Honey Pudding

I've mentioned before that the British use of the word "pudding" is a bit ambiguous. When I read about honey pudding in The Bellmaker, I imagined something along the lines of a French dessert known as blancmange. It's a creamy, jiggly dessert halfway between a custard and gelatin. This version is very simple and tastes like honey and vanilla. You'll need to work quickly once it starts to thicken, though, so I recommend having all the ingredients and utensils ready before you begin cooking.

Honey Pudding

Prep time: 15 minutes
Chill time: 90 minutes if you use four small ramekins like I did. It will take longer if you use a single large mold.
Total time: 105 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Whisk together the cornstarch and milk. The easiest way of doing this is to pour a small amount of milk into the cornstarch and whisk smooth, then pour than back into the remaining milk.
   
2. Pour the milk mixture into a small saucepan and heat over high heat, whisking constantly, until the milk begins to boil.
   
3. Boil for about three minutes, or until the milk begins to thicken. I don't have pictures for this step or the next because you really need to work fast.
4. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the honey and vanilla.
5. Quickly pour the mixture into ramekins and tap them gently to level the tops as much as possible.
   
6. Let the mixture cool on the counter for a few minutes, then put them in the fridge and chill completely.
7. When they're ready, flip the ramekins upside down over a plate to release the puddings for serving.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

Mushroom and barley soup was mentioned in the book Loamhedge as the otter cook Toran tried to cheer up the hare Martha. It's a wonderful, filling soup that's great for cold nights. It takes a while to cook, but most of the time is hands-off, so it's still pretty easy.

Mushroom and Barley Soup

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red onion
• 4 ounces shittake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp oil
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup pearled barley (don't use instant -- I found the real stuff in the kosher section of my grocery store, not with the other grains)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
• Water

Directions

1. Mince the garlic and finely chop the onion.
   
2. Remove the stems of the mushrooms and thinly slice the caps.
   
3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onions for 5 minutes, or until starting to brown.
   
4. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes.
   
5. Add the vegetable stock, barley, and thyme, then reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. At the end, you want the barley to be like al dente pasta -- no longer crunchy and uncooked, but still providing some resistance to your teeth. You don't want mushy, overcooked barley.
    
6. Add water (or more broth, if you prefer) until the soup reaches your preferred consistency -- I added about a cup and a half. Heat briefly, then serve.

Hotroot Bread

One of the more intriguing savory bread ideas that came from Redwall is the idea of hotroot bread -- something I have marked down as coming from the book Mariel of Redwall, but that I can't find for the life of me... Anyway, I made this bread from the leftover habaneros from making my hotroot punch last week. I highly recommend de-seeding your peppers before chopping them, as I did, so that your bread has a nice sharpness instead of being too hot to eat an entire slice. I attempted to make this as a yeast bread, but wasn't hugely successful (I think my yeast was bad, since this basic recipe and method has worked for me in the past) and took a lot of time. In the future, if I made it again, I would use a basic quick bread recipe -- like the one I used to make the spice bread -- and stir in the chopped peppers before baking.

Hotroot Bread

Rise time: 1 hour for the first rise plus 1 hour for the second rise
Prep time: 10 minutes split before and between the rises
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup water
• Habanero peppers (I chopped up five, but probably only used three peppers worth)

Directions

1. Combine the flour and yeast in a bowl.
   
2. Add the water, stirring and kneading until the dough is smooth (it will still be a little sticky).
   
3. Roll the dough into a ball and place at the bottom of the bowl.
   
4. Cover the bowl with a damp, lint-free towel and leave to rest for an hour. If your oven has a proof setting, use that. If not, any out-of-the-way spot should be fine. 
   
5. While waiting, seed your habaneros and chop them finely. 
   
6. When the dough has doubled in volume, punch it down and knead in the peppers a little at a time until the bread looks as peppery as you'd like it to be. 
   
7. Shape the dough into a rough loaf shape, place in a loaf pan, then cover with the damp towel again for another hour.
   
8. When the second rise is approaching its end, preheat the oven to 410F. Bake the bread for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool completely before slicing. 
   

Hotroot Punch

Hotroot punch is something that was very briefly mentioned in Mossfloweras being -- what else -- a favorite of the Skipper of Otters. It stuck in my mind as being an interesting idea and this past weekend when coming up with mixer ideas for a party I decided to give this a shot. It's non-alcoholic, but that could be changed pretty easily with a shot of bourbon or (if you prefer strong drinks) everclear. I don't recommend other alcohols, as they would affect the taste too much. Sorry I don't have pictures for this recipe, although they aren't really necessary.

A WARNING NOTE: The longer you leave the infusers in this "punch," the hotter it will become. I highly recommend taking a taste every hour or so and straining once it's reached the right heat level. I forgot to do this and by the halfway point of the party people were getting a little more of a punch than they were expecting.

Hotroot Punch

Prep time: 1 minute
Infusing time: Anywhere from 3-6 hours, I'd say, depending on your spice preference

Yield: 48 ounces

Ingredients

• 48 ounces of 100% apple juice (make sure it doesn't contain added sugar, or this will become weirdly cloying)
• 6 habanero peppers or cayenne peppers
• 1 inch piece of ginger root

Directions

1. Remove the stems of the habaneros and cut them in half
2. Peel the piece of ginger and cut it into thin slices
3. Place the peppers and ginger into a bottle (I used several because there were multiple drink stations)
4. Add the apple juice, seal the bottle, and give it a vigorous shake. Repeat this every 30-60 minutes, tasting a small sip, until the taste is what you want.
5. Remove the peppers and ginger from the bottle and enjoy.