Creative Cooks

Easy Flavored Butters

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Strawberry Chilli Relish
Servings: 3/4 – 1 cup

Ingredients:

1 lb / 450 g ripe strawberries hulled and sliced (see notes)
1 1/2 Tbsp chilli flakes/crushed red pepper only add 1 Tbsp if you have a relatively low tolerance to heat – this is a spicy relish with chilli flakes as the co-star, they used 1 Tbsp crushed chilli flakes and 1/2 Tbsp Aleppo chilli
5 oz / 145 g sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Extra water to thin out the sauce if needed

Instructions:

Slice the strawberries (or chop if you like a smoother, sauce-like relish).
Add the strawberries and all the ingredients (except water) into a saucepan and mix well.
Bring to a boil and then simmer on low-medium heat for about 40 minutes, until the relish thickens.
Stir the relish from time to time to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
If you like a thick relish, keep it as is. If you prefer a pourable sauce-like consistency, add a few tablespoons of water to thin out the relish.
Store in an airtight jar, or a sterilized glass jar. It should stay fresh for about a week in a normal jar, but longer in a sterilized jar.

NOTE – chop the strawberries instead for a smoother, sauce-like spicy strawberry chilli relish.

Copycat Burger King Zesty Sauce for Onion Rings
Prep: 5 mins Chill time: 30 mins Total: 35 mins Servings: 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place mayonnaise, ketchup, prepared horseradish, sugar, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, cayenne pepper and salt in a bowl. Stir together until combined.
Cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for flavors to come together.

Pomegranate Almond Raita

Ingredients:

(Amount of all ingredients are approximate and can be changed)

2 cups plain Greek yogurt (or thick, strained yogurt)
1 cup pomegranate arils
1/4 almond slivers or slices
Powdered sugar to taste (you may use any other sweetener)
Zest of one orange (if you do not have an orange, you may use a few drops of pure orange extract)
4-5 leaves of fresh mint (optional) + more for garnish if you want


Method:

If you are not using Greek yogurt, strain out the yogurt until it’s thick and creamy. Remove arils from pomegranates and set aside.

Muddle sugar with mint leaves. If you are not using sugar, julienne the mint leaves or crush them. Whisk yogurt and orange zest or extract, until creamy and lump free. Fold in the sugar and mint. Fold in the pomegranate arils and the almonds.

Garnish with more pomegranate arils and fresh mint. Chill until ready to serve.

This is a very free form recipe. Use any amount of yogurt to any amount of pomegranates. Serve as a side dish, a condiment, healthy snack or a dessert.

Homemade Whole Grain Beer Mustard
Prep Time: 5 mins Resting Time: 2 d 12 hrs Total Time: 2 d 12 hrs 5 mins Servings: 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

⅓ cup yellow mustard seeds
¼ cup brown mustard seeds
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup pale ale or water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon sea salt

METRIC

56.67 g yellow mustard seeds
6 g brown mustard seeds
119.5 g apple cider vinegar
78.67 g pale ale or water
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon sea salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour both types of mustard seeds into a small mixing bowl and whisk together until well blended.
Stir vinegar and beer (or water) into the mustard seeds until just combined.
Cover the mixture and set in a cool, dry place for 12 hours or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
Stir the remaining ingredients into the mustard seed mixture and pour into a food processor.
Pulse mixture 5 to 6 times before running the motor for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Pour mixture into a sterilized glass jar, seal and refrigerate.
Allow mustard to sit for 1 to 2 days before trying it.

NOTES

Makes 1 1/2 cups
Homemade mustard can be stored in an airtight jar or container, in the refrigerator for maximum freshness.
When properly stored, homemade mustard will keep for up to 1 year.
The most important thing about homemade mustard is to allow it to sit for a day two before using it. This will allow for the bitter flavor to dissipate from the mustard.
If you want a spicier mustard you can add some chiles or horseradish to the mixture before grinding it. If you want a more mild flavor, you can add more sugar and honey to cut through the heat of the seeds.

Compound Butter
Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes Servings: 8

Ingredients

8 ounces salted butter room temperature
1 tablespoon finely diced chives
2 large garlic cloves minced (about ½ tablespoon)
1 teaspoon flat leaf Italian parsley finely diced
2 pinches fresh cracked black pepper.

Instructions

Prep ingredients by allowing butter to come to room temperature, mincing garlic, dicing chives & parsley, and measuring pepper.
Using a spatula, mix ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
Store in a glass air tight container, or turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper, form into a log and wrap tightly.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

Kool-Aid Pickles
MAKES: 12 servings TOTAL TIME: Prep: 10 min. + chilling

Ingredients

1 jar (32 ounces) whole dill pickles, undrained
2/3 cup sugar
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid mix, flavor of your choice

Directions

Drain pickles, reserving juice. In a small bowl, combine the reserved juice, sugar and Kool-Aid, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Slice pickles; return to jar. Pour juice mixture over pickles. Discard any remaining juice. Cover and refrigerate for 1 week before serving. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 months. Yield: 3 cups.

Cranberry Chutney
TOTAL TIME: Prep: 40 min. + chilling MAKES: 24 servings

Ingredients
4 cups (1 pound) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup chopped tart apple
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup diced celery

Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Cook over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes.
Add the apple, raisins and celery. Simmer, uncovered, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl; refrigerate until chilled. Yield: 3 cups.

Nutritional Facts
2 tablespoons equals 70 calories, trace fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 5 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, trace protein.

Madras Tomato Chutney

2 Tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat and sauté the onion until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook covered until the tomatoes begin to break down, 5 to 10 minutes. Puree in a food processor or electric blender and refrigerate until ready to use. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Makes about 1 ½ cups (375 ml).

Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:
•1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
•1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
•2 sweet gherkin pickles, minced
•2 tablespoons finely chopped jarred pimiento peppers
•2 teaspoons minced shallot

Preparation:
Combine mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, pimientos and shallot in a small bowl.