hot honey mustard

Ever since I tasted homemade mustard, I lost interest the store-bought variety; none of which could compare. My housemate's mother made it, but do you believe it? She would not give me the recipe. So I've done some searching and experimenting, and surprisingly enough the best recipe I came up with was inspired by Euell Gibbons' method described in Stalking the Wild Asparagus. Though I was surprised by the use of flour, it does temper the hotness of the ground yellow mustard. I find it a more sensible addition than eggs, which I saw in a few recipes. I want something that keeps! Then I can send it in little jars for Christmas presents and not worry about them.

In a large cast-iron fry pan, roast a cup or so of whole wheat pastry flour, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. The aroma is wonderful.

Add the toasted flour to a bowl with an equivalent amount of ground yellow mustard seed. (More flour for a milder mustard; less for hotter.)

Add other dry ingredients you like--my favorites are dried crumbled tarragon and garlic salt. I plan to try some turmeric one of these days.

Stir in vinegar (balsamic is special), water, and honey until you get it to the right consistency and taste. Put in those cute little jars you've saved.

It tastes smooth with the bit of sweetness from the honey, and then suddenly you're hit from behind with an intensity that makes your eyes tear. That's good mustard.