Dijon mustard
How to make your own Dijon mustard at home.Dijon is a town in Burgundy famous for its distinctive mustard. There are dozens of different of types of mustard and various recipes in France are guarded by the Order of Mustard and Vinegar Makers. In 1996, purists created The Fellowship of Dijon Mustard to protect the original recipe to ensure it didn’t get lost over time. Here’s the recipe that you can make at home.
INGREDIENTS
100 g (3.5 oz) black mustard seeds.
50 ml (1.5 fl oz) dry white wine
30 ml (1 fl oz) white wine vinegar
A few tbsp of water for making the mustard
Water for soaking the seeds
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
NOTES
The mustard seeds have to be soaked in water for at least 2 hours (some people like to add some vinegar to the water).
This recipe is hot. So if you want the mustard to be milder, add the vinegar at an earlier stage than set out in the instructions. Adding sugar will break down bitterness, and more vinegar and/or wine will reduce the heat. Another alternative is to use yellow mustard seeds that are milder.
INSTRUCTIONS
Soak the mustard seeds in water for at least 2 hours.
Drain the seeds through a sieve and place in the mortar and grind with the pestle. The grinding process will take some time in order to extract the yellow mustard from the husks.
When the yellow begins to appear (after about 10 minutes) you can start to incorporate the liquid ingredients by first adding the wine and then the white wine vinegar. Continue grinding.
The vinegar and salt can then be added, but the grinding needs to continue until the mixture becomes fine (although some people may prefer a coarser mustard).
Once the desired consistency is reached, taste the mustard to adjust the flavours. This is where you can add a little sugar or more vinegar/white wine to reduce the heat.
The mixture is then passed through a sieve, using the back of a metal or wooden spoon to press it through. It may be necessary to pass it through twice to obtain a smoother texture.
Store the mustard in a jar and refrigerate for a few days to allow to mature (this will also reduce the 'heat' of the mustard).