Homemade Mustard, any way you like it!

Last week I had a sudden urge to make mustard.  I love that I’m the kind of person who has a sudden urge to make mustard, and the ingredients on hand to do it with.  I’m weird.  Very strange things make me exceptionally happy.

And, really, it’s probably one of the easiest things to make.  Certainly worth the payoff in amped-up sandwiches and salad dressings for the next month or so.   The only drawback is you absolutely must let it age at least a couple of days before you use it.  Otherwise it might burn your face off!  It needs to age to allow the more volatile compounds(what mustard gas is made of-you don’t want to eat that!!) to escape.  If you taste the mustard and it is too hot, let it age a little more,  it may help.

If you make this mustard today, it will be more than ready for the soft pretzel recipe I’ll be posting Friday.

Recipe:

1/2 C mustard seeds, a mixture of yellow, brown, and/or black(remember, the darker the seeds, the hotter your mustard will be)  I used 3/4 yellow and 1/4 brown for a moderately bitey mustard after a few days of aging.

1/2C vinegar  Plain white is perfectly fine, but different vinegar can add nuance-try red wine vinegar, or malt vinegar, or rice or sherry wine vinegar.  Whatever tickles your fancy!  I used plain white vinegar

1/4C other liquid-you can use water if you want a straightforward mustard, but a dark beer, or white wine, or apple or raspberry juice all make different very interesting mustards.  I used guinness in this one

1 tbsp-1/2C honey or brown sugar, depending in how sweet you like your mustard.  I used 2 tbsp-not terribly sweet, just enough to temper the sharp edge of the mustard.

Combine the mustard seeds, vinegar, and liquid of your choice in a glass bowl.   Cover and allow to sit for 4-8 hours, or even overnight.  You want the mustard seeds to absorb the liquid.  Just don’t add hot liquids-heat will kill some of the flavor elements in mustard and that is not what we want!!

Once the seeds have soaked up the liquid, put them in a food processor(for coarse mustard) or a blender(for smooth mustard) with the sweetener, and a touch of turmeric, if you want bright yellow mustard(I don’t bother, but it is pretty)  Blend or process until the mustard is the consistency you want.  Spoon it into a glass(metal or plastic will cause the mustard to develop off flavors) container and allow it to age in the fridge, at least three days.

Makes about 1 cup.  Keeps in the fridge indefinitely.