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2 serrano chiles, seeded and minced (substitute jalapeños if necessary)

2 tablespoons/16 grams chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons/24 grams chopped fresh mint

1. Cut the tomatoes in half and cold-smoke (see page 77) for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Season corn with salt and pepper, rub with a little oil, and grill over an open flame until golden brown. Cook. Cut the kernels off the cob using a sharp knife.

3. Place the tomatoes in a food processor with the garlic and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and stir gently to mix. Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Yield: 3 cups/750 milliliters

Three Mustards

These three mustards, each very different in flavor, show off mustard’s versatility. Paired with a tart fruit, a spicy vegetable, or an unusual aromatic, it can be used variously as a sauce for a single sausage or a plate of sliced sausages, as well as for pâtés. Each uses the same technique: egg yolks, liquid, dry mustard, and the main flavoring ingredients are cooked over simmering water till thickened, then cooled before serving. These will keep for a week to ten days refrigerated in an airtight container.

TART CHERRY MUSTARD

Brian created this tart fruit mustard to make use of one of Michigan’s outstanding natural products. It goes well with pork and sausages, especially Teutonic ones such as Thuringer, hunter, and summer sausages.

2 tablespoons/18 grams Colman’s dry mustard

3 large egg yolks

1⁄2 cup/125 milliliters cranberry juice

3 tablespoons/45 milliliters white wine vinegar

1⁄4 teaspoon/2 grams salt, or more to taste

1⁄2 tablespoon/10 milliliters Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons/30 grams light brown sugar

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons/50 grams finely chopped dried tart cherries

1. Combine all the ingredients except the cherries in a metal bowl or the top of a double boiler and cook over simmering water, whisking continuously, but gently until thickened and smooth, about 15 minutes; a whisk drawn through the mustard should leave a line. Do not whisk it too vigorously, or it will become frothy. Remove from the heat and add the cherries. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

2. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled.

Yield: 1 cup/250 milliliters

GREEN CHILE MUSTARD

Flavored with roasted green chile peppers and tequila, this mustard goes particularly well with smoked chicken sausages, duck sausage, and pork terrines.

1 poblano chile

1 jalapeño chile

1 tablespoon/8 grams cumin seeds

1 tablespoon/8 grams pure chile powder

1 tablespoon/9 grams Colman’s dry mustard

1⁄4 cup/60 milliliters malt vinegar

3⁄4 cup/185 milliliters lager beer

1⁄4 cup/185 milliliters honey

3 tablespoons/45 milliliters tequila

4 large egg yolks

1. Roast the chiles over an open flame or under a broiler, turning frequently, until the skin turns black and blisters. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool.

2. Peel the chile peppers, cut them in half, remove the seeds, and mince.

3. In a small dry sauté pan, toast the cumin seeds and chili powder briefly over medium-high heat, just until they release their fragrance, about 2 minutes (be careful not to burn them).

4. Transfer the toasted spices to a metal bowl or the top of a double boiler and add the chiles and the remaining ingredients. Cook over simmering water, whipping continuously but gently, approximately 15 minutes, until smooth and thickened, just slightly looser than a mayonnaise. Do not whisk too vigorously or it will become frothy. Remove from the heat.

5. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled.

Yield: About 2 cups/500 milliliters

CARAWAY-BEER MUSTARD

One of the oldest cultivated spice plants in the West, caraway is now used mainly in German cooking, notably in breads and pastries, as well as in cheeses and pickles and braised dishes. Combining as it does the flavors of beer, caraway, and mustard, this is, not surprisingly, a perfect sauce to serve with German sausages such as summer sausage or Thuringer.

2 tablespoons/18