Kosher Dosher...“I am a culinary Heretic"

I've wanted to do this for a while and read up on many ways to make it, but I found that a dedicated machine was the easiest. The NEX Machine was inexpensive and easy to use. I use Black Garlic in many recipes and in one of my UMAMI-Powders  and HERE TOO . Black Garlic = Mellowness, Sweet compared to raw garlic. Sweet and syrupy with hints of balsamic vinegar that sets them apart from fresh garlic.      I followed instructions that were simple. Place garlic on trays and wait 12 days. Done. If you do it inside your home it will stink of garlic, but I loved it......family no so much. Choose the most prominent aka Big-Heads you can find... 12-Days Later... Peeling was super easy too. Refrigerate overnight and let it spend about 20 minutes in the freezer before peeling. 12 heads took me about 20-30 minutes.  Just an edited fancy photo....... Going into...

The evolution of this crazy (Meshuga) seasoning started a few years ago when I began Faux Aging with Fish Sauce/Salt which I have written out quite a bit. Let's not forget Warm-Aging aka 2 stage Cooking with Sous-Vide Processing.  Anyhow more and more UMAMI seasonings started popping up all over the place, and I said to myself I could do better!! So I started thinking about what I like to eat. My sauces and rubs are always unique, and out of the box nutty, so I started playing around with different flavors. Why did I call it Meshuga? My Bubbe spoke fluent Yiddish, and when I can, I always add it to my blog/posts.  First of all, you will need a dehydrator. I have this one by Excaliber. I love this machine.  These Castelvetrano Olives are just amazing. Hands down the best olives you will ever have. From what I have read it is suggested to purchase the ones with the Pitts for the flavor, and that is what I did. Believe me when I say I love Olives...

So it was Passover, and I decided to make Turkey. My Turkey is just freaking amazing if I do say so myself. Anyhow, I was not in the mood for traditional cranberry sauce (yea I make that great too) so I decided on a Gastrique. I love Gastriques, and they are so simple to make. Gastriques are versatile, and you can customize them any way you want as long as you remember a few basic techniques. Google Gastrique and you will end up with a plethora of recipes. Gastriques and the variations like most thing are only limited to your imagination. So this is my suggestion..... read my simple recipe and make it yours by swapping out the vinegar, spices, herbs, wine, stock, berries, and creating something that fits your dish. Maybe use juice instead of stock (might need to reduce sugar), or use some of the spices and herbs you used in your original recipe.  Ingredients 1 cup of Sugar 1/4 cup of Water 1 cup of Red-Wine-Vinegar 1/4 cup of wine (I used a Cab) 1/2 tsp of Salt or...