Mustard Love

My favorite micro-brewery/restaurant sponsors "mustard month" every March in conjunction with the "world famous" Mustard Museum in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin (See www.mustardmuseum.com). They bring in hundreds of jars of mustard - in all varieties - and offer them as bonus condiments to their customers.

I've always loved mustard and sometimes spring for those expensive, designer flavors like Beaver Hawaiian Pineapple Mustard or Fox Meadow Farm Raspberry Honey Mustard, two of my many personal favorites. Every March, I discover a few new must-have flavors and promptly order them to enjoy at home with sandwiches or in deviled eggs.

Mustard, as you probably know, is much healthier for you than ketchup or mayonnaise. Mayo, of course, is full of fat, and ketchup's sugar content is a wee bit too high for those of us concerned about diabetes. The calorie count in mustard is almost always nil (or negligible). And the flavor mustard imparts to the common sandwich is a gift to the taste buds.

Lately, I've discovered another use for some of my fancy mustards - mustard vinaigrette dressings. Adding the raspberry honey mustard mentioned above to a base of canola oil and champagne vinegar makes a fabulous addition to a salad of fresh greens, toasted pecans and strawberries. Or choose a savory blend like California Harvest Roasted Tomato Balsamic Mustard, mix with extra virgin olive oil and some white balsamic vinegar and you've got a light and flavorful alternative for your Cobb salad.

The possibilities are as endless as the variety of mustards available to you and a little dressing goes a long way. Get creative and start experimenting. And be sure to share your favorite mustards with me as you go!