On blooming mustard seeds.....

        "Blooming mustard seeds" or "pickling mustard seeds" is a simple technique I picked up when I staged at Aldea. It's a neat way of adding mustardy notes to your dishes without acquiring that pungent flavor that regular mustard offers.

Basically what you want to do is take your basic pickling recipe and boil the mustard seeds for one minute (the ratio of mustard seeds to pickling liquid should be 1:2). After the minute is up let the mustard seeds cool at room temperature inside the same pot or pan you cooked them in. Store in a qt container and place in the cooler overnight. Whats going to happen now is that the mustard seeds will absorb the extra liquid overnight and take on the flavor profiles of whatever pickling liquid you used. Whenever I make this at the restaurant I'll use white balsamic vinegar, sugar, and bay leaves as my pickling liquid and I'll add just enough sugar to counter balance the acidity of the white balsamic. You definitely don't want it sweet though, unless you need it like that for a specific application. These pickled mustard seeds go great with pate or a liver mousse of any kind; basically anything that is heavy on fat. The acidity and subtle mustard notes that it provides cuts through the richness and provides a harmonious balance. It also goes great as an extra component on salads. In all reality the possibilities are endless.