This post was originally published on Food52.
Former Top Chef contestant Camille Becerra shows us the secret to making ketchup and mustard at home. Camille is no stranger to Brooklyn (she’s lived, cooked and once had a restaurant here) and is currently a chef at Navy on the Lower East Side.
‘Tis the season for hot dogs and barbecues, and with these things come condiments. As a mother of a ketchup fanatic, I used to constantly have to deny my daughter’s requests for bread with ketchup when she was younger. I do cringe slightly every time we lather on the Heinz 57, but what dog is complete without sauerkraut, sweet relish, and most importantly mustard and ketchup?
I like to stir up a batch of the summer’s dynamic duo forgoing some of the not-so-natural ingredients. I like my mustard to be sweet to contrast with the spice but not nearly the overkill sweetness of honey mustards we are used to.
Both of these recipes yield enough to share, so gather up the empty jam and pickle jars you saved, fill them up, and hand them off to those special people who will invite you over to their homes for a summer gathering.
Ketchup
Makes 1 quart
2 14-16 ounce cans of tomato puree or 2 pounds peeled and seeded fresh tomato
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 onion, diced
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 cup white balsamic or wine vinegar
Sachet: one small bunch thyme and one healthy pinch each of whole black pepper, coriander seed, fennel seed and mace.
In a saucepan, sweat onion and garlic through without gaining any color. When onion and garlic are ready, add all of the remaining ingredients, including your sachet. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer on low for 2 hours. Remove sachet. Whiz the mixture in a blender (or with an immersion blender) and strain through a sieve.
Ketchup sachet ingredients
Brown beer mustard
Makes 1 quart
1 1/4 cups brown mustard seeds
2 cups white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups dark or amber beer
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons salt
Soak seeds overnight in vinegar, beer and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and whiz in a blender. Add additional honey to preferred sweetness.
We suggest you add these toppings to our Brooklyn Dog.
