Diana Henry's 'New York Sweet Cranberry Mustard' for Gifting or for Eating

Food gifts whether sweet or savory are always fun to give or receive at the holidays. This New York Sweet Cranberry Mustard from Diana Henry's Salt Sugar Smoke caught my eye with its festive red color and I just happened to have fresh cranberries leftover from some Cranberry Soup with Curried Shredded Brussels Sprouts.  

A sweet and tangy treat for the mustard lovers on your holiday list and perfect to slather on a sandwich--either meat-filled or meat-free. ;-)

Diana says, "This is inspired by a mustard served at New York’s Home restaurant, a fabulously comforting place. I have made it slightly sweeter. It’s perfect at Christmas when you’re making all those turkey and ham sarnies and want cranberries with a kick."

New York Sweet Cranberry Mustard
Adapted from Salt Sugar Smoke by Diana Henry 
(Fills 1 x 225g (8oz) jar)

3/4 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup apple or orange juice
2 cups fresh cranberries
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar (I used 2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp grain mustard (I used 2 Tbsp)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
 
Put the dried cranberries in a pan and add enough apple or orange juice to cover. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and leave to plump up for 30 minutes.

Put a cup of water and the fresh cranberries in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries have burst (about five minutes), then add the sugar and honey and stir until dissolved.

Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and sauté the onion until soft and golden. Add the vinegar and mustard and cook gently for another five minutes. Mix this with both types of cranberries and any remaining soaking liquid from the dried cranberries, and season to taste.

Process in a food processor using the pulse button (if you want it really smooth you can then press the mixture through a nylon strainer, but I leave it chunky). Put in a sterilized jar, then cover with a waxed paper disc, and seal with a vinegar-proof lid. Cool, and keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

How to use
This is obviously a good thing to have around at Christmas, and it’s good with cold ham too. Russians eat cranberries with red meat, so don’t rule it out with cold rare roast beef.

Notes/Results: I really enjoyed the flavor of this cranberry mustard but did find it on the sweeter side for me--I wanted more mustard and more vinegar bite. Increasing the amounts of those ingredients made it perfect. Since I don't eat meet, I chose to slather it on a grilled cheese sandwich made with some smoked Gouda and avocado on light rye bread. It may sound like an odd combination but it was a perfect combination of sweet, smoky, creamy and tangy. I am sure the mustard would be equally as good on a turkey, ham or roast beef sandwich too. Easy to make and something a little different to give, I would make this again.

This mustard placed in small jars would make wonderful Gifts From the Heart for your favorite sandwich lovers or gourmet mustard aficionados. I am linking it up to I Heart Cooking Clubs were this weeks theme is all about edible holiday gifts. You can see what everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post.