[Sca-cooks] Lombard Mustard (was Re: Drinks at feasts)

[Daniel Myers]

On Nov 9, 2004, at 3:16 PM, Jadwiga Zajaczkowa / Jenne Heise wrote:

> Hey, Doc, I was looking at your recipe for 'Lombard Mustard' on your
> site:
>
> http://www.medievalcookery.com/recipes/lumbard.html
>
> And I'd like to hear more about why you made the choices you did.
>
> The original says:
>
> Source [Curye on Inglish, Constance B. Hieatt & Sharon Butler (eds.)]:
> LUMBARD MUSTARD. XX.VII. V. Take Mustard seed and waishe it & drye it 
> in
> an ovene, grynde it drye. farse it thurgh a farse. clarifie hony with
> wyne & vynegur & stere it wel togedrer and make it thikke ynowz. & whan
> þou wilt spende þerof make it tnynne with wyne.
>
> you redacted it:
>
>     *  2/3 cup honey
>     * 4 Tbsp. prepared mustard
>     * 1/4 cup red wine
>
> Mix ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil. Simmer for
> about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
>
> What kind of prepared mustard did you use? How did that differ from
> using musard seed, ground? Did you use prepared mustard powder or 
> sauce?
> Why did you opt to cook the sauce after the mustard was added?


I used a off-the-shelf brown mustard (the kind that looks grainy) 
pretty much as a shortcut.  The ingredients on the mustard were mustard 
seed, vinegar, and "spices".  Since then I've tried this with a number 
of mustards and any subtleties in the mustard's flavor get overwhelmed 
by the wine, so now I just use the cheap stuff.  I suppose I could get 
mustard seed, grind it, and mix it with vinegar in the recipe, but 
that's pretty much what's already done with the bottled stuff.

As for cooking it, the phrase "clarifie hony with wyne & vynegur" 
suggests to me to bring it to a boil - that's how honey is clarified 
for making mead, and how sugar is clarified.  Perhaps this assumption 
was incorrect?  Cooking the sauce has the added benefit (?) of boiling 
off some of the alcohol (though my understanding is that not all of it 
boils off).

- Doc


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  Edouard Halidai  (Daniel Myers)
  Cum Grano Salis
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