Please Pass The Mustard

Last month I saved a section of the food section of the newspaper that had recipes for homemade condiments.  We don't use much ketchup or mayonnaise, but everyone in this house is a big fan of mustard.  I thought it would be interesting to make it from scratch; this week I did just that.

I had most of the ingredients for Classic Dijon Mustard in the house, and the others were easy to find.  The recipe was time consuming but easy, except at the end when I was supposed to press the cooked mustard through a fine-mesh sieve to make it smooth.  I discovered my sieve was falling apart so I chose to leave it grainy.  The pieces of seeds will make it more spicy, but we like it that way.

We had some of my creation at dinner tonight, mixed into a stir fry.  It tasted almost like a Chinese mustard, but according to the recipe will mellow after several weeks.

Classic Dijon Mustard (Yield: About 1¾ cups)

1½ cups brown mustard seeds
1 cup mustard powder
1 cup water
1 cup distilled vinegar
¼ cup dry white wine
7 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a nonreactive (non-aluminum) pot or jar, combine the mustard seeds, mustard powder, water, vinegar and wine. Cover and soak for 48 hours, stirring once per day. Add additional water, vinegar and wine in the correct proportions if needed to maintain enough liquid to cover the seeds.

2. Pour the seeds mixture into a food processor, add garlic and process until the mixture turns to a creamy mixture flecked with seeds, about 5 or 6 minutes. Add additional water, vinegar and wine in the correct proportions if needed to keep the mustard very creamy during processing.

3. Add the mixture to a slow cooker and cook on low heat, covered, for 3½ to 4 hours. Stir the mixture about 3 times the first hour (beware of the fumes, which are quite strong), then whenever you think of it for the remaining time. Do not allow the mixture to come to a simmer, which will create a bitter flavor.

4. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, allspice, sugar, salt, turmeric, white pepper, mace and cinnamon. Run through the food processor again, and then press through a fine-mesh sieve. The flavor will become softer and more mellow over the first 3 to 4 weeks. Mustard may be kept in airtight jars in the refrigerator for several months.

Recipe from “The Mustard Book,” by Jan Roberts-Dominguez

Five years ago today: Watch This