Peppadew Mustard with Malt Vinegar

At the risk of seeming cheap, I save the brine my Peppadew chiles come packaged in.

I had wanted to make some mustard with this brine for some time and yesterday, with Thanksgiving (US Holiday) far behind, I strained the brine and started adding mustard flour.

From the GS Dunn webpage:

Mustard Flour
Mustard flour is achieved by successive grinding and sifting to remove the bran of the mustard seed and produce a fine powder comprising the heart (kernel) of the seed. Mustard flours are used primarily to give mustard flavour to a product and for their functionality as emulsifiers. We have a wide range of flour blends of differing heat and flavour, and we produce many custom blends. 

Ground Mustard
Ground mustard is the whole seed ground as a powder (bran and kernel). Our range includes ground yellow, brown and oriental seed plus blends of yellow and oriental. Ground mustard is used as a vegetable protein in meat products, and to produce mustard sauces. 

Crushed Mustard Seed
Crushed mustard seeds are exactly that – mustard seeds which have had the outer layer cracked open to expose the flour inside. They are primarily used for appearance and texture in country-style mustards and salad dressings. Yellow, oriental and brown mustard seeds can be crushed, but by far the most popular is the brown which has a good contrast between the yellow interior and the brown exterior of the seed. 

Mustard Bran
Mustard Bran is the outer husk of the seed which has been removed during flour production. It is shipped in its raw state, coarse flakes, or it is ground to a fine powder. Yellow bran is highly functional having the ability to hold up to 9 times its weight in water, and is widely used as a natural thickener in sauces. 

Deactivated Yellow Mustard

World-wide trends toward a healthier lifestyle prompted us to develop a unique process of enzyme deactivation in a natural, non-chemical environment. Deactivated mustard retains the functional properties of mustard and is used as an emulsifier and protein source in various food applications such as meat products, dressings, mayonnaise, sauces, tomato based products, batters and baked goods. 

I added some of the Mustard Flour I had and started adding it to the chile brine. Then I added some malt vinegar, salt, a 1/2 tsp. of sugar and 1-2 tbs. each of yellow and black mustard seeds. Then I added some more mustard flour. When the heated liquid contact the mustard they thicken pretty quick. I stopped as soon as I could as I like spicy mustard. I left the pot on the porch to cool overnight and bottled the next day.

I know this isn't a recipe with quantities, but it's better if you adjust the flavors and thickness to your own liking.

MUSTARD AND ENGLISH SPICED VINEGAR

I am an avid fan of how food was made over 100 years ago. These three recipes are from 1887. I have changed the term "white mustard seeds" to reflect the current use of yellow. The other two kinds are brown or black.

Ingredients

Frankfort Mustard
1 # yellow mustard seed
1 # brown mustard seed
8 ozs. brown sugar
1 ounce cloves, powdered
2 ounces allspice, powdered
8 to 16 fl. ozs. white wine or white wine vinegar

Crush the yellow and brown seeds, a little at a time, in the food processor. Don't overprocess, try to leave some seeds whole. Mix all the dry ingredients and sieve. Add all that remains in the sieve into your work bowl with the finer ground ingredients. Add the liquid until you have the thickness you want. Jar.


Mustard de Maille
Moutarde de Maille

8 ozs. tarragon leaves, fresh
2 1/2 oz. basil leaves
2 ozs. bay leaves
4 ozs. rocambole
2 1/2 quarts vinegar, wine, 7% strength
1 oz. salt
7 1/2 pounds black mustard seed (approximately)

Put all in a glass gallon jar. Leave the lid on the jar very loosely until the aroma lessens. In a bain-marie, put in the gallon jar and raise the heat in the bain-marie as little as possible. Heat the jar for 4 days or 32 hours, with the lid loosely sealing the jar. It is perfectly acceptable to do this by heating, allowing to cool, and reheating, until the requisite time has passed, especially if you cannot devise a bain-marie large enough to hold 32 hours worth of water, as most of us cannot.

At the end of the time, add the salt, while the liquid is still warm (or hot). Grind the black mustard seeds and add them to make a thick paste. You probably won't use the entire 7 1/2 pounds. Jar. Makes a terrific gift.

Cook's note: according to the original recipe this mustard was to be stored in earthen jars. You still see the brand name of this mustard put in ceramic jars.


English Spiced Vinegar

400 milliliters vinegar, white
50 milliliters alcohol (see Note below)
3.3 milliliters cloves, ground
3.3 milliliters mace, ground
3.3 milliliters orange blossoms

Put all the ingredients in a wine bottle Cork, keep in a warm place for 7 days. Strain through a paper coffee filter. Bottle.

Note: You may have to substitute 100 milliliters of 100 proof vodka. If you use vodka, the dry ingredients should be increased to 4 milliliters, each.