Mustard is a marvelous condiment that shouldn’t be confined to hot dogs at a ball game.
Oil crushed from the white, yellow, brown or black seed of the mustard plant has been used for centuries as the basis for highly flavorful pastes, spreads and sauces.
Mixed with a variety of ingredients, including flour, sugar, water, vinegar, honey, wine and even milk, the taste of prepared mustard can run from mild to absolutely wild.
Great on almost any meat, mustard is a savory match with poultry in particular, or as a component in terrific dressings and sauces.
For a different way to spice up a meal, try painting squab or Rock Cornish game hens with a zestful Dijon mustard wash, then oven-roasting the birds vertically. Often called Spanek roasting after its chef-inventor, the vertical roaster with its tempered steel frame cooks poultry more rapidly than traditional oven methods. The metal frame is an excellent heat conductor that cooks the bird inside as the oven bakes the outside, sealing in the succulent natural juices as it roasts.
Another idea: The special mustard cream sauce pairs well with broiled or sauteed fish fillets, chicken breasts, turkey breast slices, pork chops or even grilled vegetables.
Sauces can make a meal, and one that is mustard-based, particularly Dijon, enhances virtually any meat and most vegetables.
Mustard cream sauce
Recipe key: Fast
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 12 minutes
Makes: About 1 cup
Serve with broiled or sauteed fish fillets, chicken breasts, turkey breast slices, pork chops or grilled vegetables.
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1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup chicken, brown beef or fish broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Melt butter in a medium-size, heavy saucepan over low heat. Add shallots; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add broth, wine, salt and pepper to taste. Heat to a simmer; cook, stirring, until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
2. Stir in cream; heat to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring often, until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, 7-8 minutes. Sauce can be kept at this point, covered, up to 1 day in refrigerator.
3. Reheat sauce, if necessary, in medium-size saucepan over medium heat, whisking. Reduce heat to low, whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons mustard. Taste; add more salt, pepper and mustard, if needed. Serve hot.
Nutrition information
Per tablespoon: 73 calories, 92% of calories from fat, 8 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 27 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 73 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
Mustard-roasted game hens
Recipe key: Easy
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Makes: 2-4 servings
If you don’t have a vertical roaster, place the hens on a rack in a roasting pan; roast at 375 degrees about 1 hour.
2 Rock Cornish game hens (1-1 1/2 pounds each)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 jar (6 ounces) Dijon mustard
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Salt game hens inside and out. Set vertical roasters in a metal or tempered glass roasting pan containing 1/4 inch of water. Lower game hens onto roasters, trussing wings to body of each bird. Paint each game hen with plenty of mustard.
2. Set pan on middle rack of oven; roast about 30 minutes. When birds are done, remove them from oven; allow to rest 10 minutes on frames. Remove from frames. Serve accompanied by additional Dijon mustard.
Nutrition information
Per serving (for 4 servings): 460 calories, 60% of calories from fat, 29 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 211 mg cholesterol, 8 g carbohydrates, 36 g protein, 1,243 mg sodium, 0 g fiber
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