Addictions comes in all flavors: from chocolate to French fries, lemon tarts and pizza—and mustard. If you’re an aficionado of good mustard and all its culinary allure, then what could be more tempting than an opportunity to create your own mustard under the guidance of a mustard sommelier?
Guided by Pierette Huttner, the first mustard sommelier in the United States, Maille’s “Create Your Own Mustard” classes are offered at Maille’s new flagship boutique in the Flatiron district, as well as Maille’s Lincoln Square location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Widely considered the definitive Dijon mustard by gourmands and chefs, Maille mustard is notable for its nose strength and a creamy clarity of texture. For many people, once you’ve tried Maille, there’s no other mustard.
Pierette Huttner, the first mustard sommelier in the United States ©MRNY
Huttner provides an overview of the history of mustard and its use in various cultures while guiding students in the creation of a personalized mustard based on each student’s favorite flavors. To help students navigate the nearly innumerable flavor combinations, a variety of seasonal flavorings are divided into categories such as sweet, fresh, spices, and texture. Ingredients run the gamut from saffron and sumac to candied ginger and maple syrup.
Throughout the one-hour class, Huttner offers suggestions for food pairings for the company’s many products, which include mustard with lemon and harissa—or mustard infused with gingerbread and chestnut honey.
For her inaugural class, Huttner created eight variations on Maille’s Chablis Mustard with additions that covered a broad spectrum of the herb and vegetable gardens. While each of Huttner’s eight creations met with approval from her first class of students, there were two mustards that provoked near-paroxysms of pleasure: Fennel, Orange, and Tarragon Mustard and, in Huttner’s own words, her “showstopping” Smoky Saffron Mustard.
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Huttner’s personal favorite was a Cinnamon and Hazelnut Mustard that she uses as a complement to Thanksgiving sweet potatoes—or to line an apple pie crust. After tasting her creation, it was hard to dispute her counsel.
Trained in Dijon and Paris, Huttner alternates between the two Manhattan Maille boutiques, both of which offer the one-hour class. Each class costs $59 and comes with a refillable stoneware jar of your own personalized mustard.
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With the opening of Maille’s Manhattan boutiques, Maille’s signature “mustard on tap” is now available in the States. Served from an authentic French ceramic pump into earthenware pots which are sealed and corked, Maille offers five varieties, including Dijon Originale with White Wine, Chablis White Wine, Wholegrain Chardonnay, Sauternes—and a new limited-edition Rosemary Honey that is infused with honey from the Pyrénées region and packaged in a verdant green stoneware jar. Complimentary samples are offered daily—and once purchased, Maille’s stoneware jars can be refilled at a reduced cost at any Maille boutique worldwide.
Maille has been making mustard aficionados tear with happiness since its founding in 1747 by Antoine Maille, the official vinegar maker at the royal court of King Louis XV. Maille’s flagship boutique in Dijon offers no less than eighty varieties, including seasonal mustards in flavors such as goat cheese pear or black truffle and celery root or Armagnac and prunes.
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Similar to the brand’s charming boutique on rue de la Liberté in Dijon, New York’s Maille mustard boutiques are designed with the company’s signature black and gold scheme and offer more than 20 mustard variations previously unavailable in the United States, as well as a selection of vinegars, oils, gherkins, kitchen accessories, and gift sets.
To celebrate the opening of Maille’s Flatiron flagship, Maille has created a New York City-themed gift set of four signature products. Curated by Huttner, the collection includes Dijon Originale with White Wine Mustard, Blue Cheese Mustard, Pesto and Arugula Mustard, as well as Berry Vinegar. Packaged in a black hatbox, the gift set also includes a tea towel and a wooden mustard spoon.
Maille’s spring/summer 2016 limited edition Collection les Jardins Secrets des Chefs features three garden-inspired Maille mustards in gift box and bag. All selections available at the New York boutiques, including mustard on tap, are available for domestic shipping at the Maille online shop.
