Help with Christmas gift idea... Homemade Mustard and ???

[The Oracle]

I'm working on figuring Christmas gifts. I want to make something I can prepare ahead of time. DH liked the idea of homemade mustard - so, I plan to make some spicy brown mustard (in mid-October) and put it in jars, etc as gifts. But, that doesn't seem enough of a gift. Any ideas of something else to accompany the spicy mustard??

I know pretzels are a given, but I won't have time to be whipping up batches of pretzels the week before Christmas.

The other idea I had was to do different types of mustard - and gift a mustard trio, or something like that... but that felt like mustard overload! ...especially for whomever I gift that doesn't like mustard!

[Ruthie789]

If you like cretons, those can be made ahead of time and keep well. I put them in a square pan cut into squares and wrap in parchment paper. They are just very easy to make. Would be nice to have in a basket with a nice loaf of crusty bread! Or a purchased pate would go nice with your mustard and loaf of crusty bread.

[laliz]

a nice decorative spreader and a loaf of (purchased) specialty bread

[Father Kitchen]

I'd pair it with chutney and maybe a block of sharp cheddar cheese.

[Frosty Melon]

My mom makes a nice mild sausage to go with her spicy mustard. Served with cheese or crackers or just by themselves. Delicious.

[DuchessNukem]

Hmm. Target always has nice canisters of long pretzels which would go well; could add a dried sausage (Costco has boxes at holidays).

Nuts.com has a soft pretzel flour mix -- you could attach a yeast packet (and salt packet if desired), nicely printed instrux and gift with the mustard.
http://nuts.com/cookingbaking/mixes/soft-pretzels.html

Other homemade items that might fill out the gift:

Homemade nut butters: get raw peanuts, sunflower seeds, almonds; roast gently (under strict observation/burn quickly!) in oven; then cool, rub off skins if applicable, and place in food processor. Add a bit of salt, honey/spices/chocolate/etc., if desired. Pack nicely into jars. These are only recommended at room temp for about two weeks, so need refrigeration if intended to keep longer (and best not made in Oct.).

Quick freezer jams (I posted on another thread recently about a savory yellow tomato jam, lovely) -- make ahead, keep frozen, pull out before visit. Inform recipient that needs refrigeration.

Savory Chex-mix-style snack mix or pub nuts -- but with upscale ingredients.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes...

[grayelf]

Would you be interested in making a flavoured vinegar or oil? Then they'd have the makings of a nice vinaigrette.

[The Oracle]

That is an excellent idea! I've never ventured into flavored vinegars or oils, but I love the idea of gifting the components for a vinaigrette!

[jlhinwa]

Pickled grapes...I made those for gifts last year along with sweet & spicy nuts. Though not to everyone's taste, they were a hit with most. I love them!

[Tara57]

Cheese straws
Chutney, relish, pickles
Jelly
Pretty jar of soup mix or bread mix. Maybe beer bread mix with a fancy bottle of beer.
Seasoned nuts -- sweet, savory, or spicy
Chex mix
Cookies or candy don't exactly combine with mustard, but no one would complain!

[Bethcooks]

A mustard spoon tied to jar with a nice ribbon and bow?

[The Oracle]

Love the mustard spoon idea! Thank you!

[cheesecake17]

Homemade crackers
And a great recipe for using the mustard

[hippiechickinsing]

My first thought was also pretzels. :)
What about a homemade ketchup? I've never made any, it just seemed to go with the mustard.

[chefathome]

This was my thought, too. I make all sorts of awesome ketchups. Why not make mustard, a BBQ sauce and/or bacon jam with caramelized onions?

Seasoning blends and rubs also make great gifts.

So doesn't go with mustard but I make vanilla bean extract for Christmas gifts.

[The Oracle]

Fantastic ideas!! I'm laughing that I didn't think of ketchup! I've been wanting to make bacon jam for ages, so I may just try this! How long do you think ketchup, BBQ sauce and/or bacon jam would last (refrigerated)?

Any killer recipes anyone would care to share? (I will scour the boards as well).

...I made a mean BBQ rub a few months ago (if only I wrote down the exact measurements!) but I was also thinking about recreating that for gifts but felt it needed something else - a BBQ sauce + rub would be great!

@chefathome -I was seriously considering vanilla bean extract this year, but opted against it after wading through all the various threads about bean to vodka ratios and needing 6 months to create. Perhaps for 2013! :)

[biondanonima]

Bacon jam lasts for at least a month in the fridge - I make it regularly and I've never had it go bad. It also freezes really well (at least my recipe for it does).

[The Oracle]

I'm really loving the bacon jam idea. Care to share your recipe? The ones I've been finding online are either a bourbon bacon or ones that add coffee.... both sound interesting! Glad there is time to experiment!

Edit to add: Found this thread and now my head is really spinning! There's even a version with port! YUM

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/754195

[biondanonima]

Yeah, my recipe has evolved but it is still fairly similar to the Homesick Texan one I referenced in that thread. I would call that my "usual" bacon jam, but I have made many variations, including a non-spicy version with maple syrup and caramelized onions, etc. I need to try a port version soon!