I remember Paris with every bite of spicy mustard

We’d been in Paris less than four hours and were wandering along the Left Bank when hunger struck.

Although a traditional French bistro was high on our itinerary, my friends and I agreed that the sausage vendor’s cart less than 10 yards away had lunch written all over it. The delicious aroma wafting its way noseward was irresistible.

After tucking plump and juicy sausages into steamy-hot and crusty rolls, the vendor waggled her fingers between two mustard pots.

“Spicy or no?” she asked.

“Spicy!” we said in unison, and she slathered our picnic fare with a deep golden condiment flecked with tiny yellow and brown mustard seeds.

We crossed the road to the river and settled ourselves on top of a huge stone wall, the Seine passing just 20 feet below our dangling Nikes.

There, with Paris all around, I took my first bite of my first French meal – and vowed that when I returned to the states I would track down this fantastic mustard and stock vast amounts of it in my refrigerator.

Well, not only did I become an avid buyer of the varied styles and types of mustard, I also learned how to produce those zesty wonders in my own kitchen.

At that time – almost 20 years ago – I couldn’t find any decent recipes for making mustard from scratch. So I consulted with interesting individuals like Gene Biggi, Oregon’s premier mustard maker and founder of Beaverton Foods, to learn how the pros make this spicy condiment.

I discovered how chefs cook with it.

I even talked with mustard seed growers and mustard seed brokers to better understand quality, storage and availability.

If your idea of making mustard has consisted of stirring a little bit of water (or wine, or ale, or vinegar) into powdered mustard, then you’re in for a pleasant surprise.

Even if you’ve taken that concept a step or so further by adding a sprinkling of herbs or sugar or an egg yolk, you have yet to savor what a real homemade mustard can be.

I believe in starting with the whole seeds. It’s the only way to achieve the purest, most balanced of mustard flavorings. Otherwise, you’re relying on whatever powdered mustard blend you happen to have purchased..

Even if it’s Coleman’s – which most agree is the superior powdered mustard blend on the market – the flavors and textures you can create are limited.

About mustard seeds

There are three types of mustard seeds that are most widely used: black, brown and white (commonly referred to as “yellow” because the seeds are actually a pale yellow).

The yellow seeds come from white mustard, Sinapis alba, and are the most mild. Next up on the pungency scale are the brown seeds, from Brassica juncea. The zestiest of all are black mustard seeds, from Brassica nigra. I typically use a blend of the white and brown seeds.

For purchasing your whole mustard seeds, keep in mind that you should locate a store that sells them in bulk form. Those tiny tins from the spice aisle in your supermarket cost a fortune. Your most likely sources include health-food stores, food co-ops, well-stocked supermarkets, and specialty-food stores (although, again, the price may be a little higher).

My mustard-making technique consists of the following basic steps:

The soak: Combine the seeds with desired liquid and let the mixture sit for two days.

This simple step, which is similar to the process commercial mustard makers follow, is an important one. By allowing the seeds time to absorb the liquid, to soften and plump, before pureeing them or adding other ingredients, you make the finished product creamier and more richly flavored.

Depending on the dryness of the seeds, you’ll notice that your seeds either lap up the liquid very quickly or slowly absorb it. If you have a thirsty batch of seeds, you’ll have to add additional liquid more frequently during the first 24 hours of the soak.

The blend: The thoroughly plumped seeds and whatever liquid remains are transferred to a food processor so the mixture can be pureed to the desired consistency.

You may be surprised at how long my recipe instructs you to run the food processor. Generally, you keep the seeds in motion for three to six minutes. You’ll see the mixture transform before your eyes from one with defined seeds and liquid to a somewhat creamy, then very creamy solution.

As the seeds’ crisp hulls crack and break, the pulpy innards are thrown into solution where they help thicken and flavor the mustard.

For most of my mustards, I like to leave a good portion of the seeds whole, so that when you encounter them in your sandwich or Polish dog, they create a delightful popping sensation in your mouth, plus an extra boost of flavor.

The press: Whenever I’m aiming for a velvety-smooth mustard rather than a mildly-grainy or whole-grained mustard, then as the final step, the paste will have to be forced through a sieve.

Commercial mustard makers have no problem locating sieves that are fine enough, but it’s a different story for the lay person. The sieves and strainers sold in the average housewares store are fine for straining potatoes, green beans or rice from boiling water, but the holes are much too large for mustard-making purposes.

When you press the mustard through, most of the seeds or broken hulls pass right through as well. However, there is an easy-to-find utensil on the market that does work, even though it isn’t designed for this purpose.

It’s called a splatter guard, because its true purpose in life is to rest on top of a frying pan during cooking and keep hot grease from splattering out of the pan. It resembles a large, round hand-held mirror, and where the mirror would be there’s a circle of fine-meshed metal. This screen is fine enough (about 20 holes per inch) to remove the hulls and seeds from the paste as it’s pressed through with a rubber spatula.

Storing mustard

Although it’s hard to imagine any bacterium with half a brain wanting to reproduce in such a fiery potion as homemade mustard, food-safety experts caution that it is a possibility. Thus, it’s best to store questionable batches in the refrigerator. Besides, the quality of your creation will be maintained for a greater length of time.

Questionable, by my definition, is any recipe calling for liquids other than just vinegar. When this is the case, mark your labels “Keep refrigerated.”

Of course, most mustards will safely survive room temperature during the gift-giving phase of a few hours. But putting your homemade mustards through an unrefrigerated cross-country trek via regular mail is not advisable.

Whole grain German-style mustard

2/3cup yellow mustard seeds

1/2cup brown mustard seeds

3/4cup cider vinegar

3/4cup dark ale

6cloves garlic, minced

2tablespoons sugar

2tablespoons white wine Worcestershire sauce

2teaspoons salt

1/2teaspoon dried tarragon, crumbled

1teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled

1teaspoon ground white pepper

1teaspoon turmeric

In a 1 quart jar or nonaluminum pot, combine all the mustard seeds, vinegar, ale and garlic; cover and soak for 48 hours, adding additional vinegar and wine (in correct proportions) if necessary to maintain enough liquid to cover the seeds.

Scrape the soaked seeds into a food processor. Add the sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, tarragon, marjoram, white pepper and turmeric and process until the mustard turns from liquid and seeds to a creamy mixture flecked with whole seeds. This takes 3 to 4 minutes. Add additional vinegar and water (in correct proportions) as necessary to create a nice creamy mustard. Keep in mind that it will thicken slightly upon standing. This mustard benefits from several weeks of aging.

Makes about 31/3 cups.

Howlin’ at the moon mustard: When ready to blend the soaked seeds, omit the tarragon and marjoram, and add 1 medium-sized roasted and peeled sweet red pepper, 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1 tablespoon cumin powder.

Sun-dried tomato and pesto mustard: When ready to blend the soaked seeds, omit the tarragon and marjoram; add 1 cup dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped, and 2 tablespoons pesto, homemade or commercially prepared.

Jan Roberts-Dominguez is a Corvallis, Ore., food writer, cookbook author and artist. Readers can contact her by e-mail at janrd@proaxis.com.