How to start a small food business (pt 1.)

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Robert Russell

So I’ve arrived at the first post that really gets in to the meat of why I started writing this blog. I’ve enjoyed sharing a few recipes with the internet but this all could have happened after I actually had a blossoming mustard business. When I first started kicking around the idea of starting my own small food business I did some research online. There is plenty of information out there, some of it far more helpful that others, but I did not find a good personal account of someone working their way from concept to market with a small food business. So I’m hoping to create a good resource for other people hoping to also start their own small food business or just anyone who is interested in the story of getting something like this off the ground. (Incidentally, if anyone does know of a good account of someone starting a small food business from start to finish, please let me know, I’d love to read it). Continue reading →

Coming soon!

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Robert Russell

Hello everyone, just a quick preview of what you can look for in the next couple of days: I’ve taken a job at a local spice merchant, World Spice so I’ve been quite busy and a little behind on updates, but by the of the weekend I should have my very first “business” post. Also now that I have a whole playground of spices to inspire my mustard making, I’ll have a good recipe using some cool North African spices up by the middle of next week sometime.

Meyer Lemon and Roast Garlic Vinaigrette

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Robert Russell

If you’ve been following along for the past few weeks, you’ll remember that I’ve talked about both roast garlic and salad dressings. Today I want to share a recipe that builds on both of those posts: Meyer lemon and roast garlic vinaigrette. I recently developed this recipe when I was making a big roast fall vegetable pasta salad, but saved some and tried it on a greens salad and found it worked very well in either role. Continue reading →

Salad Dressing

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Robert Russell

One of the most useful and and unique properties of mustard is the ability to act as an emulsifier. This is particularly helpful for making your own salad dressings. It can also be used in a pinch to help stabilize a warm egg sauce such as hollandaise for bearnaise (but we’ll save that for another post). In general, for salad dressing you can use either prepared mustard or mustard powder. It doesn’t take a whole lot of mustard to get your dressing to emulsify, so there is no need to worry about the mustard having a huge affect on the flavor. But in my opinion, there are very few salad dressings indeed that don’t benefit from a little mustard flavor. Continue reading →

Confit Garlic

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Robert Russell

This update is a little later than promised due to a wonderful weekend wine tasting around the Willamette valley. So I’ll actually be giving you two recipes today. This one, the Confit Garlic, is not strictly a mustard recipe but it is a great method to use and will show up in later, more mustardy recipes. Instead of going over the method each time, I’ll just share it here and it’ll be easy to review whenever you need it. Continue reading →

Beef Stroganoff Recipe

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Robert Russell

Jump to the recipe

So here it is, the first official content for MustardSauces.com. As the weather here in the Pacific Northwest starts to fade from summer in to fall, I’ve been quite busy canning and preserving the last of the summer harvest and getting ready for the wonderful fall mushroom season. As much as I will miss the fresh wild berries, warm fishing weather and the incredible bounty at the local farmer’s markets, the approaching fall brings with it a good opportunity to dust off some of my favorite recipes. From braised short ribs to lamb stew to wild mushroom risotto, there is nothing quite like a rich hearty meal to warm up an otherwise chilly November evening. And when I want to make something quick, tasty and filling to share with friends, I often think Beef Stroganoff. Continue reading →

MustardSauces.com is Coming Soon!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Robert Russell

Hello World!

If you’re reading this, I suppose I’ve set up my blog-space correctly. Watch this space for all kinds of adventures with gourmet mustard and mustard sauces. I plan to start with mostly recipes as we try to use up all the test batches of mustard that are tasty but don’t quite make the “bottle-and-sell-it” cut. As time goes on you’ll have an opportunity to peak over my shoulder and watch as I develop commercial recipes, negotiate with copackers, and drown myself in various food regulation guidelines. Check back by the end of the week and see if we have our first recipe up!