December 7, 2007
A Hearty, Spicy Christmas
Last year, the new-new thing for holiday recipes was flaky fleur de sel -- which found it's way onto chocolate recipes -- from cakes to bonbons -- everywhere.
This year's new-new thing is a little more accessible. Your best bet for a holiday recipe secret ingredient is mustard. Not the neon yellow stuff that squeezes out like flourescent toothpaste, but a carefully constructed mix of complex flavors. My absolute favorite this year is Grey Poupon Hearty Spicy Brown. It has a little kick, but there's also a sweeter onion undertone that works well in dips and sauces. You'll even find little crunchy onion pieces inside.
If you need a condiment that screams, "There's mustard on here!" go with the Harvest Coarse Ground. Not only is it spicy, but the whole mustard seeds speckle your recipe. Vinaigrettes look great with all of those little seeds, as does poached salmon.
And Savory Honey is a standby for a dipping sauce all by itself, but it's also great for mixing with brown sugar and crushed canned pineapple for a baked ham glaze.
I received this trio of mustards as part of a BzzAgent campaign -- I try out products and share my opinions with both friends & family, and the company itself. It's a win-win for everyone involved. I get a taste of the new, new thing and they get a little word of mouth advertising. But it's up to the company to provide a solid product. BzzAgents are no shills. If I don't like a particular item, I'll share that too. But these mustards were truly excellent in all of the recipes I tried them in.
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