[Sca-cooks] mustard help

[Sue Clemenger]

The mustard I make is a combination of a couple of period recipes,
definitely making it more of an interpretation/adaptation than a
redaction <g>.  When I take it to demos or some such, I serve it with
pretzel sticks, so people can taste it.
I generally start the process in the evening, and finish the next day.
I take equal parts of yellow and brown mustard seed, put them in a
non-reactive bowl, and add cider vinegar (the real stuff) to cover, plus
a little extra.  Make sure the bowl is big enough, because the seeds
swell up.  After an hour or two, check the vinegar level, and add more
if the seeds have taken it all up.  Cover it with a plate or something,
so that cats can't get in there, and let it sit overnight at least.
The next day, I process the seeds in a food processor.  I used to use a
blender, but that took forever.  A mortar and pestle would work, too,
but my hands don't take that kind of sustained work well, so I use a
modern tool.  My personal preference is to aim for a consistency of a
"whole-grained" mustard, rather than something completely smooth, but
YYMV, depending on your intended use.  Now, as you pulverize the mustard
seed, you'll need to add additional liquid.  I usually use hard cider. 
When all the seeds have been processed to the preferred consistency, I
add in blops of honey and any of several hipocras spice mixes I happen
to have around. These are done to taste.
It is entirely possible to do this alcohol-free, using fresh cider, or
apple juice, but it does affect the sweetness.  Or you could use
different vinegars, or different alcohols (red wine, or a decent beer,
or something.  Amounts of ingredients really do vary according to how
much you're making--I usually make it in huge quantities, using about a
pound of seed, a large bottle of cider vinegar, and at least a 6-pack of
the hard cider.  But that makes vast quantities which I then package up
in small jelly jars (the 4 oz. size), and waterbath process for 10 or 15
mins.  They get used a LOT for largesse gifts.  It also keeps
indefinitely in the fridge, or packaged properly and frozen.
--maire, hoping that's not *way* too much information!

aeduin wrote:
> 
> I'm going to attempt my first mustard tomorrow.  Does anyone have a recipe
> that would be good on pretzels?
> 
> aeduin
> 
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