Honey Mustard Tastes Better When It's Homemade

I really don't know what made me decide that today was going to be the day that I'd attempt to create a homemade honey mustard recipe from scratch, but I am glad I took a stab at it.  I am a huge fan of mustard.  I use it in everything from salad dressings to marinades and to sauces and I wouldn't dream of having a sandwich without a streak of mustard somewhere in there.  In fact, at any given time, if you were to open my refrigerator, you'd find anywhere from 3-5 various mustards at any given time.  Suffice it to say, I'm a fan.

When I woke up this morning, I knew I needed a food project and for some reason, creating my own honey mustard seemed like a great idea.  Like a mad scientist, I took to my Small Boston Kitchen, ready to experiment with different ingredients and measurements until I got them just right.  The whole process from start to finish was relatively easy and didn't require much time or a giant mess in the kitchen.  The hardest part for me was grinding up the mustard seeds because I used a mortar and pestle and those damn little balls kept flying out and all over my kitchen.  I have a feeling I'm going to keep finding them for quite some time.

Below I've outlined the recipe the I created to make this mustard.  As with all recipes, you should keep tasting until it is the way you like it.  While this was the first batch, I didn't want to make too much for fear it wouldn't come out right.  This recipe yields about one cup of honey mustard.

Homemade Honey Mustard
- About a cup on apple cider vinegar
- About 2 tbs crushed mustard seeds
- About 1 tbs powdered yellow mustard
- About 1 tsp molasses
- 2-3 tbs honey
- About 1 tbs brown sugar
- A pinch of salt and a couple twist of fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients into a small pot.  On medium-high heat, whisk them together.  (Be careful not get your face too close to the cooking vinegar, it can be pretty potent!)  Constantly whisk the mustard together until it visibly starts to thicken up a bit.  Although it's hot, take a small spoon of it, let it cool a bit and take a taste.  While the mustard will really start to come together as it cools, you should be liking what you're tasting.  If not, adjust accordingly.

Once the vinegar starts to smell less (you'll know when this happens) and the mustard has become relatively thick, pour the mixture into a small glass jar (I usually clean out and save old jelly jars and mustard jars to reuse).  Let it cool and come almost to room temperature before you place the lid on and stick in the fridge.  Let it chill for a couple of hours.  It really thickens up if you keep in the fridge overnight.