Dijon Mustard

I will preface this recipe by saying that I don't know where I thought mustard came from, but it blew my mind to see recipes for it while leafing through America's Test Kitchen's Foolproof Preserving. I was very interested in trying them out, partly for the novelty, partly because this house loves mustard, and partly because it turns out mustard is extremely easy to make.

I was curious to see if this was one of those things better made by the professionals, but after trying our homemade mustards, I think it's worth the (small) effort. We made Nigel Slater's crab mac and cheese with the Dijon and whole-grain we made, and it was definitely our best attempt yet, largely because of the mustard!

The first step in these recipes is to mix ingredients and then wait 8-24 hours. The Dijon also needs to be aged 5 days for best use. Plan accordingly.

YIELD: 2 1-cup jars

1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds
3 tablespoons dry mustard powder (try Coleman's)
4 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/3 cups dry white wine

Combine water, vinegar, mustard seeds, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, garlic powder, cinnamon and turmeric in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit a room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

When ready to make mustard, simmer wine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it has reduced by half (down to 2/3 cup), 10-15 minutes.

Process reduced wine and mustard seed mixture in blender until smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to now-empty saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until slightly thickened, 5-8 minutes. Using rubber spatula, push mustard through fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Work solids against strainer to extract as much mustard as possible.

Using funnel and spoon, portion mustard into two 1-cup jars. Let mustard cool to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate, and let flavor mature for at least 5 days before serving.

Mustard can be refrigerated for at least 6 months; flavor will continue to mature over time.