkling Lavender Mustard4

Gifting your Sparkling Lavender Mustard

The mustard will keep for at least 6 months if kept in the fridge after opening.  I would suggest making it about a month before you want to gift it to allow the flavours to all settle down and meld together.  If you want to decorate the jar as  I have done, you need to cut some circles of cloth about 2.5cm larger in diameter than your jar.  I tend to save little jars during the year so I have a ready supply of these.  Make sure that you sterilise your jars – I do mine in the dishwasher.  I then popped a little dab of glue onto the jar lid and place the cloth circle over the lid.

Fill your jar with mustard and close the jar.  Wrap with some kitchen twine or raffia.  Add a sticker if you wish, telling people what is inside.  If you have fresh lavender flowers, your can also add a few of these.  I just tucked mine under the string.

And voila, a perfect little gourmet treat as a hostess or other gift!

You can of course, also keep this for yourself.

Sparkling Lavender Mustard5

Have a great week!

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Oct
2020

Lord Mayor’s Mango Chutney

categories: Condiments, India, Mango

Over the next week or so election fever will hit many of us like a less lethal but possibly more pervasive version of the ‘rona.  After all, the fate of many will ride on the outcome of this highly important and contentious race.  I am, of course talking about our local Moonee Valley council elections!  And yes, of course, there is another far more important election happening shortly.  But today, we are keeping it local and going exotic with a recipe for the Lord Mayor’s Mango Chutney!

Lord Mayor's Mango Chutney3

The recipe comes from the June 1991 issue of Vogue Entertaining Australia.  It  features in an article called “Banquet by The Billabong”  which is all about posh dining outside

 

What that glamourous description doesn’t tell you is that the calls of the river life probably include crocodiles that will kill you quicker than you can blink and mosquitos carrying dengue fever, Ross River virus and Murray Valley Encephalitis .  Then there’s the venomous snakes and the poisonous spiders and the drop bears.  And the occasional serial killer to boot.  That rustle of linen could well be the noose around your neck and the chink of silver the knife about to slit your throat!.

Come on, it’s Hallowe’en!  if we’re not going to get dark at this time of year when are we????

Lord Mayor's Mango Chutney4

 

Something a lot less Wolf Creeky is this recipe for Mango Chutney which comes from  Alex Fong Lim who was Lord Mayor of Darwin from 1984-1990. This is a fabulous recipe too.  I don’t like a lot of commercial mango chutneys because I find them too sweet.  This however, has the perfect blend of sweet and spice and heat.  And it is so pretty as well!  The chunks of mango become almost translucent as they cook so they look like gorgeous bright jewels.  This is the perfect accompaniment to a curry – the picture directly below had it paired beautifully with Nick Sharma’s Chicken Biryani Tagine and the one below that has it matched up with a Sri Lankan chicken curry badun.

Lord Mayor's Mango Chutney2

Lord Mayor’s Chutney – The Recipe

Lord Mayor's Mango Chutney Recipe

 

You can, of course, adjust the amount of chilli to suit your taste.   I only used 500g of mango and 2 birdseye chillies in my chutney. I also used fresh grated ginger and sultanas because I can’t abide raisins.  Most importantly for those of you who cannot get ripe or under-ripe mangoes, or it is not mango season even if you can, I used a packet of chopped frozen mango for my chutney and I was very happy with the results!

Lord Mayor's Mango Chutney

 

I’m not entirely sure about what the other duties of a Lord Mayor are.  I guess they are boss of the council?  But if the quality of this recipe is anything to go by, then maybe part of their job description needs to be that they all have to share a recipe with their constituents!

I’d vote for that!

Have a great week!

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