Mustard

[Adam_Balic]

Can I just give an irrelevant cheer for Maille's cornichons.  Not only are they decently crunchy, but the Maille jar has a cute little lift-able basket fitted inside which solves once and for all the problem of scooping them out.

Green plastic right? Bought several jars back from Paris last time I was there. I just bought a 19th C. pickle fork though damn it. Have you tried the Maille Cider Vinegar? Excellent stuff for a commercail blend.

[Jinmyo]

Can I just give an irrelevant cheer for Maille's cornichons.  Not only are they decently crunchy, but the Maille jar has a cute little lift-able basket fitted inside which solves once and for all the problem of scooping them out.

:wow:  I usually buy cornichons at an Egyptian store. Mainly just use them to chop up. I haven't seen the kawai (cute) Maille cornichons about but will look.

Sorry, Jon. Um. So howzabout that there mustard?

[Jim Dixon]

When I was a kid I used to make mustard sandwiches by spreading the vilified French's on white bread. I'll admit I still like the taste of it on some things, like a simple hot dog at a ball game.

For most other uses, I go with a stoneground mustard, the kind with lots of mustard seeds still evident.

Jim

[jhlurie]

So back to Black mustard... nobody here is an expert, eh?

[franklanguage]

When I first came to New York, two types of mustard stood out for me: the strong, sinus-searing mustard available at certain Chinese restaurants, and the equally searing mustard you could get at McSorley's Old Ale House if you ordered a cheese platter or sandwich. (I bet some people don't even know they serve food at McSorley's!)

Those two remain my favorites, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to find decent mustard at Chinese restaurants - and I haven't been to McSorley's in probably fifteen years. In Chinese restaurants, it seems to be more a Cantonese thing to have the hot, hot mustard on the table - and a traditional "gringo" thing to serve a little dish of the mustard along with a dish of the cloying, fluorescent-orange duck sauce. A lot of restaurants, of course, have a little of the hot peppers in oil on the table instead; I have to admit I don't like them as well.

I'd like to find out a good brand of it so I could add a jar to my cluttered shelves at home. (Although, admittedly, I rarely use mustard for anything.)

And, unfortunately, jhlurie, I know nothing about black mustard. Sorry.

[Liza]

[finally, a chance to seem intelligent...]

"A tale without love is like beef without mustard: insipid".

- Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault

[bow and scrape, sound of retreat...]

[John Whiting]

"A tale without love is like beef without mustard: insipid".

The trouble is, both love and mustard can easily take over.

[Rachel Perlow]

Isn't that really strong chinese mustard just dry english mustard reconstituted with water and sometimes a little vinegar?

[John Whiting]

Isn't that really strong chinese mustard just dry english mustard reconstituted with water and sometimes a little vinegar?

Plus, optionally, ginger and soy sauce.

[Shiva]

Alton Brown on Black Mustard:

Then, of course, there's the rare black mustard. Now these plants are so finicky to grow that you basically just never see black mustard seeds anymore.

Gernot Katzer on Black Mustard: http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer....ig.html

[Jinmyo]

Actually, I have some black mustard seeds. I've never made a "mustard" with them, just cracked and toasted them in clarified butter.

Hm. Once I can think of what I'd use it with I'll make some and get back to you on it.

[Sandra Levine]

This sidetracks into another topic, and maybe it should be a seperate thread--use of prepackaged condiments versus use of fresh ingredients and spices.  Mustard is a hard spice to use in any pure form--which is why this is especially an issue with it.

I use Maille Dijon Originale straight out of the jar for a very simple fish preparation:  just spread the mustard over thin  fish filets, and broil without turning them over.  Sprinkle some capers over the fish and serve with lemon.  Or, use chopped fresh cilantro and lime.  Delicious with roasted cauliflower.

The same technique works equally well, with a completely different taste, using mayonnaise.

You may need to use a lower temperature than usual and/or move the fish farther from the flame to avoid burned spots on the mustard or mayonnaise.  I usually line a Le Creuset low-sided casserole with aluminum foil for this, so I don't even have a broiling pan to clean.

[Beachfan]

There may well be different formulas shipped to different places, one imagines, if one also is imagining that one is being short-changed whilst the rest of the world fairly drowns in citric-acid-free Maille Dijon mustard.

I checked 3 varieties of Maille that I bought at the main Paris store.  They also contain citric acid.

Actually, citric sounds nice  

[Jinmyo]

So. I ground the black mustard seeds by hand in a suribachi because I didn't want the oil to get into my spice grinder thing. Grind, grind, grind. Whisked with some white wine and a bit of champagne vinegar. Hm. Touch of salt. Hm. Touch more salt. Better.

Not at all like the same seeds toasted in clarified butter. The richness (nuttiness) wasn't there. Kind of awful looking. Very sharp, very pungent. High-pitched.

Tried it on a slice of warmed pork tenderloin. Not friendly to the pork. Too assertive. Tied it with a piece of rare roast beef at room temp. Eh.

I might joggle it around a bit and see what happens. Methinks though it would be best with sauerkraut on a fried hot dog. But a slap of Maille would do as well.

Not as fragrant as other mustard seeds.

But black mustard seeds are great toasted in clarified butter and poured over grilled red snapper or deep-fried crusty fish with a bit of cumin and turmeric in the batter.

[Liza]

Jinmyo, you might be interested in "Raji Cuisine" by Raji Jallepalli, in which she has a recipe for "Tenderloin of Pork, with Black Mustard Rub, Collard Greens, and Curried Blueberry Sauce". I'm rather handy with the photocopier, should you like a copy of the recipe.

[BrennaMorgan]

I guess I'm alone when I say that French's mustard is my favorite--I have no issues with the cheap stuff. It tastes fine to me...

[Al_Dente]

I try not to say anything super opinionated on this site, because I don't want to turn of the unconverted who probably thing we're too pretentious.

That being said, MUSTARD SUPERIORITY IS A KEY ELEMENT IN CULINARY ENLIGHTENMENT.

I don't care what your preference is, but that stuff named after a country known for it's wine, snails, and Eiffel Tower, is C. R. A. P. Not that it actually has anything to do with that country. Maille's is excellent, as is nearly anything else. The bright yellow stuff is a cheap imitation of the real thing. It's fine on the ballpark hotdog, which is a potentially transcendental experience, but mustard is not typically a thing to be taken lightly.

Let the onslaught begin...

[mighty quinn]

i love maille as well but you can't beat plain french's mustard in good ol' fashion potato salad. i do not own ketchup.

[Al_Dente]

i love maille as well but you can't beat plain french's mustard in good ol' fashion potato salad. i do not own ketchup.

French's sucks.

Oops, sorry. Potato salad can be made without it. As it can without Ketchup.

[mighty quinn]

say that again and i'll break out my cast-iron frying pan!!

[Jinmyo]

I can't imagine a use for French's. Including hot dogs.

[hwilson41]

Several years ago, I used to be able to get Pommery's Moutarde Royale at the Bloomingdales in Tyson's Corner, but then it disappeared. It is a coarse mustard, slightly sweet but still very "mustardy", flavored with Cognac, and IMHO the best I've ever tasted on a rare roast beef sandwich.

I sent the folks at Pommery an email, and learned that sometime in the last few years, one of the geniuses in DC decided to slap a 100% tariff on French (the country, not the brand) mustards. Why, I have no clue, because I don't recall ever reading anything about the French "dumping" mustard on the US market . Does anybody know of a source, maybe in Canada, where Pommery can be ordered without having to pay an exorbitant price? TIA.

THW

FWIW, Pommery said they were hoping to set up a new distributor in FL in the foreseeable future, but I've heard nothing subsequent from them on that topic.

[Mayhaw Man]

I would like to put in my vote for Zatarains Creole Mustard. An excellent product made in Louisiana. Light yelow in color with lots of seed flakes (I guess, lots of brown chunks anyway). Spicy, clean, pure mustard flavor.

I also make mustard from Coleman's and use it frequently in rubs and salad dressings, particularly thin slaw dressing.

As far as French's type mustard goes, I don't have uch use for it, but if I am going to use a yellow mustard for hot dogs I use Crystal Yellow Mustard. It is a very mustardy (aromatic and spicy) deep yellow color and quite spicy

[jmcgrath]

There is a delightful little French deli in my town and I fell in love with jambon sandwiches spread with a very spicy Dijon. I like Maille, but this was a good bit spicier and my preference. The owner doesn't speak much English and I was never able to get an answer from him on the brand. I finally got an English speaking counterperson to go in the back and check. Sysco. Yikes!

Jim

[Toliver]

I can't imagine a use for French's. Including hot dogs.

Oh, please.

Plain yellow mustard, such as French's, is a key ingredient in both the potato salad and the deviled eggs I grew up eating. To use anything but plain yellow mustard would change the character and charm of the recipe. Both recipes are delicious as they are without the benefit of "better" mustards.