Monday, November 7, 2011

Home Made Mustard

When I have a new cookbook, the first time I browse through it, I think about what I want to make first, what I want to eat first, and what I want to blog about first.

Those aren't always the same thing.

For example, I love making cookies. But after they're made, I'm perfectly happy to eat one and go on my way. If it's a cookie I particularly love, I might eat a few more over the next few days, but cookie-making is more about the making than about the eating.

Then there are things I want to eat. But often they're things I'm not quite prepared to make right away. Some entree might look fabulous, but I might not have the right cut of meat, or some other critical item. And when I'm browsing though a cookbook, I want to make things NOW and not after I've gone shopping.

And then there are the things I want to blog about. Okay, well, scratch that. If it involved food, I blog about it.

My first choice was ketchup. Yes, ketchup. I've made ketchup before, but it ended up being more like barbecue sauce. Which is okay, but not when you really want ketchup. I had planned on picking up a flat of tomatoes at the farmer's market, but an early snow meant that tomatoes weren't quite as plentiful as I hoped for. So I scratched that idea.

Cranberry liqueur also sounded great, but it needed to steep for a month. I still plan on making it, but it didn't look like a good blog subject since I wouldn't be done with it for a looooong time. So that one's on the to-do list.

And then there was the pickled butternut squash. I've never had pickled winter squash, and I happened to have squash on hand. But it didn't quite fit with the other things I planned on cooking over the next few days. That one's on the back burner for another day, too.

And then I saw it: ketchup's best friend.

Yep, mustard.

Most of the mustard recipes I've seen start with powdered mustard. This one started with mustard seeds. Bingo!

The beauty of this recipe is that it's pretty customizable. It calls for mustard seeds, but didn't specify - so I used half yellow and half brown. And the flavor is going to be different depending on what kind of vinegar you use. It calls for a white wine vinegar, but I'm already imagining it with a raspberry vinegar or a cider vinegar.

Mustard
Adapted from Home Made by Yvette Van Boven

4 ounces mustard seeds
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper, to taste

For a smoother mustard, let the mustard seeds soak overnight in the vinegar before processing. It's not necessary, though.

Place all of the ingredients in your food processor and process for 6 minutes - or longer - to make the mustard as smooth as you like it.

Transfer the mustard to a jar. Seal and refrigerate. You can use it right away, but it gets better with a little time.

Disclaimer: I got this book at not cost from the publisher for review.
Yum

10 comments:

diabeticFoodie said...

I love the idea of making your own mustard! I so agree with you about how making cookies is more fun than eating them. Sometimes I get in the mood to bake, but I don't eat many sweets (obviously).

Donna Currie said...

If I'm baking one batch of cookies, I might eat one, or even two. But if I'm doing a lot of baking, like at Christmas, I lose interest in eating the cookies. I enjoy making them, packaging them, and giving them away, but you could stick a plate of them in front of me and I wouldn't even be tempted. If someone else brings their cookies over, though, I'd be more interested in those.

Linda said...

Cranberry liquor-it's lovely, and does take a long time. We want to try pickled (fermented) squash too and look forward to your post. I've always thought we could, should make mustard. It's easy and as you note, can use any kind of vinegar. and herbs. It makes a nice little gift too. Off to the kitchen to dig out those mustard seeds.

Susan30AEATS said...

This is a fabulous idea! I have always wanted to make my own mustard. I adore mustard on just about everything! What a great gift to give to neighbors and friends over the holidays! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

More great points, Donna. I don't buy CBs lke I used to, because I expect more and too often get less. What I want is to LEARN, not blindly copy. Perhaps old, but a great example of learning is (was) Ms. Kennedy on Mexican food. She TEACHES me HOW, not just tossing ingredients at me - and it worked. Withe more general books, perhaps t hose aimed at simple meals, I want fewer ingredients. On the high-end, perhaps a serious baking book, I look for detailed methods that are well written. While web-based recipes are fine, the better books are still superior. That said, it is difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff and most reviews are promotional rather than critical. Your reviews are usually good, so keep up those standards. Standards ARE important! -Craig

Andrea @ ForkFingersChopsticks.com said...

I've never made mustard and am now intrigued. Can't wait to try it. It seems too simple. Thanks for the inspiration.

By the way, I made a ginger cranberry ketchup last November. Super easy.

Clydesdale Jogger said...

Thank you! I've been looking for something like this off and on for years. Alton Brown had one, but I never got around to trying it. Plus it involved cooking in the micro. This seems sooooo much easier.

Garvey said...

I made this mustard recipe but about half the size. I also used 50% yellow seed and 50% brown seed (also known as black mustard seed, according to the Spice House, where I bought them) and subbed cider vinegar. Anyway, I made this 5 days ago and it is still super sharp. What did I do wrong! Does it need more time to mellow? Did I use the wrong kinds of seed? Did I need to let the seeds process longer in the Cuisinart? TIA for any feedback and help.

Donna Currie said...

Garvey, it will mellow in time, but to be honest, I was looking for something with a kick to it. And fresh seeds will give you a lot more kick ;-) When you make horseradish, the vinegar "sets" the flavor - or at least that's what I've read. I'm not sure if that's true of mustard or not. Maybe next time you could try grinding with water, then letting it mellow, then add some vinegar to finish it off. I have no idea if that will make a difference or not.

Garvey said...

Thanks, Donna. I don't mind the sharpness so much except that it prevents me from scarfing down tablespoons of it at every serving. ;-)

I will try the ideas you suggested and report back. May be a while. I made the mistake of whipping up three variations of this recipe at the same time, and while each is a completely different mustard, they all share the same sharpness.

Cheers!

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