This past May, my mom and I took a weeklong trip to Paris, and it was delicious.
As you can imagine, most of the trip revolved around eating, from our pastry making class to our food tour of Le Marais (cheese, charcuterie and chocolate, oh my!), to my daily morning trek in search of the perfect croissant......which I finally found three miles from our rented apartment.
Oh yeah. I earned every buttery, flaky bite.
We also did our share of culinary shopping. I mean, when in Paris....
One of our favorite finds was the adorable Maille mustard shop at Place de la Madeleine, a must visit for a mayonnaise-avoider like myself, whose condiment of choice will always be mustard.
Now, I was familiar with Maille's Dijon Originale and Old Style Whole Grain varietals, which are both widely distributed, but I had no idea what I was in for when I entered the shop.
In short, it was mustard heaven.
For those of you who don't know, Maison Maille has been making mustard since 1747, and they are famous for producing an exquisite array of tastes and textures in their 80+flavors.
Inside, rows upon rows of uniquely named mustards in colorful jars were stacked from floor to ceiling.
Pistache et Orange.....Cognac......Rhubarbe Pointe de Fraise.......Mangue et Epices Thai.
This was going to be tough. I grabbed a basket and started filling it up.
I ended up with a good varietal, which we are still working our way through at home (but it's disappearing quickly!) The mustards make outstanding dipping sauces for sausages, and they are fun inspiration for elevated sandwiches or to pair with cheese and charcuterie plates. Definitely one of my best purchases in Paris!
(If you're fortunate enough to live in New York, London, Dijon, Sydney or Melbourne, Maille has shops in these cities, too.)
The mustards were boxed in this handy wooden crate at checkout, perfect for carrying back home. A smart option for the many, many tourists that were visiting the shop.
One of my favorite parts of "Maison Maille" were the mustards that they had "on tap," which the saleslady would pour on the spot into these cute, reusable ceramic jars. I opted for the truffle varietal, which tastes unbelievably good on a slice of aged Gruyere cheese.
MAILLE GIVEAWAY!!
I hardly ever do giveaways on this blog. In fact, I think this might be my third giveaway in over 400 posts. That said, if I really love a product and want to spread the love to my readers, then yes, I will promote the heck out of it. After I returned from Paris, I contacted the friendly folks at Maille and asked if they would partner with me to create a gift pack of products for one of you.
****NOTE--THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED!!*****
Here's the opportunity for you to win a selection of Maille products with which you can experiment, including:
In honor of the giveaway, also created a new recipe, inspired by both Maille's wonderful products and these last few weeks of summer, during which I find myself outside grilling more often than not. Here, I've taken a traditional French recipe, Nicoise salad, and given it a healthy summer barbecue twist, incorporating grilled chicken and vegetables drizzled with a sweet and tangy maple-mustard vinaigrette.
Be sure to make extra vinaigrette, as I did in the recipe. It's bound to become a new favorite.
To enter the giveaway (U.S. residents, only), please either leave a comment below, telling me your favorite kind of mustard, or tweet me with your favorite kind (@pbandjulie) and be sure to use the hashtag #myMaille.
Good luck!
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:39]
Carole Resnick
anything spicy
Elaine Sweet
Horseradish mustard and spicy hot brown mustard
Dasch Jones
This looks so good! Do you think snap peas would work instead of green beans? My favourite mustard was a sweet honey-balsamic mustard I bought and couldn't ever find again... Sadness! Thanks for the recipe!
Julie @ Peanut Butter and Julie
Yes! I think that snap peas would be a great substitution -- adding a little bit of crisp sweetness to the salad. That honey-balsamic sounds divine. Good luck with the giveaway!
Karen
Because I live in the Middle-of-Nowhere, Montana, my favorite mustard is good ol' Dijon 🙂 That salad looks beautiful *and* delicious!
Julie @ Peanut Butter and Julie
Haha! Thanks so much, Karen. Hope you are well! Good luck 🙂
Judith
I love wasabi mustard! So good in sandwiches.
Denise M
I am a fan of spicy brown mustard
manda shank
Love Dijon mustard.
sherryb
The mustard with onions and balsamic hit the spot with sausages, sandwich spreads, as well as for a salad dressing. I love the grainy country mustards to use with prosciutto and cheese in making pinwheels but think I will try some of the other flavors instead the next time I prepare them.
Loved your article. The salad looked wonderful! Please come make it for us!!!
Susan Christy
I love Spicy Mustard #myMaille
Amy L
I always have a jar of my favorite Maille Dijon in my fridge. I use it in salad dressings, on sandwiches, chicken breasts, pork chops, sauces....I use it a lot
Julie @ Peanut Butter and Julie
Thanks, Amy! Isn't it a great product? I use it on everything, too. Will need to try it on pork chops, next!
Brittany Koelmel
I love dijon mustard! These are so beautiful, the photography is great!
Julie @ Peanut Butter and Julie
Thanks so much, Brittany -- good luck!
Kristen
Holy....Blue Cheese Mustard???? That sounds amazing! My usual favorite is Dijon.