Mmmmm … Mustard!

When I was a young, I had a definite preference for the condiment on my burger. While those burgers of my youth were home-grown, featuring fat-filled prime beef that provided a robust flavor on their own, my condiment of choice was mustard, plain old French’s mustard. That was about the only choice in our local grocery store anyway. Much later, I came to appreciate additions, including lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayo, and, of course, ketchup.

Mustard makes the meal

Nowadays, our pantry features a variety of mustards, all fit for various uses. A dill and garlic mustard is perfect to slather on a fresh fillet of salmon before broiling it for a speedy main dish. And a whole-grain French mustard is perfect for spicing up a vinaigrette or Caesar salad dressing.

In New England, it’s grilling season and time for condiments. The nice thing about prepared mustards is that they add a mixture of tart and spice to a dish, and depending on what herbs, spices, or fruits they contain, the concoction adds interesting favors to your dish – quickly and simply. And you can get so creative. Cookbook author Nigel Slater, for example, created a quick supper with mildly spicy flavors: pasta featuring sausage, basil, and a grainy Dijon mustard.

Try cranberry mustard on a turkey sandwich, orange ginger honey mustard to glaze baked ham, onion mustard on a hot dog, bleu cheese Dijon on a burger, or banana pepper mustard on a plate of nachos. Make a simple appetizer spread for crackers with cream cheese and passion fruit mustard. The possibilities are endless. But, you ask, where to find all these exotic varieties?

Mustard mania

Almost any mustard imaginable is just an online order away thanks to the National Mustard Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of mustards and mustard memorabilia. Founder and curator Berry Levenson blames the existence of this Wisconsin establishment on the 1986 Boston Red Sox. Following the team’s epic World Series Game 7 loss to the N.Y. Mets, he was wandering an all-night supermarket in grief when he passed the mustard section and had an epiphany. Today, the museum features more than 6,000 mustards from all 50 states and 70 countries.

Having actually been to the National Mustard Museum in southern Wisconsin, I can say that it’s worth a visit if you’re in the general vicinity of Madison. Its site in Middleton is situated in scenic rolling dairy country, and the area includes some fascinating communities as well as exceptional cheese and ice cream. Nearby Mt. Horeb is populated by sculpted wooden trolls all over town, and New Glarus looks like a historic Swiss village. Within a short drive north is Spring Green, the location of Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio Taliesin. And I should note that the area is about 90 miles from my old family farm in Illinois.

How about you? Do you have a favorite use for mustard? Could you top these recipes featured on the National Mustard Museum website: mustard-whipped potatoes; butternut squash pear soup with honey mustard, or hurtin’ habanero mustard guacamole? What’s your recipe featuring a condiment? Please comment below!