Extra Mustard, Please

I just like it. Not because I’m from Chicago. Not because my grandparents immigrated from Germany. Not from my years living in France. I just like mustard. Always have. Always will.

Actually I like all things vinegar. Even the smell of Easter eggs being colored. I like balsamic vinegar as a salad dressing: hold the oil. Someone I worked with in Syracuse used to keep a giant bottle of vinegar in her desk drawer to wipe the winter salt off her leather boots: made me hungry.

So when I travel, I visit grocery stores, and I search for mustard. (and vinegar, but that’s a different blog.)

quimper mustard pot

On one of my first trips to France a colleague of TBG’s who lived in Dijon invited us to stay with them for the weekend in their 12th century mas (farm house)…I know, how lucky were we! While the guys went off to golf I, speaking not a word of French, loudly repeated MUSTARD and was quickly escorted to a real Dijon mustard shop, where I purchased a Quimper mustard pot and a jar of Dijon mustard, from Dijon! Voilà! This was the first time it occured to me that I could travel and bring home souvenir mustard.

On the infamous F Family Trip to Germany (9 of us in a mini-van for 11 days…don’t ask) for a 50th wedding anniversary celebration I discovered my German favorite mustard, Handlmaier’s Sweet Bavarian Mustard. This is TBG’s favorite, because it’s sweet and spicy; while generally I prefer the hot and spicy. My German relatives assured us that this mustard was found only in Bavaria, but when I moved to Paris it was at my local outdoor market in the 17th at métro Ternes in the German store Le Stübli Delikatessen (Le Stübli Patisserie et Salon de The across the street was also superb!)  Later when I moved to NYC I found Handlmaier’s in the German store in the food market at Grand Central Station . And just this summer when I visited BFF Antiques Diva in Berlin she wanted to know about it and we found it around the corner from her at KaDeWe food hall. However, I have looked at other German stores in Chicago and St Louis so in all fairness to my German relatives, it is hard to track down in the US.

hmmm... out of the packets I swipe from Chinese restos...

When TBG and I moved to Paris I discovered Amora mustard. There are alot of variations, but I like Fine et Forte. It comes in these cute little drinking glasses that you can collect… I prefer the blue band at the bottom but apparently they’re seasonal and at the moment I can only find the yellow bands…help! to all my still-living-in-Paris friends! I dragged back a few yellow bands in my luggage a few months ago, which works since my kitchen colors are blue and yellow (like Giverny, not ND!) but I need a few more blues to complete my set: I didn’t anticipate this problem 10 years ago.

Of course we also have an assortment of Maille, horseradish, honey, Chinese, wasabi, and other mustards clogging up the refrigerator door pockets. At the moment I seem to be out of Colman’s dry mustard, but I do have a jar of chocolate mustard I bought near Cognac that we haven’t sampled yet. Extra bonus: Mustards come in gorgeous colors and flavors like cranberry and lime, perfect for coordinating with your holiday table!

All those mustards aren’t just for hotdogs. What else can you cook with mustard? Here are a few ideas

• fish, chicken, ham, steak and rabbit (yes, rabbit) are great when basted and roasted with mustard
• add flavored mustard, not just Dijon, to make tangy salad dressing
• mustard makes a great base for bbq sauce
• mix a little mustard with mayo or sour cream or yogurt for a light dip or sauce for vegetables
• add a spoon of mustard to macaroni and cheese, its not just for potatoe salad!
• bake mustard in savory crackers and breads
• try dipping your fries in mustard…the Belge have been doing it for years!

Chicago bus stop

Moi tip: If you too are a mustard fanatic, on your next visit to Paris, visit the Boutique Maille on Place de la Madeleine. You can pick out your own mustards from taps like beer taps, and have them fill your own Quimper mustard pot (for a price $$$). Be ware: its stronger than the mustard exported to the US.  They also have a selection of jarred mustards that are heaven-sent: violet, tarragon, fruit and nuts to name a few. Some of these are also available in small gift-size jars at the local grocery chain Monoprix for a very reasonable price.