Why it works: Mustard and horseradish match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,832 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Tartar Mustard
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mustard
In a bowl, mix the Durham mustard and salt until smooth.
Gradually add the horseradish vinegar, stirring continuously.
Add the cayenne or chili vinegar to the mixture.
For extra flavor, add tarragon vinegar if desired.
Prepare the horseradish vinegar
To prepare horseradish vinegar, pour boiling vinegar over scraped horseradish and let it sit covered overnight, preferably for 2-3 days before using.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Mustard + horseradishtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,832 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Mustard + vinegartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,067 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + horseradishtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,609 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Durham mustard
- Provides the main mustard flavor and the thick body of the sauce.
- Horseradish vinegar
- Carries sharp horseradish heat and acidity into the mustard.
- Scraped horseradish
- Supplies pungent, volatile heat that infuses into the vinegar.
- Cayenne or chili vinegar
- Adds additional background heat and a pungent, spicy edge.
The step that matters
Let the horseradish vinegar steep. Horseradish's sharp heat comes from compounds released when it is cut or grated and then dissolved into hot vinegar over time. Steeping it overnight, or for 2-3 days as recommended, lets the flavor fully extract before it is mixed into the mustard.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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