Wine Mustard

This is not the squeeze-bottle stuff. Homemade wine mustard cooked in a double boiler with dry white wine, apple cider vinegar, eggs, and sugar produces a thick, creamy condiment with a sweet heat that hits the back of your nose and lingers.

The double boiler is essential. Gentle, indirect heat lets the eggs thicken the mustard slowly and evenly without scrambling. Eight minutes of stirring over simmering water is all it takes to go from thin liquid to glossy, spoonable consistency.

The balance between sugar and dry mustard powder is what makes this versatile. It’s sweet enough to glaze a ham, hot enough to stand up to roast beef, and smooth enough to spread on a cheese board.

Kitchen Tips

• Whisk everything together cold before placing over the simmering water. Hot additions cause the eggs to seize and create lumps.
• Stir constantly during the 8-minute cook. Walk away and you’ll get scrambled egg mustard.
• The mustard thickens further as it cools, so pull it off heat when it’s slightly thinner than your target consistency.
• Pour into sterilized jars and refrigerate. It genuinely keeps for several months and actually mellows and improves over the first week.

Variations

• Use red wine instead of white for a deeper, more robust mustard with a richer color.
• Add a tablespoon of honey and reduce the sugar by the same amount for a honey-wine mustard.
• Stir in whole mustard seeds after cooking for a grainy, country-style texture.