Champagne and Thyme Mustard

After discovering how easy mustard is to make a couple weeks ago, we are now trying to stock our pantry with different flavors. Last weeks version was spicy with brown mustard & fresh garlic scapes. Today's is a different taste completely.

This is a much sweeter, milder mustard flavored with champagne & fresh thyme. The thyme is allowed to seep in hot champagne for 1/2 hour which releases much more of the thyme flavor than I expected. The mustard is sweetened with honey which I think adds a mellower sweetness than sugar. This is a little bit of a more refined mustard in my mind than our first batch though it still has the grainy texture of more rustic mustards. Matt has been loving it on ham sandwiches for lunch.

Last time I mentioned you could play with mustard recipe to make other flavors & I think this is an easy recipe to do that with. Substitute the champagne with things like apple juice or beer. Match the vinegar with the liquid, like cider vinegar with apple juice. Use different herbs or all a little lemon zest. Just keep the quantities the same if you are planning on canning the mustard. If you are going to use it right away you can play with any of the quantities.

Champagne & Thyme Mustard
You can substitute white wine & white wine vinegar for the champagne & champagne vinegar.

6 sprigs of fresh thyme
3/4 c champagne
3/4 c yellow mustard seeds
1 c champagne vinegar
1/4 c water
1/2 c honey
1/4 t kosher salt

Put the thyme & champagne in a small non-reactive saucepan & bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover & let seep for 30 minutes.

Drain through a sieve, pressing the to release all the liquid. Throw the thyme away. Add the mustard seeds to the liquid, cover & let sit until the mustard has absorbed almost all the liquid, 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Put the mustard seeds plus any liquid into a blender with the vinegar & water. Process until blended, you want a slightly grainy texture.

Put back into the saucepan. Add the honey & salt. Bring to a boil over high heat while stirring. Reduce heat & simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. If the mustard is too thick add a little more water.

At this point you can put the mustard in a storage container & keep it in the fridge to use right away. Or you can can the mustard to use when you need it over the next year.

Canning the Mustard

Put five 4-ounce canning jars (without the lids or neckbands) into a large pot with enough water to cover them by 1-inch. Cover & bring to a boil. Let boil for 15 minutes. Add the lids to the boiling water & boil for 5 more minutes.

Carefully remove the hot jars to a towel covered counter. (Keep the pot of water boiling.) Spoon the hot mustard into the hot jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Tap them on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Add more mustard if needed. Use a wet towel or paper towel to wipe any mustard off the rims of the jars. Put the hot lids on the jars. Screw on the neckbands until they are as tight as you can get them with your fingers. Put the jars back into the pot of boiling water. Make sure you still have about 1-inch of water over the top of the jars. Cover & let boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat & let sit for 5 more minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the water & let sit undisturbed until completely cooled. The top of the jars should pull in with a pop sound. If a jar does not do this either use it right away or reprocess it.

Makes 2 1/2 cups.

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