Grind seeds and mustard powder in a blender until seeds are almost ground to a powder, about 1 minute. (use pulse setting and scrape sides as necessary) Transfer to a medium non-reactive bowl and stir in cider. Let stand, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 hours to “breathe.”

Return to blender and add vinegar, honey, shallot, garlic, and salt. Blend until thick. Refrigerate and mellow for a week before serving.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

1/3 lb bacon
4 oz roasted sweet peppers
2 packages cream cheese (8 oz. ea.)
1/2 cup almonds, whole, sliced or chopped
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Cut the bacon into 2-inch pieces and cook it until crisp.

If the almonds are whole, use the food processor to chop them. Set them aside in a small bowl.

Put the cream cheese and peppers into the bowl of the food processor and pulse until well-blended. Add the bacon, almonds, and scallions, and pulse until everything is chopped and combined. Allow dip to sit for an hour or two, refrigerated, so that flavors can blend.

Mix together mustard and beer. Set aside for a half hour. Stir in the remaining ingredients. To preserve the mustard by refrigerating, spoon it into clean jars and cap them before refrigerating. Keeps several months in the refrigerator. If you with to store on the shelf, spoon it into 2 sterilized, still-hot 1/4 pint jars. Process it in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Wipe the rim and cap immediately. Make sure it seals.

Process all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Or, if you’re like me and don’t have those things, you can use a potato masher to mash everything together. Serve with crackers, pita bread wedges, or cucumber slices.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet and preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the eggplant in half and bake it on the cookie sheet until it becomes limp and wrinkly, about a half hour. Remove the eggplant and let it cool. Then peel it and chop it into small pieces.

While the eggplant is baking, saute the onion in the olive oil. Sprinkle it with a bit of salt. When it’s almost done, toss in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

Combine the sauted onion and garlic with the eggplant and the remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to blend the flavors. Then serve it as an appetizer with crackers, crudites, crusty bread, or pita bread. Or serve it as a topping for omelettes, pasta, or rice.

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut butter into small pieces and place in heatproof bowl in oven. Leave until melted.
Remove from oven. Skim off foam (casein) and discard.
Let stand for a few minutes to allow milk solids to settle. Skim clear yellow liquid (the clarified butter) off the milky residue (whey) left on the bottom and store in a covered jar in the fridge. Discard residue.

Line a large sieve with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Bring the milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil in a large heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring to prevent scorching. Add the lemon juice, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes, until it curdles. Pour this into the strainer and let it drain for an hour. Discard the liquid and chill in the fridge. It makes 2 cups, but it only keeps for a couple of days.

This can be used as an ingredient in cheesecake or lasagna, or just feature it for dessert with fresh jam on top.

Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Rinse the ginger with water to soften it and remove the excess sugar. Mix all ingredients together.

Recommended on buttery crackers, walnut-raisin bread, or any sweet quickbread.

3 C Kalamata olives, pitted
1/3 C olive oil
In a food processor, coarsely chop the olives. Then turn on the machine and add the olive oil in a steady stream until it emulsifies and you have a smooth puree.

Cut orange and lemon in quarters; remove seeds. Slice crosswise thinly. In medium saucepan, combine slices and water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel, pit and finely chop peaches. In an 8 to 10 quart kettle or Dutch oven, combine orange and lemon mixture and chopped peaches. Stir pectin into fruit mixture and bring to full rolling boil. Stir in sugar; bring again to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, uncovered, 1 minute. Remove from heat; quickly skim off foam. Pour at once into hot sterilized jars; seal. Makes 7 or 8 half pints.

Place all ingredients in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until it reaches the gel stage, around 15 min. Ladle into sterile hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Seal and process.

Place 1 heaping T of labana in the palm of your hand, roll it into a ball and place on a tray. Allow to stand overnight.

Pack the balls into sterilized jars and cover with olive oil. Seal the jars, and the cheese will keep for an extended period of time. Serve them with a little of the oil.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cut garlic in half horizontally. Place halves side by side on a large piece of foil and drizzle with 1 T of the oil. Tightly wrap in the foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 30-40 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the cooked garlic out of the hulls into a small bowl.

On a work surface, sprinkle the anchovies with salt. Chop and smear into a paste and scrape into a bowl with the garlic. Mix in vinegar, rosemary, and pepper. Gradually stir in remaining 3 T oil.

Can be turned into a salad dressing by adding more oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Peel and quarter onions. In a large bowl, stir together oil and honey. Add onions and garlic, stirring to coat. Transfer mixture to a greased 2-quart square baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and cool. Place in food processor bowl or blender container. Add salt and process until smooth. Serve on toast points or crusty French bread. Store leftovers, covered, in fridge for up to a week.
Makes about 1/2 C.
From BH&G, 15 calories per tsp