Dried Fruit Mustard Food

DRIED-FRUIT MUSTARD

Steps:

• Mix together dried fruit, mustard seeds, ground mustard, vinegar, and 3/4 cup water in a bowl. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
• Place mustard mixture and salt to taste in a food processor; puree until smooth. Serve, or store in refrigerator, covered, up to 1 week.

MOSTARDA

Steps:

• Use 3/4 pound dried fruit and 1/2 cup water in a skillet and bring to a boil. Add 1 minced shallot, 1 tablespoon minced candied ginger, 3?4 cup white wine, 4 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar and 2 to 3 teaspoons each Dijon mustard and butter.
• Skip the lemon juice. Cool and serve.

DRIED FRUIT CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy 6-quart pot over moderately high heat until it shimmers and cook the cinnamon, star anise, and cloves for 1 minute. Add the brown mustard seeds and chile. When the seeds pop and are fragrant, after about 30 seconds, remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the orange juice and apple cider. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the cherries, dates, zest, ginger, apricots, cranberries, fennel, yellow mustard seeds, and vinegar. Briskly simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced and the fruits are softened and tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in salt to taste. Let the chutney cool completely before serving. The chutney keeps in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

MEAT LOAF WITH MUSTARD AND DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, chopped fruits, egg, shallots, 1 tablespoon mustard, sage, salt and pepper in large bowl; mix thoroughly. Shape mixture into 2 oval loaves, each about 1 inch thick, and place on small rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake loaves 10 minutes. Mix preserves and remaining 1 tablespoon mustard in small bowl. Brush preserves mixture generously over loaves. Continue to bake until loaves are cooked through and thermometer inserted into center registers 160°F, about 8 minutes.

MOSTARDA DI CREMONA

Steps:

• Place figs, pear, apricots, cherries, and apples into a mixing bowl and stir to mix.
• In a saucepan, heat wine, sugar and honey together until boiling. Boil for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly reduced and syrupy. Remove from heat and stir in mustard and seeds.
• Pour over fruit and allow to steep 24 hours. Jar and refrigerate.

MUSTARDA DI CREMONA (ITALIAN FRUIT MUSTARD)

Steps:

• Put the pears, plums, apricots, figs and cherries in a saucepan and add water just to cover.
• Add the sugar and lemon juice, stir and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the flame and cook over a low flame for 10 minutes.
• Drain the fruits, reserving the syrup.
• Distribute the fruits on a baking pan and place in an oven that has been heated to 120 degree Celsius just until the fruits are dry (about 30 minutes).
• Pour the wine into a saucepan and add the honey and reserved syrup, stirring well.
• Bring to a boil and boil over a moderate flame for about 5 minutes.
• Add the mustard, mix well and remove from the heat.
• Put the fruit into sterilized jars and pour the syrup over to barely cover.
• When completely cool, seal carefully and store in a cool, dry place.
• (May be stored for up to 6 months in completely sterile jars. Once the jars are opened, refrigerate).

ROAST PORK WITH FRUIT STUFFING AND MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Using long slender knife, carve out 3/4-inch-diameter horizontal tunnel through center of pork. Chop carved-out meat and reserve. Using handle of wooden spoon, firmly pack apricots and prunes into tunnel of roast. Place roast on rack in roasting pan; rub with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle roast with 1/2 teaspoon marjoram, salt, and pepper. Scatter onion, carrots, garlic cloves, and chopped meat around rack in pan. Drizzle vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon marjoram. Roast pork until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat (not stuffing) registers 150°F, stirring vegetables occasionally, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board; tent with foil to keep warm.
• Whisk butter, flour, and both mustards in small bowl to blend. Add broth and wine to roasting pan; place on 2 burners and simmer juices over medium heat until mixture is reduced to 1 1/2 cups, scraping up browned bits, about 3 minutes. Strain liquid into small saucepan; skim fat from surface. Bring liquid to boil. Whisk in mustard mixture; simmer until sauce thickens slightly, whisking frequently, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut pork between ribs into chops. Serve with sauce.
• What to drink:
• Prinz von Hessen 2001 Riesling Kabinett Winkeler Hasensprung.