Spots for the November Chicago Food Swap were scooped up within a few hours. Worried I might not have time to prep for it, I hesitated and didn’t register right away. By the time I decided I wanted to go, all of the tickets were gone, so I added my name to the waitlist. My daughter Molly and I were thrilled that a ticket opened a few weeks later and we were able to attend this large swap at The Chopping Block in the Merchandise Mart. Lesson learned. If you are interested in securing a ticket, like the Chicago Food Swap facebook page, make sure you are set to receive notifications and register on Event Brite as soon as Emily opens the event.
I brought maple-pecan butter and honey ginger caramels to November swap. I love bringing my girls to these events. Their incentive? They have free rein to make some trades of their own, which means we will take home more sweets than I might otherwise. Cooking and eating well are important to me, and I hope that they are inspired by the variety of delicious, creative homemade items at these swaps. At Sunday's event, we were next to someone who brought homemade Buckeye Balls; the creamy peanut butter filling was perfectly coated in glossy chocolate. Molly quickly negotiated for a bag. She also had her eye on ruby colored Cranberry-Ginger Syrup, which was similar to the wonderful Cranberry Vanilla Syrup that she loved from the December 2012 swap. She mixes the syrup with sparkling water to create her own soda. Molly pointedly told her siblings that the Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix is reserved for our first snow day - let's hope the Chicago weather cooperates and we don't have to wait too long! Two of Molly's favorite foods are cranberry sauce and pickles. Christina from My Homespun Home brought pickled cranberries, which seemed like a good thing for Molly to try. I was very excited to take home a bottle of Emily's homemade Vanilla Extract.
After reading an article in the New York Times, I planned to bring cultured butter. To make it, I mixed cream and whole milk yogurt in a large bowl, then set it, covered, on the counter for about 20 hours to culture. Because I was preparing it for the swap, I made a double batch. After leaving it on the counter over-night then chilling it for an hour in the refrigerator, the cream was ready to be churned in my food processor. In just a few minutes, the butter separated from the buttermilk. Very cool. I loved that there was no waste - the butter went to the swap and the homemade buttermilk was used for waffles later in the week.
The butter was delicious, but I made two mistakes when making it. First, I should have tasted the cream before processing it. I didn't culture it long enough, so my butter had a lovely fresh taste rather than the tangy flavor that is the hallmark of cultured butter. It may have been because my kitchen was not warm enough or simply because I didn't allow enough time. Second, in an effort to save time, I poured all of the cream into my food processor at once. It started leaking. Half the cream went back into the bowl and I processed the butter in two batches. If you try this recipe, don't overfill your processor.
To dress up my plain butter, I mixed it with toasted pecans and pure maple syrup. Maple-pecan butter is delicious on whole wheat bread, roasted sweet potatoes and cheddar cheese biscuits. And unless you want to try making butter, use butter from a store - there is no need to churn your own!
Maple Pecan Butter
- 8 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, at room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, cooled and chopped
Beat butter in stand mixer with paddle attachment until light and fluffy. With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in maple syrup and mix at medium speed until all of the syrup has been incorporated. The mixture should look creamy and smooth, not separated. This will take a few minutes. Add salt, then pecans. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Separate butter into two pieces, then use parchment paper to roll each piece into a four-inch log. Wrap in parchment, twisting ends to secure paper. Store in refrigerator. It is easier to slice the butter when it is cold, but I think it tastes best at room temperature.
