“…Sleeps in the park, shaves in the dark.” Just kidding. Maille Mustard is definitely the antithesis of the curmudgeonly old man the Beatles sing about in this popular song. Vibrant and upscale, Maille mustard boasts 268 years of churning out fine products using top quality ingredients.
Maille treats all of their products with great care, the same way you would a wine or olive oil. Each type of mustard has its own flavor profile, beginning with color, moving on to the nose, and finishing with the palate. Hosted in the phenomenal space that is the Tasting Table Test Kitchen, this event was a front row seat to the exquisite range of what mustard can be.
Far from the recognizable yellow bottle of French’s and more artisanal in values than Grey Poupon, Maille opens up an entire world of French mustard I didn’t know existed. The test kitchen at Tasting Table offered up a delightful array of buffet-style small plates that each showcased a different mustard from the Maille collection.
My favorite dish of the evening was a slow roasted pork shoulder that featured Maille Olive and Herbes de Provence Mustard with Kalamata olives and over dried cherry tomatoes. The meat was so tender you didn’t need a knife to cut through it, and the mustard was a briny, spicy addition to this already decadent dish.
Not a huge fan of beets, but I’m willing to try anything when it’s paired with Burrata. The Maille Beet Mustard with Honey isn’t too beety either, and paired candied sunflower seeds makes for a nice addition to the plating.
The carrot mustard-crusted artic char was an excellent vessel on which to consume Maille’s Carrot Mustard with a Hint of Shallot.
Similarly, the local potato and sunchoke salad was one of the most interesting plates I’ve had in a while. So many vivacious flavors (Espelette chili pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, and fried shallots) came together to accentuate these root vegetables, and this dish featured my favorite mustard of the evening: Maille White Wine.
If you are someone who enjoys mustard, I highly recommend checking out Maille’s brick-and-mortar shop on the Upper West Side, or having some shipped directly to your home via Amazon.
Twisted Talk: Have you tried Maille Mustard before? Have you ever attended an event at the Tasting Table Test Kitchen? Discuss below!
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