When Mike and I were in Dijon, I was devastated to find out that the Maille mustard factory on the outskirts of the city had closed it’s doors.  I had been certain that with just a bit of sweet talking in my broken (and often inaccurate) French, surely the Plant Manager would bring me on a tour!  No dice, which is likely a good thing because it saved me from an embarrassed attempt at quavering pleading which likely would have sounded something like, “Likes mustard, me! Factory cruise please for two? Tourist Canadian mustard love!”

Mustard is one of my favorite condiments to make because it’s dead easy, dirt cheap, and so open to variability.  From smooth and fiery Asian mustard, the soft or pungent French mustard, a dozen or so popular varieties of German mustard, even the North American BBQ staple of underrated yellow mustard, I love it all….and at least half of them are in my fridge as we speak.

This honey mustard is based on the German flavor which is sweet but not saccharine, and packs a sinus-clearing punch that makes me giddy with joy.  All that you need are a few ingredients from the spice rack, some vinegar and a blender, and voila!  More importantly, making mustard is a really good excuse to also make some soft, salty home made pretzels. I love when my subconscious takes a round-about route to get to my main goal.

Before you start, you should know that this makes quite a bit of mustard.  If you like mustard but you don’t feel passionately about it, or if you have no idea who you’ll get through a few cups of pasty yellow joy, spare yourself the headache and halve this recipe before you begin.  If you do make the full amount, be sure to have a few small extra jars on hand to package a few licks of mustard up as gifts for your nearest and dearest.

Sweet and Spicy Honey Mustard – German Style

Makes appx 4 cups

• 3/4 cup ground mustard powder
• 2/3 cup yellow mustard seeds
• 1/3 cup brown mustard seeds
• 1 medium yellow onion (3/4 cup grated)
• 2 cloves garlic (1 tsp minced)
• 5 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 5 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 2.5 tsp kosher salt
• heaping 1/2 tsp dill seed
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1.5 cups hot water
• 1.25 cups apple cider vinegar

What a lovely cast of characters!

Grate the onion into a medium to large non-reactive mixing bowl (glass works best).  If you can mince garlic into a paste, do so.  If not, use a garlic press or microplane to make quick work of the cloves.

Add in all of the dry ingredients, including the mustard powder, spices, sugar and salt.  Drizzle in the honey.

Add the mustard seeds to the mix.  Pour in the warm water and whisk everything together until it is well combined.  Add the apple cider vinegar and give it a stir.

Cover the bowl and leave it to stand at room temperature overnight or for up to 24 hours.

Pour the contents into a good blender and begin to puree the mixture, scraping down the sides occasionally and as needed.

I like a thick and grainy mustard, but this one should be a bit thinner and smoother.  Continue to process the mixture until you’re happy with the smoothness of the texture.  In my blender that took about 5 minutes to partially and evenly break down some of the mustard seeds into a paste.

Spoon the mustard into clean, sterilized containers.  If you have some smaller containers, home made mustard is an excellent hostess gift, and a good way to experiment without having to eat your way through a pint or two of mustard on your own.  Not that I couldn’t, mind you.

Thick, sweet but not overly so, and with a good spicy kick that gets right up your nose, this is a great mustard to slather on top of grilled bratwurst or use as a dip for homemade soft pretzels….

….or add it to a glaze for ham, spread it in sandwiches, or add a spicy sweetness to your next vinaigrette.  Did I mention that sweet-hot grainy mustard is killer in a beet salad?  Because it is.

Making your own condiments allows you to play with textures and flavors using ingredients that are generally affordable and accessible, so why don’t you get tongues wagging at your next backyard BBQ with a selection of handmade sauces and condiments from your kitchen?  Mustard is a great place to start.