Cheesemaking 101

Yeah, because I don't have ENOUGH hobbies, I decided to try cheesemaking. I blame Kris (just kiddin' ya, Pepper!)

This hobby is NOT for the faint of heart.  It takes a lot of equipment, and the precision of baking (not my strong suit) as well as the patience of a saint (both in the making process and in the waiting to age).

And you have to wait weeks before you even know if it turned out okay.

Lets just say, I'm still at the 101 level. Here's what I've attempted (more or less successfully):
1.  Morel mushroom infused Camembert
2.  Cabacou (thin disks of fresh goat milk cheese stored covered with herbed olive oil)
3.  St. Marcellain (soft rind brie)
4.  Herbed Jack

Beeswax Candles

Once the honey jars are filled, the empty comb frames are returned to the beehive, so they can be reused to store more honey.  The cut off cappings are loaded into a top feeder and placed above the top hive box for the bees to clean off the residual honey.  Then we take the capping wax and refine it for candles.

Prepping the wax for candle making is a lot of work - the wax has to be melted down to separate out any residual larvae 'shells' (the darker protein casings left behind after bees hatch) and other residue. If the residue is left in the wax, the candle wicks get clogged up and don't burn well, as well as the residue giving off an unpleasant odor when burned (think of burnt strands of hair - yuck).  

The historic bee skep candle mold is my favorite. Its more work than the standard votive molds, which cast 8 candles at a time. The skep mold only forms 3, so the whole process takes much longer and takes more patience to thread the wick through and center it during the pouring and cooling process. But its worth it! 

Honey Harvest

'Please Water Thanks' signs

My community garden is an eclectic group, so I painted these signs in three languages representing the various cultural backgrounds of our members. If we need more, I'm lined up for a Czech and Russian version, too!

Still need to coat them in a waterproof sealant, and epoxy on an over-the-stake sleeve on the back, for mounting them on garden stakes in the plots.

:::

Chinese New Year Potstickers!

My mom used to buy all the ingredients and then say to me "I know how much you LOVE making (postickers), so I got everything for you ready to go!" and there would go my whole weekend afternoon. Because making postickers is WORK. Not just the slicing and dicing, but the portioning and sealing, the staging and cooking. Sure, it's a labor of love, but definitely LABOR.

Ingredients:
zucchini, finely diced
mushrooms, finely diced
carrots, peeled into strips and finely diced
white onion, finely diced
ground pork and/or shrimp (optional)
garlic, grated
roasted sesame oil
2 eggs
salt & pepper
ground ginger

Mix all the ingredients together with the oil and egg as binder.  Scoop a teaspoon of filling into the center of potsticker wraps and fold into triangles, sealing the edge with raw beaten egg.  If you freeze them, be sure to stack them with some space between the filling pockets, or they'll stick together (and tear apart once you thaw them).

Cook the postickers by dropping them into boiling water or broth until the wrapper 'skins' become somewhat translucent and 'wrinkle' around the filling. These can then be additionally sauteed for a crisper finish, or just strained out of the broth and served with a drizzle of soy or ponzu sauce.

Roasted Little Belgiuns

AKA: Brussel Sprouts
I've stolen this method for roasting brussel sprouts from FireFly restaurant in Noe Valley - and it works a charm! Easy-peasy, and the BEST tasting method I've tried/tasted to date!

NEEDED: HOT oven, wide roasting pan w/ lip, alum foil*

PREP: PREHEAT (empty) roasting pan. THIS IS THE TRICK!! I prefer to preheat to 425, but the dish will work with most (350 minimum) any temp you have set for other dishes. Seriously - the pan needs to be HOT before you add the sprouts.

Wash and SLIGHTLY trim base off brussel sprouts (you want SOME base to remain to hold them together). Halve smaller sprouts, quarter larger ones. Lightly toss in olive oil and salt/pepper generously (I like lots of pepper). Seasoning them BEFORE roasting ensures the spices stick to the sprouts, rather than dusting them on later.

Dump the halved/quartered seasoned sprouts into HOT roasting pan - you'll hear the sizzle! Spread them out evenly, with some space between them for crispier outcome. If you have so many that they crowd each other, consider roasting in 2 pans. *Cover with aluminum foil, tightly sealed (use oven mitts, as the pan is already hot!) and slide into the oven.

Roast for 10m covered, then uncover and test larger sprouts for tenderness. Stir and continue roasting uncovered ~10m more, or until loose leaves have browned to your liking. Transfer to serving bowl and lightly drizzle with truffle oil (optional). Fight off others at the table who attempt to dish up more than their share.

Enjoy!

*Covering with foil may not be necessary if your sprouts are small or quartered.  If you prefer them softer in the middle, cover.  Otherwise, roasting uncovered ~20m total has worked fine for my taste!