Everything's Better with Mustard

I get great joy out of life’s small pleasures: fresh jammies and clean sheets, a new notebook and a pen that writes smoothly, a picnic with girlfriends. The only thing better than a picnic with girlfriends is a picnic with girlfriends at a winery.

 A month or so ago, three great ladies and I went to Malibu Family Wines for a catch up and a wind down. The weather was glorious, and the company was spectacular. There were tiny leek tarts and cheeses, kale salad, roasted potato salad and farro salad. If I can get that leek tart recipe, you bet I will – shattering pastry, creamy insides. Oh my goodness. All washed down with some great local wines.

That Saturday morning as I prepared my contributions, the faro salad and the potato and shallot salad, I thought about which recipes I was excited to post here. Very quickly I realized that almost everything that came to mind involved mustard somehow. I apparently have an immense love for the stuff – a quick count of the fridge yielded no fewer than six kinds of mustard, plus three more in the pantry, including both Colman’s mustard powder and the paste version in the tube.  When we grill sausages, I use it as an excuse to consume obscene amounts of Dijon.  It becomes a side dish in itself.

One of my absolute favorite kitchen tips, which was a tip from Dorie Greenspan, most likely from her website, is mustard-related (don’t toss that mustard jar, use the last bits by making a vinaigrette right in the jar! GENIUS!). I did a little search and came up with a few recipes for mustard and I’m taking a stab at it. In a couple of days, there might be mustard – stay tuned! I’ll have the recipes for the faro salad with roast cauliflower, kale and feta and the roasted potato and shallot salad as well.

 I will spare you the recipe for the banana and dark chocolate chunk cake I made last night, though. It rose disturbingly high and tasted like metal. Yum!