Cutting the Mustard - Vermouth Mustard

Last year.... Wow, it still seems weird to say "Last Year" when it was only a couple weeks or so ago.

Anyway, last year I had toyed with the idea of making small jars of homemade mustard to pass around as little gifts for various persons, thus spreading Christmas cheer.  Then I realized the extent of the projects already filling my plate and decided that, as easy as mustard is to make, it would probably be that "final straw" that broke the proverbial camel's back and pushed me over the edge into insanity. LOL 

So now that the holidays are over.  Aside from the 8 birthdays occurring this month, including my own, everything has finally slowed down a little.  Thus I must, must, must revisit the mustard. After all, is there any single condiment that can go from Hot dog to Haute cuisine and still have time to dress a salad?  I think not...   Mayo?  Boring.  Ketchup?  I shudder to think.

Mustard is a wonder condiment.  Sporty, Rustic, Refined, Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy Hot, or Mild - Mustard is all these things and more.  Though which qualities shine through greatly depends on HOW the mustard is prepared.

Of the 3 varieties of mustard seeds, being Black, Brown and "White" or "Yellow,  the Black seeds are the most potent and the smallest, while the White, or Yellow, seeds are the mildest and the largest.  Most great mustards use a mixture of the 3 to obtain a more varied flavor profile. 

Once a mustard seed is ground, it begins a chemical reaction, similar to an onion or garlic, that increases it's heat.  One of the ways to stop this reaction is to use Hot liquids, another is to add an acid, which seems to stop the reaction.  Thus assuring you of a more mild mustard.

This particular mustard is sort of inspired by Dijon which contains white wine and verjuice. (the grape juice prior to inoculation with the yeast that turns it into wine.) Since I don't have any of this acidic verjuice just lying around my kitchen, I decided to use Vermouth.  After all they both start with "VER", so it should be OK, right?  I kind of killed 2 birds with one stone as well, since Vermouth is doubling as the wine.  Awesome.  Yes, I am the king of shaky logic, but hey, it worked.  I was extremely pleased with the spicy hot outcome. This mustard is a little hotter than the "Spicy Brown" mustards such as Gulden's and has a sort of Horseradish quality to it.

Once word of warning....  And something I forgot until it was too late.  Making mustard releases A LOT of vapors into the air, so suggest making it in the summer when you can open the windows and ventilate your home fairly well.  When it's 29 degrees outside and your abode is well sealed against the winter elements, the fumes build up fast. And it's not only from the mustard seeds, but from the simmering vinegar as well. LOL

Spicy Vermouth Mustard

2 oz (60 g) Brown Mustard Seeds
1 cup Dry Vermouth
1 cup Shallot
1 TB Honey
1 Clove bud
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
1 1/2 cups White Wine Vinegar
2 oz (60 g)Yellow (white) Mustard Powder
2 tsp Kosher Salt

Place the Brown Mustard Seeds in a small bowl.

Douse them with 1 cup the Vermouth.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit over night (at least 8 hour, but preferably 12 and up to 24) at room temperature.

While the the Seeds are soaking, go ahead and combine Shallot, Honey, Clove, Peppercorns, and White Wine Vinegar in a small saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over medium flame, and continue simmering for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups.

Pour into a clean container, cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. (you need this to be cold)
After the Brown Mustard seeds are done soaking, place them in the blender (cause it works better than a food processor)

and blend until smooth. (about 10 minutes)

Press the paste through a fine mesh strainer to remove the thin shells

(this produces a finer textured mustard, skip this step if you prefer coarse rustic mustard)

Place the Yellow Mustard Powder in a small bowl.

Remove the cold shallot infused liquid from the refrigerator and strain out the shallot and spices.

Add the Liquid to the Yellow Mustard Powder and whisk until smooth.

Combine the Black/Brown Mustard paste with the Yellow mustard paste, stirring until well combined.

Pour back into the pan and whisk over medium heat until it thickens slightly.

(Kind of like a bechamel sauce)

Remove from the heat and season with Kosher salt.

Pour the hot mustard into your awaiting, sterilized containers.

Let the containers sit at room temperature for 5-7 days to allow it to mellow and age. (this removes some of the bitter back-bite)

Then refrigerate. 

Voile!  Mustard...

For another delicious Mustard Recipe, check out my friend Heather's Finnish Mustard post at Girlichef.

If you'll excuse me now, I have a very important date with a soft pretzel. :)

Oh yeah!  That's the stuff!

Mangia!!

A Visit From The Easter Pig - Scotch Eggs in Sauce Moutarde

I find it sad that the Easter Bunny gets so much press this time of year, yet nary a word to the children of America about the Jolly Easter Pig.   Maybe it's because the Easter Pig doesn't bestow copious amounts of tooth rotting candy upon the younger generation as the Easter Bunny does (oh yes, dentists laugh maniacally at this time of year)  The Easter Pig doesn't hide eggs all over the house in every nook and cranny (to be found 4 months later) either.  When the Easter Pig leaves his bundle of eggs, they are all safely tucked into the refrigerator.  Granted, he leaves annoying hoof prints on your sofa, but I feel this is a small price to pay for the Scotch Egg deliciousness that he has stowed in my ice box.

Yes, you read that right.  The Easter Pig doesn't leave colored eggs like the Bunny.  Oh No.  In magnanimous fashion, he deposits copious amounts of Scotch Eggs into the refrigerator.   ;)

mmmmm  Scotch Eggs, that delightful combination of a hard boiled egg wrapped in luscious sausage all breaded and then deep fried to a golden crunch.   Who needs chocolate eggs and jelly beans?  Not me!

So, Thank you Easter Pig!!!!

Image Courtesy of arjenfun.com

In all seriousness, the "Scotch Egg" is really nothing more than English "Pub Food".  But hey, Pub goers need to eat too.  Personally, I like them served with Sauce Moutarde that has been spiked with a little horseradish as well.  Yes, Easter morning fodder at it's best.  After all, one can only east so much egg salad.

I blogged about Scotch Eggs before (back in February of 2009) but I figured that since it's the season, I would bring them back again....  

Scotch Eggs

12 Hard Boiled Eggs (medium eggs work best, but large are fine too)
Flour
A zip bag
2 lbs of Pork Sausage
Beaten Egg (for dredging)
2 cups Bread Crumbs (I mix Panko and regular Bread crumbs)
2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
Peanut Oil
Sauce Moutarde (with HorseRadish)

I originally posted this as a recipe for 6 eggs, the only real difference is this a double batch.

Mix Bread crumbs with Nutmeg, Salt and Black Pepper.

Place 2 TB flour in a zipper bag, then coat your peeled and dried eggs with a light dusting of flour.

Divide you sausage into 12 pieces (about 3.25 oz) then wrap each egg completely in sausage.

Dip in beaten egg.

Roll in breadcrumb mixture.

When all the eggs have been wrapped and breaded, begin heating the oil in the deep fryer to about 350 degrees.
Drop 1 egg at a time into the hot oil and cook until golden brown.

Place on a layer of paper towels to drain and keep warm in a 175 degree oven while continuing to fry the remaining eggs.

Drop the temperature in the oven to 150 degrees (or just turn it off and leave the door closed) while you make.......

Sauce Moutarde

(with horseradish)

1/4 cup Egg Yolks - approximately 3 - 4 Large Egg yolks.
1 TB Water
1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 Tsp Sugar
1/2 TB freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
20 TB Unsalted Butter
1 1/2 TB Horseradish
1 1/2 TB Dijon Mustard

Combine Yolks, Water, Kosher Salt, Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Cayenne in a bowl; whisking well.
Place this over gently simmering water and whisk until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remove the bowl from the water and begin whisking in the butter in 1 TB chunks.

If the sauce cools to the point where the butter no longer melts into the sauce, place the bowl back over the simmering water to heat it back up.
When all the butter has been incorporated, whisk in the Dijon and Horseradish.

Pour into a pitcher that can be immersed in hot water to keep the sauce warm.

Slice Scotch Eggs and serve with the Sauce Moutarde on the side.

Mangia!!
~~

Бефстроганов - Beef "à la" Stroganov

I have to admit that this is not really a Stroganov recipe anymore.  Which is probably a good thing, because I think my "Russian" in the title is wrong. 

My entire family has tweaked the original recipe so many times over the years that it has definitely become "Americanized".  Then again, I guess it can't really be helped on some level.  It started with the lack of Smetana.

Smetana is an Eastern European soured cream product that has the same properties as Crème Fraîche.  It doesn't curdle under heat like Yogurt and "Sour Cream" do.  It's also not quite as thick as Sour Cream, however, it is more sour than Crème Fraîche, thus the conundrum.  So to produce the same effect, we originally mixed Sour Cream with Heavy Cream and Lemon Juice to produce a "smetana type" product.  Then Crème Fraîche suddenly became available on a regular basis and a shift occurred.  NOW we mix Crème Fraîche with a little Sour Cream and Lemon Juice.  This works significantly better than the old way.  (But in a pinch your can still mix 8 oz of Sour Cream with 2 oz of Heavy Cream and 1 tsp Lemon Juice)

Over the years we have dropped the Dijon Mustard from the recipe...  Which is technically what makes it NOT Stroganov, being by definition "Beef in Mustard and Sour Cream".  Though occasionally I throw it in anyway.  In this family it's all about the wine, sour cream and homemade egg noodles... LOL

That is the one thing that has never changed over the years.... Homemade Egg Noodles.

While I realize that it's more traditional to serve Stroganov ("Stroganoff" in French) with crispy shoestring potatoes, I really enjoy it over noodles.  It's a comfort food thing.  Which is why I was so diligently making Egg Noodles yesterday to fill the freezer shelf.  So I am always prepared for....

Beef à la Stroganoff

1 lb Chuck or Sirloin Steak, cubed in 1 1/2 pieces
1 1/2 TB AP Flour
1 TB Olive Oil
4 TB Unsalted Butter, divided
1 White Onion, chopped
8 oz Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp Tomato Paste
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
4 oz Pinot Noir
2 tsp Lemon Juice
8 oz Crème Fraîche      - or -   8 oz Sour Cream
2 oz cup Sour Cream    - or -   2 oz Heavy Cream
Kosher Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
12 oz Fresh Egg Noodles tossed with Unsalted Butter

Place cubed Beef in a storage bag with the AP Flour, seal and toss well.

Heat 2 TB Olive oil in a saute pan, then add the flour coated Beef and saute until well browned.

Remove from pan and set aside.

Melt 2 TB Unsalted Butter in the saute pan.

When Hot, add the Onions and saute until soft.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

Melt remaining 2 TB Butter in the saute pan.

When hot, add the Mushrooms and saute until browned.

Remove from the pan and set aside as well.

Deglaze the pan with 4 oz of Pinot Noir, lower the heat to Medium-Low and let this reduce by 1/3 (about 2 minutes).

Add the Tomato Paste and Dijon Mustard stirring to combine.

In a small bowl combine the Lemon Juice, Crème Fraîche and Sour Cream (or the Lemon Juice, Sour Cream and Heavy Cream)

Remove the saute pan from the heat and stir in the Crème Fraîche/Sour Cream mixture.

Add the Beef, Onions and Mushrooms back to the pan and continue simmering for 5 minutes.

While the Stroganov is simmering, drop the Fresh Egg Noodles into a pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes...

Drain well and toss with a little bit of Unsalted Butter. (about 1 TB)

Season with Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, then serve over, or tossed with, Homemade Egg Noodles (or better yet, with crispy Shoe-string potatoes on the side)

Mangia!!
~~