A pretty addition to a cheese board or even the Thanksgiving table, mostarda is an Italian condiment made with wine, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, and usually some fruit and/or fruit juice—this version uses cranberry juice and dried cranberries. Start the recipe the night before by popping open a bottle of white wine and pouring ¾ cup to soak the mustard seeds.
Fantastic with a triple cream cheese, prosciutto, dried fruit, and nuts. Please see my recipes for grissini or sourdough grissini. Photo by Samantha Lord of Lord & Company.
Cranberry Mostarda
makes 2 cups; adapted from Food & Wine magazine, November 2014
Ingredients
Soak Overnight
- 2½ tablespoons mustard seeds (yellow or brown or a mix)
- ¾ cup dry white wine
Stovetop
- soaked mustard seeds and wine
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup Champagne vinegar
- ¾ cup pure cranberry juice
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard powder (Colman's in the yellow tin)
Add in
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- zest from ½ orange
Instructions
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Soak the mustard seeds in the wine at room temperature overnight. (There's no reason why you can't soak the mustard seeds in the cranberry juice instead and add the wine the next day.)
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In heavy-bottomed saucepan add the soaked mustard seeds and wine, sugar, vinegar, cranberry juice, and mustard powder and cook without stirring until the syrup coats the back of a spoon, approximately 25–30 minutes.
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Remove from heat and add the dried cranberries and orange zest. Let cool then store in covered container in the refrigerator.