A Curious Space for Cultured Things
-
Mustard: hot & cold soak
Mustard is a fascinating condiment, brightening our plate and palate. Strictly speaking, mustard is not really a product of fermentation but we use a fermented liquid (beer in this case, but it could be kombucha or kraut brine as well) to hydrate the seeds. Mustard seeds are exceedingly antimicrobial, explaining the longevity of the final…
-
Bay capers
I have the good fortune of having a 5 meter tall beautiful Bay Laurel tree (Laurus nobilis) in my small city garden. So far, I picked the leaves to season sauces and slow cooking dishes but every spring, the tree is producing small flower buds, looking a bit similar to capers. In ‘Bar Tartine’, I…
-
Brined Beets
Saying that the book ‘Bar Tartine’ by Nicolaus Balla & Cortney Burns is great, is an understatement. The talent and dedication of these people are so obvious and the way they share their techniques and recipes is just amazing. I had a hard time choosing a ferment from the book but decided to go for…
-
Mango-lemon habanero salsa
While leafing through the truly amazing book ‘Fiery Ferments’ from Kirsten K. Shockey & Christopher Shockey, I stumble upon a spicy Onion-Mango Ferment that tickles my taste buds, just by reading it. But I don’t have the ingredients the recipe asks for, so I decide to make something different with what I have in the…
-
Ghost pepper (or Naga Jolokia) hot sauce
I have to admit that I have been looking forward to giving these damn hot Ghost peppers a good blitz and discover what the results of 3 months of fermenting them tastes like. I started up the ferment mid December, after picking up these hotties at westlandpeppers.com, and made a couple of experimental small batches…
-
Blaukraut with apple
Red cabbage is packed with anthocyanin (antiviral properties!) and vitamin C. I am actually not a big fan of the braised red cabbage we eat here around christmas time, but the kraut made from red cabbage is rather surprisingly crunchy and keeps for a long time. I like the word ‘blaukraut’, the recipe (and the…
-
Fennel and turmeric ferment
This fennel-turmeric ferment is one we are making often at Fermenthings (inspired by the @itinerairebisgourmand recipe). The bright yellow of the freshly grated turmeric gives the ferment a very distinct flavour and color. It is usually served together with a ceviche, where the fish is marinated in a kombucha & sour orange vinaigrette and served…
-
Fermented butternut squash
A while ago, an article in the magazine ‘Saveur’ caught my attention: in ‘A Living Larder’, Cortney Burns (Bar Tartine) gives some great ideas to cook with fermented vegetables. But before I can make her fermented squash and sesame dip, I indeed have to… ferment some squash. I decided to make a basic ferment with…
-
The future is orange: West-African sweet potato ferment
Here I am with a bunch of rather ugly looking sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are not the easiest vegetables to cook with. Their flesh easily turns into a mushy texture after steaming or grilling so I am curious to find out if fermenting these tubers reveal some qualities we were not aware of yet. I…
-
Seasonal Fermentation: what’s it all about?
Like most of you i am confined at home, asking myself what to do next. Most of our activities are in standby (workshop, brunch, catering & production) so i had a look back at this wiki idea and how to make best use of it, now that i had time to spare. I came up…
Got any book recommendations?