Back in the day, I had a market that would fix me up with a very nice (and surprisingly inexpensive) breast of veal; which I would then stuff with lobster meat and roast, glazing it with this tasty pineapple mustard I could pick up in the condiment aisle.
*sigh*
That market is 1000 miles away, and those condiment makers no longer offer pineapple mustard. What’s a person with a taste for a bit of sweetly spicy mustard to do?
Da Google!
I found a recipe, nicely posted by Cap’n Ron (Home of Butt Kickin’ Blacken), that very conveniently gave me a framework to start working on my own pineapple mustard.
Cap’n Ron used Kosciusko – a spicy brown mustard – and his own brand of, ermmm, Butt Kickin’ seasonings, but I had not the time to place an order, and besides, I had my own ideas kickin’ around…
INGREDIENTS
Cajun-Inspired Seasoning Blend:
•1-1/2 tbsp Spanish paprika
•1 tbsp garlic powder
•1 tbsp ground dried thyme
•1 tsp ground black pepper
•1 tsp cayenne pepper
•1 tsp basil
•1 tsp oregano
•1 tsp parsley
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 tsp freeze dried shallot
Pineapple Mustard:
•20 oz can pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
•3/8 cup (6 tbsp) Dijon mustard
I like Trader Joe’s, which has a nice kick
•3 tbsp honey
•1-1/2 tsp Cajun-Inspired Seasoning Blend
Note: obvs, I made more of the seasoning blend than needed for this batch of mustard. I plan on trying it on chicken or swordfish steaks on the grill, and mebbe even add a little bit of a zip to potato salad. Stay tuned.
Pop the drained pineapple tidbits into your blender and give ’em a good whizz to crush nicely – you’ll end up with about 1-1/2 cup. I saved the juice to stir into a jar of barbecue sauce, which I then served alongside the mustard as a dip for soul rolls, and their new cousin Jewel Rolls (tune in to Friday’s Parfait! for that tale of munching goodness).
Add the mustard, honey, and seasoning blend to the pineapple in the blender and whizz like you mean it until all is well and truly blended.
You can taste the mustard now to correct the seasoning, but I wouldn’t. For one thing, the flavor needs a few hours to blend. For another, trust me; correction? These seasonings don’t need no correction.
Nice mustard. It turned out to be the preferred sauce to slather on the Soul and Jewel Rolls at the gathering we attended; and since one batch yielded a pint and a bit, I was able to put some aside to save for us here at home.
Now to find that breast of veal…