I'm not going to spend anytime in this posting justifying my opinion. Taste preferences aren't the type of topic that I enjoy debating, so I am simply going to state that mustard is above and beyond my favorite condiment. I love all kinds; horseradish, dijon, german, honey, garlic, chinese. However, what takes the crown for me are spicy mustards that are capable of doing a number on your sinuses. The type that you don't taste as much as get hit by. That is why when I recently got together with friends to make mustard from scratch I was insistent that the Grandmother provided recipe fit that bill. Now having a fridge full of the finished product, I can assure you, it does! It is the perfect accompaniment to sandwiches of all varieties and as a base for salad dressings it's extraordinary. The recipe we followed was particularly interesting because it uses seasonal fruit (think peaches, apples, apricots, or pears) as it's base. The majority of recipes use vinegar as their main base and all this recipe does is place a steamed and then blended fruit underneath that vinegar layer. While I can't give away the exact recipe we used because it was a family heirloom, I've adapted a recipe below to closely resemble our blend. The fruit (in our case pears) gives the mustard a nice and unexpected complexity. I'm sure if you give it a whirl you will have equally delicious results.
Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup yellow mustard seed
* 2 Tbsp. black or brown mustard seed, heaping
* 1/4 cup dry mustard powder
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 cups vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine - you know what you like)
* 2 cups steamed and blended fruit of your choosing
* 1 tsp. salt
* 2 garlic gloves, minced or pressed
* 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
* 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon leaves
* 1/8 tsp. turmeric
Preparation:
In a small bowl, combine mustard seed and dry mustard. In a 1- to 2-quart stainless steel or nonreactive saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, on medium heat until reduced by half, 10-15 minutes. Pour the blended fruit into the mustard mixture and once blended add the remaining vinegar mixture. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours, adding additional vinegar if you wish to thin the mustard. Process the seeds and mixture in a blender or food processor until pureed to the texture you like --this can take at least 3 or 4 minutes. Some prefer whole seeds remaining, others a smooth paste. The mixture will continue to thicken. If it gets too thick after a few days, stir in additional vinegar. Scrape mustard into clean, dry jars; cover tightly and age at least 3 days in the refrigerator before using.
Makes about 3-4 cups.
