The Good Cook's Book Of Mustard: With More Than 100 Recipes

This book provides an introduction to mustard for the would-be connoisseur. The first part of the book provides much information about the plant, from its cultivation in Egypt some 5,000 years ago, to the types of mustard plants that are popular in different parts of the world. Jordan describes the three main types of mustard seed, the yellow, the brown, and the black, contrasting their flavors and uses. She includes charts listing characteristics of different types of commercial mustards, from flavor to keeping qualities. She provides brief comments about the nutritional properties of mustard and medical uses. She also describes how mustard fans can organize a mustard tasting, and includes pages in the back of the book formatted for taking notes during mustard tastings. The main part of the book is devoted to mustard recipes, organized by course, including appetizers, soups, main courses, vegetables, salads, sauces, and even desserts. There is also a chapter on mustard-making, including recipes for making specialty mustards from whole seeds, ground powder, or commercially prepared mustards. Most of the recipes call for fresh or unprocessed ingredients, and canned ingredients are generally restricted to tomatoes or cooked beans. While many of the recipes sound appetizing, they also sound a bit fancy for daily fare. If you've got time on your hands and love to cook, then you will find some tasteful and tasty ideas to try here. But there aren't a lot of recipes in this book for just plain basic cooking that make use of mustard.

This is a great little cookbook and not just for mustard affectionados. It is filled with tasty recipes and ideas that stand alone, with or without the mustard ingrediants. Be sure and try the homemade gravlax and the rock shrimp recipes. All instructions are easy to follow and allow for substitutions and creative changes.