Oktoberfest, come and gone…

As we enter November, I am saddened to realize that the two months most famous outside of Germany for beer drinking have come and gone….  As one might like to think the huge celebration

known as Oktoberfest does not actually take place in October, but September.  Nonetheless on this side of the pond those of us with more percentage German running through our veins than not, will take it whenever we can get it!  I was thrilled to learn that some good friends had decided to throw an Oktoberfest party this year!  In the past I have catered such events, which I always enjoy (being of mostly German heritage and all), but I was happy to attend this one as a guest.  Who am I kidding, of course I had to do something!

I have already tackled Sauerbraten, German Chocolate Cake, Cabbage Fillings, Pretzels, Bratwursts and other German delicacies, but wanted to bring something new.  Finally it came to me! Mustard!  I would make home made mustard!  And that I did friends… three different kinds, with three different tastes and textures.  It was fun to listen to other guests tell me what they liked about each.  And I of course came up with my own favorite, as well as changes and modifications to those I had just made!  Now, making mustard sounds very daunting, right?  Not At  All!!!!!  I couldn’t believe it was SO simple, yet I had not attempted this before!  I will tell you that there will be much, much more house made mustard in the coming years!

Here are two of my favorite mustard recipes – try them out!!

  Whole Grain Mustard 

2 tablespoons yellow mustard seed
2 tablespoons brown mustard seed
2/3 cup white wine
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar

Mix mustard seeds together in  a glass jar.  Add white wine.  Allow to soak overnight*.
Add the salt and sugar.  Puree half of mixture in a blender, fold in remaining seeds.  Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

 

Spicy Beer Mustard

 

1/4 cup black mustard seeds
1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
3/4 cup malt vinegar (think fish and chips!)
1 cup dark beer
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 cup dry ground mustard

Combine the mustard seeds, vinegar and 1/2 cup beer in a glass jar.  Refrigerate overnight.  In a small saucepan, combine  remaining beer, brown sugar, salt, and allspice and bring to a boil.  remove from heat, transferring to a blender.  Allow to cool 15 minutes.  Add the mustard seeds and liquid and ground mustard.  Puree.  Cover and refrigerate overnight before serving.

And just in case you wanted to try out a vehicle for those delicious mustards… Here is my pretzel recipe:

Hot Bavarian Pretzel

1 Package (1 tsp) active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. warm water (110°) plus 2 tablespoons
1/3 c. brown sugar
4 to 4 ½  Cups all purpose flour
Melted butter

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in 1/3-cup brown sugar and let stand 10 minutes or until the yeast mixture is bubbling.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 4 cups of flour.  Using the dough hook, with the machine running slowly add the yeast mixture.   Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes.  You can let the dough rise for up to an hour but it is not required.

Heat oven to 450°.

Divide the dough into 12 or 14 pieces.  Roll into a long thick pencil shape with your hands. Pick up both ends, cross to form rabbit ears and then twist the ends and pull them back to the rest of the loop, pinching the ends shut. Place aside on lightly floured surface and let rise a few minutes.

Place 8 cups of water, ¼ cup beer, ¼ cup baking soda, ¼ cup golden brown sugar in a large saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and place pretzels 10 seconds on each side or until the pretzel dough is light yellow in color. Remove the pretzel from boiling water and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet brushed with olive oil.

Brush the tops of the pretzels with melted butter and sprinkle with course ground sea salt. Place cookie sheet with pretzels into the oven for 8 minutes or until pretzel is golden brown.

Enjoy while warm!

Makes 12 to 14 pretzels.

Prost!!!!