Next post, I’m going to surrender every shred of foodie cred I’ve earned. I’m going down in style and you’re coming with me. This week, then, let’s gather our supplies. Follow these instructions, and you’ll be set for the apocalypse.
First, we make the mustard.
Some people plan their vacations around spectacular destinations in the natural world, or decadent spa getaways where the week becomes one endless sauna, skin renewing massage and herbal spritzer. Then there’s The Smithsonian, 42nd Street, Tate Modern. Other culturally curious spots are the Salem Witch Trial Memorial, the Glass Bottle Houses, the Tower of Baa, the house-sized representation of the shoe that old lady lived in, and the field of Plexiglas cows lowing halfway between St. Louis and Milwaukee.
But Simon and me? We travel for farms and fondue. And we brake for mustard museums.
This mustard recipe is a home reverse-construction of a wonderfully sweet and spicy mustard that we picked up two years ago when we came to a screeching halt before the Mt. Horeb Mustard Museum. The original mustard was made by a small company called Slimme and Nunne’s, and the mustard varietal, Sweet and Nicely Spicy, is striking stuff. In fact, though we’d tried a lot of mustard (the shop would let you sample your way through all 300+ varieties of mustard if you had the time and the stomach for it) we were so stricken that we bought four jars of it. We wept when we opened the last jar sometime around Christmas, and this July we took the very long way home from Iowa just so we could pass through Mt. Horeb and stock up on enough to get us through the winter.
Scapes are one thing, but it’s not practical to drive 350 miles for mustard, and I resolved to figure out a passable formula before we polished off the spoils of this last trip. And with this recipe I’ve come pretty darn close. The secret seems to be that it’s more nectar (or, in the store-bought version, corn syrup) than mustard.
Here’s a quick note on mustard’s health properties (oh, you were waiting for it, weren’t you?) Mustard is a Brassica, and part of the cruciferous family of plants, which means that eating your mustard is almost as good as eating your broccoli. As such, mustard seeds (which is what mustard powder is made of, which is what mustard paste is begot from) contain lots of phytonutrients. I won’t go into which ones, but if you’re interested you can look here. Even if you can’t pronounce them, you’ll still get the benefits of said phytonutrients, and the ones in mustard (and broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc) have been studied for their ability to thwart cancer – both actively and preventatively.
Now, make your mustard!
The Home Version of Sweet and Curiously Spicy Mustard
1/2 cup dry mustard powder
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water
¾ cup agave nectar*
½ cup + 2 tablespoons honey*
1/2 cup cider vinegar
pinch of allspice (maybe 1/8 teaspoon, not much)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ – ½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (I used a combo of Ancho and Aleppo, but I always do)
Two shakes of hot sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
2 tablespoons cold water
* You can use a combination of honey and agave nectar, or you could also probably use one or the other. I use both because the nectar is sweeter and thinner, while the honey adds a consistency that pulls the other ingredietns together. Also, the scent of the honey holds up against the other, harsher smells, and that changes the palate experience.
In a small bowl combine mustard powder and the water and whisk vigorously until well combined and smooth. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Then, with a spatula scrape the mustard into a small nonreactive saucepan and add the agave nectar and honey. Stir well, then turn heat on medium low and warm slightly. Add the vinegar, allspice, red pepper, black pepper, salt and hot sauce. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer on stove for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Combine the starch and the cold water in a small bowl and stir until it’s a paste. Add about half of this to the mustard mix on the stove, stir well, and let simmer lightly for a few minutes. It will thicken quickly, and at this point you can judge if you’d like to add more of the starch mixture or leave it as is. Allow it to cool, and place the mustard in jars (this will yield about 9 ounces – a decent sized jar plus some.
If you make a lot of it you could water boil it to seal the jars, but it’s so easy to make that it’s not necessary. Opened jars keep, refrigerated, for about 2 months.
If you make this, I really, really want to know: were Simon and I crazy to drive hazy, humid, farmland roads to snag a few more jars of this stuff? Or is it as good as it is in our vivid, food-obsessed minds? What idiosyncratic uses for mustard have you got, and how will you use this one?
I’ve actually been to the Mt. Horebe Museum and it’s quite a trip. I couldn’t eat mustard for a month after that, but I’ve recovered. Thanks for the recipe. I think I tend to like my mustard on the sweet side so I’m on this. Might add tarragon from the garden too, while it’s fresh.
Fun post, fun trip. Is there fondue worth traveling for because if there is I’d like to know.
Do you know if tapioca and corn starchs work differently? I always find that with the cornstarch I get such a gloppy, glossy sauce. I prefer the texture that I get from flour but then there’s the flour flavor to deal with. What does tapioca do?
Kelli, I actually used the tapioca because I had it left over from some gluten-free baking I’d done and it turned out that there was no cornstarch in my cupboard (or if there was I couldn’t find it, which is also a possibility). The tapioca is not unlike the cornstarch, but I found the end result to be a little less gloppy. I also added it only as i needed it though, so my advice would be to just add it gradually. You could use flour of course, but you’d have to cook off the flavor first.
Philly, I can’t tell you about the the fondue. I’m afraid it would put my foodie cred in the gutter. Maybe next post when I go kamikaze on you.
Why do I always seem to be opening these at my lunch hour? I’m starving, now! It’s good to know mustard is good for you, and honey mustard maybe even better. I love the stuff (as long as–you know it’s coming–it’s not too spicy! ;o)). Think I’ll have a nice deli sandwich for lunch… (can’t wait to see what you’re going to put this stuff on NEXT post!)
Musing: Mt. Horeb has a mustard museum… and that company calls itself Slimme and Nunne… what’re their chances?!?!?
I’m eagerly awaiting your next post. Shred all foodie cred, what can that mean? In the meantime, I’m wondering how many mustards I could taste in one day. It would be fun to find out. This one sounds great with agave nectar and honey!
This might become a permafixture in my pantry. Good stuff!
So you know with my new job, whenever I need to be on site I will be passing through Mount Horeb… yell if you need some of the real deal!
Mmmm. Sounds as though this mustard would be a good flavour to use in a bean salad, eh? Beans…b-e-a-n-s…remember beans?
Gilda, that’s the best damn comment I’ve gotten in months.
Looks so divine ! I’m getting hungry
Thanks for sharing your reicpe !
The Mustard Museum! I knew my husband really loved me when he started driving 45 minutes out of our way when we were going to Madison. I said “where are we going?”
He said, be patient! I of course, continued to read one of the 12 food magazines while he drove and when we stopped, lo and behold we were at the Mustard Museum in Mt. Horeb!!
He even bought a shirt called Poupon U!
Thanks for this recipe – I’ll definitely give it a try!
Biz, what a great story. And only something a foodie or a husband of a foodie could relate to from experience, no? We passed on the t-shirt — but we do have the magnet. And do try the mustard recipe — I don’t know if you had the Sweet and Nicely Spicy but this formula really does come close.
Wow! I didn’t know mustard was part of the cruciferous family! It’s probably something I could use more often but for some reaosn I only think of mustard when it’s part of a recipe. I bet your version kicks every mustard’s butt I’ve ever tried.
Lo took me to the mustard museum for my birthday this past spring. Mt. Horeb is also home to the Thirsty Troll Brewfest in Sept.
Considering I have been known to put mustard on just about anything…I’m going to have to give this one a try. I’m thinking it would be great to help flavor my next bloody mary!
Peef and Lo — I KNOWWWWWW!!!!! I know all about the wonderful, lovely Thirsty Troll and their bourbon cask aged beer. But Simon made me drive on through. We went to New Glarus for fondue instead. I can still taste that beer I didn’t have…. There’s nothing else like it anywhere. We should meet up for the Brewfest!
I have a feeling that Peef is going to put me up to making mustard one of these days… I hate it when he reads other people’s blogs (it gives him ideas!!)
Anyhew, I won’t dwell on the mustard (which looks smashing)… but I will say, instead… you came to WISCONSIN and you didn’t tell me??!! For shame, Ms. Beanstalk! For shame!
FYI — I’m still thinking about cake. And you. And St. Lou… I’m not sure I have any good ideas just yet, but I do have a friend who lives in your neck of the woods. So, I have high hopes that I’ll come upon something just lovely for you. OR — maybe you want to get married at the Mustard Museum??!!