Can Jam: Raisin D’Être Mustard

Well, here it is, the last Tigress’ Can Jam post of 2010. How the year has flown! It seems only yesterday that I was mulling citrus options, looking forward to hundreds of new recipes, and meeting all sorts of new friends. Before we dive into the details of this month’s ingredient, dried fruit (selected by the Tigress herself), let’s take a little walk down Memory Lane, shall we?

Looking back, even I am surprised by the number and variety of recipes that were directly planned for, or inspired by, the Can Jam. Thank you, Tigress, for giving us a project to inspire, delight, and even agonize us the whole year long. Thank you for pulling together such a passionate, creative and fun group of canners & preservers: I’ve learned so much, made dozens of new friends and have bookmarked at least a hundred new recipes. And, most of all, thank you for the effort & time you take to pull together the wonderful Can Jam round-ups each month: a terrific resource for canners, preservers and foodniks alike.

Onward and upward to this month’s Can Jam entry: Raisin D’Être Mustard. Winter is the perfect time for mustard making: the pressure of summer preserving  is past (I have a vivid memory of Tai & I peeling 40 lbs of about-to-rot peaches at midnight in the height of August), the weather is nippy, meaning more opportunities for mustard-glazed pork roasts and thick, hearty turkey sandwiches, and mustard is so easy that it is a pleasure to fire up the canner, warm up the kitchen, and experiment with your latest mustard idea. Mine is a beer mustard, using one of Tai’s favorite ales, Raison D’Être by Dogfish Head Brewery in (sort-of kind-of local) Delaware. Raison D’Être is a Belgian-style brown ale brewed with (you guessed it) raisins, making it the perfect accompaniment for a raisin-beer mustard and the perfect entry for this month’s Can Jam (it all comes back to the Can Jam in the end).

Adapted from Winter Lager Mustard and Mission Fig and Port Wine Mustard

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Raisin D’Être Mustard

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 12-oz bottle of Dogfish Head Raison D’Être ale
  • 3/4 cup (4 oz) seedless Thompson raisins
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
  • 1/4 cup brown mustard seeds
  • 1/4 cup malt vinegar (at least 5% acidity if canning)
  • 1/2 cup water (optional)
  • 2 tbsp dry mustard (ground yellow mustard seed)
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 + 1/8 tsp sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp freshly ground white pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

METHODS

  1. Add raisins and beer to a small bowl and allow to macerate at room temperature for 2 – 4 hours. 
  2. Drain raisins and reserve in the refrigerator.  Add mustard seeds to the steeped beer and allow to sit at room temperature until most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 4 hours, or overnight.
  3. If canning, prepare canner, jars and lids.
  4. Add raisins and vinegar to the bowl of a food processor. Process until the raisins are nearly smooth; transfer to a medium saucepan. Add the mustard seeds and any remaining liquid to the food processor (add the water in this step, if you need it to help blend the mustard seeds). Chop until mustard is nearly smooth, with some seeds remaining for texture, about 5 minutes.  Once the desired texture is reached, transfer mustard to the saucepan. Add dry mustard, sugar, salt and peppers to the saucepan and mix well.
  5. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (mustard will spit, and stick to the bottom of the pan, if not stirred), until mustard has reached the desired thickness (remembering that it will thicken upon cooling), about 10 – 20 minutes depending on how much water you add.  Taste and adjust seasonings. 
  6. Fill hot, sterilized jars with hot mustard to 1/4-inch headspace.  Tap jars on a folded dish towel to settle mustard into the jar, remove air bubbles, wipe rims, affix lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yields about 2 and 1/2 cups.

OPTIONS

  1. Penzeys is a great source for bulk mustard seed: I buy it by the pound, out of which I get 4 or 5 batches of mustard for less than $5. The 4 oz bag will yield just under 1 cup of seeds.
  2. I made a double-batch of this mustard: I started out with one bottle of beer, 5 oz of raisins, and 1/2 cup each of yellow & brown mustard seeds. Tai, upon tasting, first asked for more raisins, so I increased the amount to 8 oz total. Then he said that the beer flavor was subdued, so I added another bottle of beer and cooked the mustard down to a thick texture. So, about half of the beer and half of the raisins in this batch were macerated; but there seems no need to recreate that process.
  3. Raisins are safely acidic, so if you want a stronger raisin (and lighter beer) flavor, feel free to increase the amount of raisins.

STORE

Canned, in a cool, dark spot for up to 1 year.  Refrigerated, use within 2 months.

SEASON

Year round (but I usually make mustards in the winter, when the preserving season is past).

19 comments

  1. Val

    I love that beer, and I love raisins (my mind is now racing with all sorts of sherry and port combinations)–this is a fantastic idea!
    Also, the snow is adorable.

    Reply
  4. tigress

    this post is so gorgeous – and highlights the look of your new new design! i love seeing all of your can jam creations in one place. if they taste half as beautiful as they look i’d give my left hand to hold a spoon in your kitchen! (and i’m a southpaw)

    Reply
  5. Julia

    And thank you for all these beautiful recipes in one spot! You never fail to impress with all facets of your blog! Beautiful mustard–yum, beer and raisins (though I might opt for 60-minute IPA).

    Reply
  8. local kitchen

    Hi Beth,

    The processing is exactly the same; of course fitting the lid to the jar will change depending on what type of jar/gasket you are using. Check out Marisa’s post on Canning in Vintage Jars for tips & techniques on preserving and testing the seal in rubber-seal jars. http://www.foodinjars.com/2009/06/canning-in-vintage-jars/

    FWIW, I love using ‘special’ jars: Wecks, vintage, Italian Fidos and French Parfait jars, but they are a bit more finicky to use than the standard Ball Mason jar found at the hardware store. The sizes often don’t fit as well into our American canners/racks, they can be harder to manouver in/out of the canner, headspace is more critical to achieving a good seal, and the seal failure rate is a bit higher, in my experience. As a beginner, I recommend that you get the experience of several batches, at least, using the standard two-piece jars under your belt before trying a rubber gasket jar (or try one rubber gasket jar in a batch of mostly Ball jars) to avoid undue frustration.

    Kaela

    Reply
  9. Jon Brooks

    Wanted to drop you a line and let you know I made this mustard and it went well. I posted it on my blog http://tattoodbrew.com/?p=576
    If you have any more recipes using beer I would love to make other things and I would post it as well. I would have liked to have had a few more pics myself but some didn’t turn out.

    Thanks,
    – Jon (aka Tattood Brew)

    Reply
    • local kitchen

      Hi Jon,

      Thanks for trying out the recipe! Hope you enjoy it. I have another beer mustard recipe on the site: https://localkitchenblog.com/2009/11/16/winter-lager-mustard/ and the base recipe is pretty adaptable to any beer. Would be especially good with a homebrew! Other than that, if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the Categories meun, you’ll see a “wine, beer & liquor” category that will list all of my boozier concoctions. Not all that many with beer; we seem to drink it faster than I can cook with it.

      In browsing your site, I see you are a Flogging Molly fan – I heartily approve. 🙂

      Kaela

      Reply
      • Jon Brooks

        Yes, I am a big Flogging Molly fan. Have seen them about 5 times. Mostly in Orlando, House of Blues to which has been the best shows I’ve seen. They totally Rock. Would love if you would leave some comments and maybe send some traffic my way. I’m about to make a Mop/Basting sauce for some boneless pork chops. I’ll send you what that if you would like.
        Where are you located?

        Jon

        Reply
      • Jon Brooks

        Hello, again!
        Wanted to drop you a line about more mustard we are experimenting with. This time we used Craisins and soaked them in Port wine. and used all yellow mustard seeds. Came out very nice. I recommend using this on turkey.

        Happy New Year,
        Jon (aka Tattood Brew)

        Reply
  10. prodigal belle

    Thanks for the inspiration! I modified to use Magic Hat #9, one of my favorite beers, and I subbed dried apricots and mango for the raisins because of the flavor profile of the beer, and the resulting mustard is interestingly sweet, a malty honey mustard flavor.

    Reply

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    • local kitchen

      Hi Lindsey,

      Any neutral or acidic liquid would do; apple juice, white grape juice, non-alcoholic cider. You could also use water, but I would increase the vinegar to 3/4 cup, both for flavor and acidity.

      Reply
  15. overgrownwaltz

    Ahh! I am, like you, a mustard hater. I can’t imagine using such a delicious beer as part of such a horrible condiment. 😉 But I am constantly impressed by your imagination, and I can imagine that this is delicious (that is, if you like mustard). 🙂

    Reply

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