Sticky, Spicy, Sweet: Maille’s Honey Balsamic Dijon Mustard Comes to America

As I mentioned before, in the last weeks before we left London, we were overwhelmed by packing.  Can we import this?  Should we bother importing this?  I’m very indecisive, so choice is a true torture for me.  Thankfully, the moving company had offered me no choice about one thing.  Don’t pack alcohol, they told us, it could delay your stuff for months.

In London every possible occasion had meant that we became the recipient of some bottle of alcohol.  Bottles of wine from my boss for the holidays.  Bottles of champagne from our engagement.  Even a bottle of Jonny Walker Blue that we inherited for hosting an Opening Ceremony party.  We had them stacked on bookshelves in the kitchen.  And so in the spirit of waste not want not, we had a liquor cabinet party down in the garden of our London apartment one early summer evening.  It was a very plastic-cups affair, everyone showed up, and by midnight, all our beautiful bottles were reduced to recycling.

While I’m not a big drinker (that night I dribbled some crème de pêche I’d picked up in Paris into my sparkling water for my usual almost-virgin Kir Royale), I am a big eater, and the idea of a party without food just isn’t a party for me.  I had some jars of Maille mustard that I also wanted to use up before the move.

I’ve been SAVING this recipe since June until I could announce that finally, my favorite jar of Maille mustard, the Honey Balsamic Dijon, is available in the US.  Maille makes a phenomenal, smooth, spicy honey mustard, and this balsamic version has a bit more sweet-tart complexity from the vinegar.  But my favorite part is its gorgeous near-black color.  A stunner.  I love it in sandwiches, of course, and in vinaigrettes, but I think it is particularly wonderful in marinades and glazes.

Britain makes wonderful sausages, and they even make very gourmet cocktail-sized versions.  I threw together a two-second glaze of Maille Honey Balsamic Dijon mustard, Maille old-fashioned whole grain mustard for texture, honey for sweet glazing thickness and to emphasize the sweetness in the mustard, fresh thyme and rosemary, and salt.  Toss the sausages in the mustards and honey, spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and broil, turning once.  It is so easy.  The honey caramelizes and gets sticky, and the mustards stay bright and spicy and slightly acidic.  I threw them all into a bowl with some cocktail sticks and a sprinkling of more fresh herbs, and they were by far everyone’s favorite of the night, gone long before the wine and whisky.

You can buy Maille Honey Dijon with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena online.