Three Favorites.

I love the feeling of accomplishment when you do something for yourself.  This is a DIY blog, after all:).  My latest attempt at home made is making mustard from scratch.  I never really thought about making mustard from scratch until I accidentally came across a recipe from a culinary blog.  Further mining of the Internet yielded a recipe that includes two of my favorite flavors/ingredients: rosemary and orange.

So I gave it a go.  Although the recipe calls for grinding the mustard seeds a bit more, I showed some restraint and kept them close to whole, only grinding them enough to release the flavor from the seed.  I also used only yellow mustard seeds, even though the recipe calls for both yellow and brown.  I did this to keep the heat to a minimum (brown mustard seeds have more heat than yellow).  Even with the substitution…there is still plenty of heat.

The taste is something else because each flavor (orange, rosemary, cider vinegar, white wine) is pronounced and distinctive.  However, my research suggested these flavors will mellow out after a few days and they did.  I enjoy it as a condiment and marinade of sorts when roasting proteins.  It works equally well for both, particularly the latter.

This kind of recipe is very personal and might benefit from some trial and error to get the taste and consistency the way you like it.  For me, I preferred slightly less of each liquid.  Although the mustard did congeal over a couple of days, I still found it not to be viscous enough for my sensibilities so I modified it the second time around.  Have fun and good luck!

Always,

Cindy

The Basics.

A Simple Mix.

Bail Wire Jar with Chalkboard Label.

Rustic & Homemade.

Here is the recipe from www.apinchof.com:

Rosemary Orange Mustard

This grainy mustard is spicy hot but great for cooking or dipping pretzels.  The flavor improves after a few days so plan accordingly.

1/4 c. of yellow mustard seeds

1/4 c. of brown mustard seeds

1 and 1/2 T. of mustard powder

1/4 c. of water

1/4 c. of cider vinegar

1/4 c. white wine

minced zest of one orange (about 1 heaping tablespooon)

juice of same orange

1/4 c. of minced rosemary

few dashes of salt, to taste

In a blender, grind the mustard seeds to the texture of cornmeal.

Transfer to a small bowl and stir in remaining ingredients.

Allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours.

Stir again and taste for salt, adding more if desired.

Store covered, in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Yield: 1 cup of mustard