Tuesday, April 30, 2013

How to Make Homemade Country-Style Mustard

A few years ago, my sister, who is a Master Gardner, and I went to Michigan State for Garden Day which is a full day filled with classes on gardening, workshops, touring the gardens, and enjoying the day.  On this particular Garden Day, one of the workshops was on growing different mustards and making mustard.  Needless to say, I was hooked - Homemade is so much better than the stuff in the yellow bottle!



I found that part of the pleasure of making your own mustard is you can make it to suit your likes. You can make it the texture and taste that you prefer.  You can even make yourself "designer" flavors if you'd like.  Making mustard is so easy -  It is fun to experiment with different liquids like red or white wines, champagne, sherry, beer, and even grape juice!  Maybe you'd like to add some fruit puree of cranberries, apricot, or maybe a little applesauce and sweetener to the mix. 

If you really want to get adventurous, try some liquors - simply mix about a tablespoon of mustard powder and mix it with the liquid of your choice.  You can try honey or brown sugar for a sweeter mustard. The choices are numerous.  Just remember to wait about an hour before tasting and then try them again after another hour.  Mustard takes a while to "develop" its flavor.  Some will taste great, others, not so much. I have made some really great mustard as well as some really gross mustard - It is a lot of fun mixing and concocting different mustard profiles! 

You can choose to make a courser style mustard or a more refined mustard by grinding the mustard seeds in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder or use only mustard powder for a smooth mustard - the choice is yours.  Add herbs like tarragon, rosemary, or sage - get creative!  Simply start with a basic recipe and then start to experiment to find the kinds of mustard concoctions you enjoy.  Homemade mustards also make nice unusual gifts!

Here I am making a "basic" recipe for Country-Style Mustard

This recipe will make about a cup of mustard.  This mustard is a pungent, grainy, all-purpose mustard that is great recipe to begin with.

2 Tablespoons coarsely ground brown mustard seeds

2 Tablespoons coarsely ground yellow mustard seeds

1/4 cup yellow or brown mustard powder 
(Regular or Hot Mustard Powder - depending on your taste)

1/4 cup cold water  (I always use filtered water)

1 1/2 to 2 Tablespoons** Apple Cider Vinegar  (You may substitute with white vinegar or white wine) **Note if you prefer a milder mustard, use wine, not vinegar. 

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Grind the mustard seeds to the texture you prefer.  (I like my mustard grainy and thicker so my seeds are coarsely ground.) 

Mix the cold water into the mustard seeds, dry mustard powder.  Allow mixture to set for about 10 minutes. 

Add vinegar or wine and salt and blend well.  Store covered for at least 4 hours before serving but it is much better if you let it set overnight before serving.  If you would like a more "mellow" mustard, let the mustard sit on the counter, (unrefrigerated).  The longer it sits, the more mellow or mild the flavor gets. 

If you like, you can add turmeric for color if you prefer a more "commercial" color for your mustard. 

Making your own Mustard will allow you an opportunity to make some truly amazing flavor profiles. 

I'd love to hear about them!  Enjoy.

NOTE: The 3 types of mustard seeds are the black mustard seed (Brassica nigra), the white mustard seed (Brassica alba), and the brown mustard seed (Brassica juncea). The Black mustard seeds give the most pungent taste, while white mustard seeds, (which are actually more yellow in color), are the most mild.  The "white" mustard seeds and are the ones used to make American yellow mustard.  The brown mustard seeds, which are actually more dark yellow in color, have a strong pungent taste.  This is the type of mustard seed used to make Dijon mustard.

6 comments:

  1. We are mustard LOVER'S at my house. Swedish mustard is a must with pea soup! I've never thought to make my own, but now I'll try it! I shall report back! Jenny

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have been making our own mustard for years - super easy & so many options (some good, some not so good!) we have enjoyed. If you start looking at ingredients on "specialty" mustards, this will give you a good start to developing your favorites from the base recipe! :-)

      Delete
  2. How long will the mustard keep once its made? Whats the difference between mustard seed and mustard powder? (is powder just the seed ground up?) Very interesting....I wanna try this!

    Diana

    ReplyDelete
  3. I always make small batches so the length in the refrigerator usually does not exceed 4 to 6 weeks I guess; It doesn't last long!

    Yes mustard powder is just the seeds ground up into a powder. Keep in mind that Mustard "heats" up when mixed with liquid and "mellows" a bit with aging a few days.
    :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. We love having different styles of mustard on hand and it makes so much more sense to make our own. Do you know if one type of mustard seed carries more heat than another? Or, is it the other ingredients that you add to a mustard recipe that give it the extra heat? I'm a total wimp when it comes to hot, spicy stuff, but the hubbs loves it.

    ~Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great Question!:-) The 3 types of mustard seeds are the black mustard seed (Brassica nigra), the white mustard seed (Brassica alba), and the brown mustard seed (Brassica juncea). The Black mustard seeds give the most pungent taste, while white mustard seeds, (which are actually more yellow in color), are the most mild. The "white" mustard seeds and are the ones used to make American yellow mustard. The brown mustard seeds, which are actually more dark yellow in color, have a strong pungent taste. This is the type of mustard seed used to make Dijon mustard.

      Delete