Mustard

French's Yellow or Meaux Pommery, I love mustard and am always looking for ways to incorporate it into recipes. The other morning, as I was browsing through the Librarians' Internet Index (LII), I came across some websites devoted to this superior condiment. The website for the Napa Valley Mustard Festival includes some winning recipes from the World Wide Mustard Competition, including a Raviolini in a Light Dijon Cream Sauce from Derek De le Paz of the Napa Valley Grille. It sounds a bit more complicated than Patricia Wells' wonderful Penne with Mustard and Chives from The Paris Cookbook, but I'm willing to give it a try.

Other mustard listings on the LII, include the Mustard Museum in Mount Horab, Wisconsin. Their site not only features mustard recipes, and also boasts their second annual mustard-themed romance writing contest called Seeds of Passion.

As for the Library, we have some wonderful mustard cookbooks in the stacks. One, simply called The Mustard Book, is organized by geographic origin: American mustard, Pacific Rim and European. Recipes include, Fennel Sauteed with Garlic in Mustard Cream Sauce and Coconut Cream with Rum Mustard. Suzanne Goin's Sunday Suppers at Lucques is an all-around amazing cookbook, and has quite a few delicious recipes using mustard in creative ways. For those interested in making their own mustard, we have Mustard: Making Your Own Gourmet Mustards, by Janet Hazen. Her recipe for champagne mustard sounds particularly appealing.

Champagne Mustard
(adapted from Mustard by Janet Hazen)

1/4c. whole yellow mustard seeds, finely ground
3/4c. mustard powder
2T. light brown sugar

3/4c. champagne or sparkling wine
1/2t. each, dried tarragon, basil and thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1t. salt

In a small bowl, combine mustard seeds and powder. Add the sugar, champagne, herbs, garlic, and salt; mix well. Transfer to a clean, dry jar or bowl, cover tightly, and refridgerate for 2 weeks before using.