You can make this beautiful canapé in minutes: it’s just a slice of baguette topped with Italian salami (sopressata) and a dab of Anton Kozlik’s Triple Crunch Mustard.  We added a pinwheel of enoki mushrooms for added fun and flavor, but could have used a basil leaf, other herb sprig, or nothing at all. Photo by Melody Lan.

Anton Kozlik’s Mustard:
Mustard That’s A Must

CAPSULE REPORT: We love mustard—we own more than two dozen varieties, from “plain” Dijon to Champagne, Colman’s, garlic, honey, horseradish, lemon, Meaux, raspberry, shallot, walnut, watercress, and our reigning favorite of the last several years, Roquefort. So when one of THE NIBBLE’s advisors, a food industry expert, recommended Anton Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard, we didn’t expect much that was new and exciting beyond the lovely mustards we already enjoyed from Laurent du Clos, Maille and other gourmet mustards. Boy, were we wrong. We’ve been busy thinking of reasons to give a mustard gift to everyone we know.

Anton Kozlik’s makes thirty-three gourmet mustards. We have tried only six to date, but they make us long for the rest of the family. They have redefined what we think of as mustard: not an incidental condiment, but a flavoring we can build a dish around. They are smooth, urbane and surprising: “crossover” condiments that can be taken right from the jar and used as sauces, dips and more. Read the full review below.

We’ll talk more about Anton Kozlik’s mustards in a bit; but first, some background on mustard. After the peppercorn, the mustard seed is the most frequently used spice in the U.S., in the form of prepared mustard: ground mustard seed mixed with a liquid to create a paste. Mustard is a versatile condiment; there simply is no other that adds so much flavor to so many different foods: with beef, pork, charcuterie*, lamb, poultry, fish and seafood; on sandwiches, in sauces and salad dressings; as a flavored butter or a compound butter† that can be used to make sauces, including pasta toppings; as a bread spread, on pretzels and in dips...with almost no incremental calories, no carbs and no added fat. And it’s high in protein and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and niacin. No wonder back in France a few hundred years ago, people waited for dinner until the moutardier came to their block, selling freshly made mustard from the barrel.

*Charcuterie (shahr-KOO-tuh-ree) includes sausages, ham, pâtés, terrines, rillettes, galantines and other meat products, generally pork-based, that are cured, smoked, or processed.

†A compound butter is softened sweet butter flavored with herbs, garlic, wine or other seasonings, including mustard, generally rolled into a log shape and refrigerated until needed. Slices are cut from the roll and placed directly on hot meat, fish or vegetable or pasta, where it melts immediately, creating a sauce. Any butter can be flavored; it is the creation of the log that creates the reference to a compound butter.

Anton Kozlik’s is a second-generation company, begun in 1948 by Kozlik père and now operated by Kozlik fils.  Why “Canadian mustard?” Civic pride. There is no particular style of mustard called “Canadian,” but Canada grows 90% of the world’s mustard (who would have thought?). What makes the mustards so special? Quality, a small company dedicated to making craft mustards using artisanal techniques, and recipes. All of the mustards are a blend of the three different mustard seeds and/or powders: white (actually yellow), the mildest; brown, the  medium strength, and black (also known as Oriental), the hottest. They are described below.

And what to do with this treasure trove of mustards? First—and we mean this sincerely—have your food-loving friends over for a gourmet mustard tasting. You can throw in beer, wine or mineral water; but the exploration of these exciting mustards—plus low-carb and low-cal gastronomical fun with crudités, strips of turkey, hard-boiled egg and boiled potato slices, and our favorite Bilinski’s chicken sausages—should be temptation enough. You can go to tier two and add on the charcuterie, cheeses, breads and fixings so that everyone can make his or her own mini-sandwiches and canapés.

Next, brainstorm with your guests about how you would use the mustards, which are divided into Hot, Sweet, and Savory flavors (the company’s website offers recipes to go with each). This is what we do at THE NIBBLE every day (with different products each day, of course); then we take the brainstorming results and put them into practice to see what works best. You don’t have to do that at your party, but everyone can take home a jar of the leftover mustard and put something into practice.

Varieties Of Kozlik Mustards

What We Tasted

• Balsamic Figs & Dates.The fruity name belies how hot this mustard is: it sends a pronounced but pleasant mustard tingle up the nose. With its combination of fruits, balsamic instead of plain or white wine vinegar, and the added crunch of whole white mustard seeds, this complex and fascinating mustard (it is seasoned with sherry and vanilla) is a true gourmet’s condiment. We paired it with loin of pork, duck, charcuterie, grilled sausages and some equally complex meat and cheese sandwiches, onto which we added some fresh sliced figs.
• Double C (for Crunch). Cracked brown and whole yellow mustard seed, this is the bright yellow, grainy mustard in the photo above. It’s the most traditional way of making mustard, and one of the most versatile. If there were an ultimate gourmet deli, this is the mustard it would serve: elegant yet textured, crunchy and silky at the same time. It’s savory without the heat: the flavor notes are the mustard itself and the white wine vinegar. A beautiful mustard for deli sandwiches, ham, franks, anything grilled, as a rub, and as a replacement for anything bright yellow you may currently own. Owner Jeremy Kozlik highly recommends it with asparagus.
• Garlic. The label on this bottle reads, “Hot & Delectable Garlic,” but if you’re looking to get clobbered by heat and garlic, you’ll need to continue searching. This mustard is a little bit hot and a little bit garlicky, but a lot smooth and elegant—which, based on our sample of six, appears to be the profile of Anton Kozlik’s Canadian Mustards. This is an all-purpose mustard: to add flavor to sauces and vinaigrettes; for sandwiches, hot dogs and hamburgers; for any purpose you might use Dijon for but instead want something a little different. We ran out to the pretzel vendor in Central Park, got two large pretzels and tried the vendor’s Gulden’s (which we had always enjoyed) alongside Anton Kozlik’s Garlic. The difference: sophistication.
• Sweet & Smokey. One word is missing in the name: hot. This is a hot honey mustard with lots of smoke flavor. We ran out to try it on another pretzel: perfection! We won’t go into detail about the other foods we tried with it, because we began with poached eggs on toast in the morning and didn’t conclude until late-evening snacks. If you like this combination of flavors, buy several jars, because you will be putting it on everything.
• Triple Crunch. This is the beautiful, whole-grain mustard in the photo of the canapé at the very top of the page, and the mustard peeking out at the bottom left of the group photo above. Not only is it visually arresting; it tastes as good as it looks. Triple crunch for sure: a combination of white, brown and black mustard seeds, this mustard is a pure textural experience. Because the seeds are not crushed, it isn’t hot in the least—the flavor is more nutty than mustardy. It can garnish a piece of fish for a main course as easily as a scallop or a slice of sausage or a potato cup for an hors d’oeuvre. It can add texture to light sauces or create its own sauce with some butter and fresh herbs. And of course, it still does everything other mustards do.

Today, your personal moutardier is the Anton Kozlik’s website: freshly-made mustards will arrive at your doorstep in as many flavors as you wish. We really do recommend a mustard-tasting party: Where else can friends get together, focus on fine food for so few calories and so little money, and have so much fun on the voyage of discovery? Send your tasting notes to THE NIBBLE—we could use your help with the other twenty-seven flavors.

—Karen Hochman

FORWARD THIS NIBBLE to everyone who is looking for something new and exciting to put on their plates, and dieters who want a flash of incredible flavor without the calories.

ANTON KOZLIK’s CANADIAN MUSTARDS Hot, Savory, & Sweet Mustards (see chart above for flavors) 8-Ounce Jar $5.99 Purchase online at MustardMaker.com Or telephone 1.416.361.9788.

A shelf full of mustard wonderment. With thirty flavors, it’s hard to decide where to start; but you won’t be disappointed if you order one of everything we tasted.

Click here to read about some of our other favorites		Related Articles in THE NIBBLE Online Magazine
...and check out some of our favorite serveware and books on condiments, below.		Mustard Glossary: Types of Mustard, Terms & Definitions Lulu Gourmet Mayonnaises & Mustards Real Wasabi

Mustard & Condiment Guides

On the Side : More Than 100 Recipes for the Sides, Salads, and Condiments That Make the Meal, by Jessica Harris. Make delicious mustards, salsas, chutneys, relishes and savory sauces that will liven up any plate. From piquant condiments to flavorful side dishes, from mild to spicy, the book teaches us that there are always accompaniments to please every palate. Click here for more information.	Spices, Condiments, and Seasonings, by Kenneth Farrell. For those interested in the details of spices, condiments and seasonings, 58 of the more important spices are detailed along with five popular spice blends and several sauce mixes. With this book, you can learn everything from the nutritional data of spices to the historical background of mustards. Click here for more information.	Gourmet Mustards: The How-To's of Making and Cooking With Mustards, by Helene Sawyer and Cheryl Long. Featuring over 125 recipes showcasing the versatility and variety of mustards available, the authors teach cooks how to incorporate the spicy condiment into delicious, heart-healthy recipes with clear and concise instructions. Click here for more information.

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