Homemade Mustards


© Pier Jones
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Looking for Christmas ideas? What about Mustard? Oh, I don’t mean that jar of bright yellow stuff that your kids squeeze onto their hotdogs. What I mean when I say “mustard” is the real thing-----a grown-up, taste-bud popping, homemade Mustard. Once you start playing with these recipes, and creating your own, you will find you have dozens of little jars of the stuff---- all of which can make tasty holiday gifts!

Mustard, Brassica alba, B. nigra, and B. juncea, is one of the most popular spices used around the world. Yellow mustard seeds typically produce a milder mustard, while the brown seeds produce a stronger flavor. Yellow mustard contains many minerals as well as being a source of several amino acids.

If the word “mustard” has you thinking of that jar of yellow stuff in your refrigerator, you might want to check the label. In it, you may find things you’d rather not feed your family...like yellow food coloring, along with other additives; though, some brands do at least use turmeric to get that yellow color. In defense of that thin, yellow version (which I, too, have on my shelf), it does add to the flavor of a beef roast when rubbed into the meat just before cooking; and you can, in a pinch, make a tastier variety by adding herbs, sugar, salt and wine or cider vinegar to it.

When making your own mustard, you need to remember to always mix your seeds or powder with cold water. Hot water will yield a milder product initially, but it tends to be bitter. Also, keep in mind that mustards will mellow with age, so your mustard will have a smoother flavor, and still be pungent, if it is left to set for about 20 minutes before serving. Enough of the preliminaries.....on to the recipes!

Basic Mustard

This is not a mustard for the weak at heart, but it is delicious, and can be used in a multitude of other recipes.

1/4 C yellow mustard powder

3 T cold water

Mix and let these stand for 15 minutes. Then add:

1 T cider vinegar

½ t sugar or honey

dash salt

***For an easy variation on this recipe, use a flavored herb vinegar instead of cider vinegar.

Course Grain Mustard

1/4 C yellow mustard powder

2 T brown (or yellow) mustard seeds, crushed just a bit with a mortar and pestle

3 T cold water

Mix and let these stand for 15 minutes. Then add:

2 T white wine vinegar

1 t sugar

dash salt

Dijon Mustard

This is a deliciously mild mustard, yet full of flavor.

1/4 C yellow mustard seeds

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages

2.   Dec 15, 2000 10:19 AM
Have you tried http://www.penzeys.com ?

-- posted by chiwawa


1.   Dec 14, 2000 5:51 PM
Hi, Pier, thanks for the great article!

A question: do you know of any inexpensive mail order sources for mustard seed or powder? I would love to try making my own, but it has gotten very pricey in ...


-- posted by Atma





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