No need to re-invent the culinary wheel when working with mustard, as it’s a true superhero ingredient. Mustard applications have vast menu potential, especially considering the range of mild to strong flavors to work with when creating on-trend recipes.

Menu developers can straddle the line between tried-and-true favorites and new-fangled creations. Timber Kitchen and Bar in Bangor, Maine, demonstrates the irresistibility of classics with their brunch Sunday Roast of carved bourbon-glazed baked ham with maple mustard. The Bindery in Denver pushes boundaries and dials up the unexpected with a brunch Dutch baby pancake called the Bad Baby. It delights expectations with Gruyère, ham and mustard gelato.

Here are two approaches that offer menu-ready flavor discovery leveraging mustard.

MUSTARD COMBINATIONS

The interplay of mustard with other ingredients can tweak flavor profiles in exciting ways. Simple yet bold one-ingredient mustard additions create a clean flavor dynamic that pulls a dish together and grabs menu attention. Create a signature statement with mustard kicked up with a strategic flavor partner, whether it’s a mainstream or emerging flavor.

PLUS-ONE ADDITIONS:

• Chiles, hot sauces, pastes or powders
• Tequila or mezcal
• Chimichurri (green or red)

ON THE MENU:

• Double Cut Berkshire Pork Chop: Kohlrabi slaw, Asian pear, soy mustard —Southbound, Charleston, S.C.
• Blondette Burger: Smoked cheddar, duck fat, tarragon mustard, brioche — Blondette, Minneapolis, Minn.
• Pigs In A Blanket with violet whole grain mustard — Roshambo, Atlanta
• Deluxe Chop-Chop: Chopped chicken breast, lettuce and tomatoes served over yellow rice, mutard and curry signature sauce — Chicken Kitchen, Miami

SWEETENED MUSTARD

Mustard offers an easy pathway to the sweet-heat trend. Honey mustard and maple mustard stand the test of time, providing a beautiful complement to savory and spicy flavors. Utilize both to ground contemporary tastes in a familiar feeling.

PLUS-ONE ADDITIONS:

• Date syrup
• Okinawan black sugar, crushed
• Apple or roasted sweet potato butter

ON THE MENU:

• BBQ Brisket On a Pretzel Roll: 14-hour barbecue beef brisket with sweet chile hickory glaze, slaw, banana peppers, spicy honey mustard barbecue sauce on a locally made pretzel bun — The Stand, based in Encino, Calif.
• French Onion Grilled Cheese: Caramelized onion, Gruyère cheese, maple mustard, add bacon — Insula, Ely, Minn.
• Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Two buttermilk-marinated chicken breasts with pepper-Jack cheese, jalapeño-honey mustard, lettuce and tomato — Good Friend, Dallas
• Sodduk Skewer (Korean street food): Flash-fried rice cake with pork sausage smothered with gochujang sauce and honey mustard drizzle — The Bite Of Korea, Tucker, Ga.

FEATURED RECIPE

Photo Credit: Smithfield Culinary

These Reuben Egg Rolls are paired with a memorable dipping sauce, made simply by combining Chinese hot mustard with yellow mustard.

GET THE RECIPE FOR Reuben Egg Rolls