mustard gets over shadowed
by ketchup and it’s really an unfair competition. Do you know how many different kinds of mustards are on the grocery shelf? My local grocery store offers 109 different kinds of mustard. From blue cheese Dijon mustard to Blackberry honey mustard and all the mustards in between. Ketchup is ketchup, unless you prefer one brand over another. Sorry ketchup but you don’t deserve top condiment status. You are great on a burger and hands down the best condiment for fries but that’s where your stardom ends. Mustard on the other hand, has so many redeeming qualities I don’t even know where to begin. This is the part I get really excited about and can’t type fast enough. Here is what I know and love about mustard. Let’s start with the flower. The mustard flower is edible and makes an elegant garnish, not to mention it is a very pretty little flower (hence my logo). You can search on the web all kinds of different ways to prepare this plant. I haven’t tried cooking it yet but it’s on my list to do. I’ll be posting that one when it happens!
The mustard seed is where all the action is. When the seeds are crushed that spicy tang is released. Basically mustard is vinegar and salt. Here’s a fun fact. Did you know mustard can never go bad, dry out maybe but can last forever? Take that ketchup with your expiration date. Maybe instead of a wine cellar I build a mustard cellar to store my vintage mustards. Speaking of wine…the word mustard derives from the Latin word mustum or must (young wine) and the Romans made into a paste with ground seeds and must as a condiment. Mustard made its way to France in the 10thCentury and by the 13th Century Dijon, France was considered the mustard capital of France and now the world. This is where Grey-Poupon got its start in 1777. Of course France is going to produce mustard with white wine, it’s a perfect marriage. Maybe that’s why I like mustard so much, it’s made with wine! That explains a lot. How did I not put this together until now? I need a moment.
Let's get to the exciting news.
Mustard Ice Cream! French’s developed a mustard flavored ice cream. Can’t wait to taste it but that’s not going to happen unless I make it myself. It’s only being offered in NYC and LA for a couple days. The company did post the recipe on their website so it’s not unattainable. Here’s the link.
https://www.mccormick.com/frenchs/recipes/dessert/no-churn-frenchs-yellow-mustard-ice-cream
I will be making this and will post about it later so stay tuned. They say it tastes like a salted pretzel which sounds pretty good to me. On a final note today is National Mustard Day! So enjoy some mustard, try some new flavors, or make some homemade mustard. If you don’t like mustard, well then drink some wine because it’s the next best thing.
