Cutting the Mustard

BrAssiCA MustArd Brings flAvour to Airdrie And Beyond

When it comes to mustard, passion is the byword for Desmond Johnston and Karen Davis.

The owners of Brassica Mustard, which recently opened shop in Airdrie, have spent more than a dozen years creating and perfecting their products – drawing on their global travel experiences, experimenting in the family kitchen and seeking out local producers for their ingredients. Even the name, Brassica, is indicative of their dedication to their culinary craft. “It’s the botanical name for ground mustard seed,” Davis says.

And why mustard? “It’s a real staple in the professional kitchen,” says Johnston, a professional chef who is currently at SAIT in the culinary program. As well, mustard is crosscultural, running the gamut from Indian to classical French. “It sort of fits everywhere,” he says, adding that whereas “ketchup is ketchup is ketchup,” there’s an incredible variety when it comes to mustard, along with a wide array of uses. One friend of the couple’s puts Brassica Cranberry Honey Mustard on toast in the morning and Johnston has even used that flavour mustard to make ice cream.

Johnston and Davis got started in the business 12 years ago, when they began making specialty mustards as Christmas presents and gifts for other occasions. “We started doing it for friends and family,” Johnston says.

The response was overwhelmingly positive from the gift recipients, who encouraged Johnston and Davis to take their expertise to the next level.“A lot of our friends were saying, ‘You should sell it,’” Johnston says.

The first step involved taking their products to the Redwood Meadows Christmas market. Apparently the public was as impressed as family and friends – they sold out in the first day. “We’ve had tremendous success,” Johnston says.

With that first hurdle behind them, the two began to design packaging and look seriously at a business plan, one which would allow them to focus on their No. 1 priority – staying home with their family.“We developed the business for the kids, so we can be with the kids,” Davis says.

When they began to look at expanding, Calgary-based Johnston and Davis did their research before deciding on a place to ply their trade. They had friends in Sharp Hills who introduced them to Airdrie and, after considering both cost and convenience, they made the decision a couple of years ago to purchase property in Kingsview Industrial Park.

“For us, it was a no-brainer,” Johnston says. “It’s actually easier for us to work in Airdrie than it is for us to get down to the Foothills Industrial Park (in Calgary).”

The warm welcome and personal interest shown by the City of Airdrie was also a factor.“Working with the City out here was a real pleasure,” Johnston says, adding that they also took into consideration the ability to expand in future years and an opportunity to develop a relationship with the City.

After receiving certification from the City in February 2010, they began to settle in to their new digs. The Brassica facility, which is warehouse in the back and kitchen in the front, is for more than just production of their own product, though. They also hope to be able to offer their kitchen for rent to other small food-producing businesses which don’t have easy access to an inspected kitchen.

“A lot of small producers like us don’t have anything like this,” Johnston says, adding that these producers often have to turn to friends with restaurants.

The Johnston-Davis family now consists of Shea, 11; John, 9; Milo, 4; and Beau, 2. Life may be hectic – getting the older children to school, hitting the bank, filling orders, making deliveries and regularly producing 400- to 450-litre batches of mustard – but despite the occasional logistical challenges both parents have enjoyed enough flexibility in their professional lives to maintain the stay-at-home priority. “We’ve flipflopped that role,” Johnston says.

For Davis and Johnston, good food has been a mainstay of family life. They both hail from large families that gathered in the kitchen and around the table and the same holds true today. If they can’t get together at mealtime because they are busy with soccer, baseball, swimming or other commitments, Davis says, they at least get together for a bedtime snack.

The children are also growing into active roles in the business. “They don’t really have a choice,” Johnston smiles. “They do enjoy it. They all enjoy working in the kitchen.” Adds Davis, “We try everything at home … and the kids try everything before we try to market [it].”

Daughter Shea began last year to help her parents at the markets, demonstrating a real knack for public relations.“She does a really, really good job at it – it’s fun,” Johnston says, adding that John has become more involved, as well.

The business may be relatively small at this point, but Davis and Johnston are content to take “baby steps” and continue growing at a slow pace. Along with selling through local markets and businesses, they have worked up into the commercial market, as well. “We’ve always had positive growth,” Johnston says.

Perhaps the best indicator of mustard’s popularity is that Brassica customers come from vari- ous demographics, from wealthy foodies to bluecollar workers. “Mustard is the everyman’s food,” Johnston says.

Their product’s appeal is also no doubt a result of its local and regional ingredients. For example, the mustard comes from the Warner, Alta., area; the honey comes from a honey co-operative in Three Hills.

Kitchen experimentation is ongoing and the couple is always on the lookout for different flavours to add to the current roster of cranberry honey, dill, horseradish and roasted garlic –flavours chosen because they are easily recognizable and familiar to buyers. “We wanted to choose things that were fairly ‘prairie,’” Johnston says.

Between the growing family and the growing business, Davis and Johnston have their hands full in the here and now. But they do have dreams for the future. Just as the word “chocolate” brings to mind another Calgary success story, Bernard Callebaut, Johnston hopes that when people say “mustard,” they think of Brassica.

“Maybe there’s a mustard chocolate,” he laughs. life

BrAssicA BArBecue sAuce

¼ cup canola oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

12 whole garlic cloves

2 cups tomato ketchup

1 small can tomato paste

1 cup apple cider vinegar

2 cups red wine

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. chili flakes

4 tbsp. dry thyme

2 tbsp. whole black peppercorns

4 whole cloves

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup brassica Dill Mustard in a large stainless saucepan over medium heat, sweat the onion, garlic, carrots and celery until slightly golden.

Add the remaining ingredients except the brassica Dill Mustard and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. strain and stir in the brassica Dill Mustard. Cool and use everywhere.

roAsted GArlic MustArd

And red Wine steAk

MArinAde

1 sprig fresh rosemary

¼ cup brassica roasted Garlic Mustard

1 cup red wine

1 tbsp. coarse ground black pepper

2 shallots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbsp. chili oil strip all the leaves off of the rosemary and place in a large bowl. Combine the remaining ingredients with the rosemary; mix thoroughly. Marinate the beef. recommended marinating time: 24 hours. Marinade can last up to one week refrigerated. story & photos by Carl Patzel

It may be a slight self-deprecating oxymoron, but I consider myself a modern caveman, at least when it comes to cuisine. Something about cranking on the natural gas and cooking over flame just gets the gastronomic juices flowing.

A gas connection and double-grill barbecue – one of the best house-warming gifts we ever received – have helped transform my backyard deck into an open-air culinary kitchen.

Glimmering stainless steel, speedometerlike temperature gauges and polished wooden handles have all encouraged a fascination with the open flame and induced many fresh approaches to spicing up a meal.

Yes, I love barbecuing.

My love of eating led to lifelong fanaticism for following recipes and coming up with new and exciting ways to present the family meal.

Like many Albertans, I haven’t yet met a steak I didn’t like. Rib-eye, sirloin and even salmon steaks have all graced my grill. Pork chops, tenderloin and chicken, too.

A little fat marbling will go a long way in the flavour department. Add a little spice and some criss-crossing sear marks and you have a succulent suppertime success.

Rare and medium-rare weren’t always in my vocabulary until a few tender meat lovers enticed me to the less-is-more cooking method.

A rare to medium-rare filet mignon retains more juices and tenderness because it spends less time on a super-hot grill. Preheating the barbecue to between 400 C and 500 C before applying the protein will help accomplish this.

Using tongs, you can test for ‘doneness’ by gauging the flexibility of the meat. A welldone piece of meat will be rigid, while rare and medium-rare will be more bendable. Compare this to the raw product and with a little practice you can be confident in uttering that ultimate grilling question: How do you like your steak?

As for flavour, your steak is only as good as your seasoning. Fresh ground pepper is used every day in our house, and when the flame is on, Montreal Steak Spice is not far behind.

Looking to spice things up just a little more this summer, I took out the chef’s chemistry set and came up with my own tasty twist on flavour.

I call it Monster Marinade.

Coming from the eye-ball-measuring school, most of the following ingredients can be added or subtracted to taste and doubled depending on the amount of beef, pork or chicken used. life more life online nifty chef’s knives at www.airdrielife.com

Monster MArinAde

3-5 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tsp. soya sauce (light can be used) several dashes of Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste) fresh ground pepper dash of salt (or sprinkle of Montreal steak spice)

1-2 tbsp. brown sugar for a little variety you could use two different cuts of meat, the cheaper cut smothered in the Monster Marinade and the more expensive selection just seasoned with a spice mix.

Mix all the ingredients together and apply liberally to the meat. This can be done an hour or longer before cooking. Also remember to have the meat near room temperature for consistent results over the flame. Cold or partially frozen meat will be cooler in the middle, resulting in more cooking time and unpredictable ‘doneness.’ This marinade recipe easily covers four large rib-eye steaks. you can also mix in a bit of your favourite barbecue sauce to give it a little extra kick or add familiarity. The final product will give your main course a sweet-and-sour quality, ending with a little jolt in the heat department, thanks to the cayenne pepper.

No matter how you approach the grill, Neanderthal-like or channelling bobby flay, keeping an open mind to flavour can only help in your quest for fire this barbecue season.