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Interview with Chef Eric Rupert

 

We are pleased to announce that Eric Rupert is now the resident chef at the Mustard Horeb Mustard Museum. Eric is a chef of twenty years, cooking regionally and seasonally in the Madison, Wisconsin area. He is chef-instructor of Through the Seasons Cooking School at Madison's L'Etoile Restaurant.

 

Here's what Eric had to say in a recent interview:

 

Mustard Museum:

How important is mustard in today's cuisine?

 

Eric Rupert:

America is where all the world's cuisines have assembled in a true melting pot. Mustard is often the bridge, the portal, that brings cuisines together into a new expression of food.  Chefs appreciate the powers of mustard.

 

Museum:

You've worked with Barry Levenson, Curator of the Mustard Museum. Is he really that crazy?

 

Eric:

If you think a man who brings circus peanuts and Belgian ale to visit and insists on eating them together is crazy, then I suppose he is. I consider him an inspiration to aspiring chefs and gourmands everywhere.

 

Museum:

Do you have any favorite styles of mustard?

 

Eric:

I have lots of favorite mustards, but I seem to prefer those that are fairly simple, without a lot of different ingredients. You know, "Less is more." I think a well-stocked kitchen will have sweet-hot, herb, smooth French Dijon, grainy Dijon, horseradish, and yellow mustard.

 

Museum:

That surprises us. We thought chefs look down their noses at yellow mustard.

 

Eric:

No way! I love it. One of my favorite fish recipes requires a prodigious amount of good old American yellow mustard. I marinate catfish fillets in yellow mustard for two to three hours, then roll them in seasoned cornmeal. Pan fry the fish and, wow!

 

Museum:

What other suggestions can you make for helping upgrade our own personal cuisine?

 

Eric:

Keep things simple. A few high-quality ingredients and good techniques will produce memorable dishes more than a lot of mediocre ingredients and dazzling techniques any day. Mustard as a sauce component is a perfect example (See Seed Mustard Cream Sauce Recipe). I can tell you that people will remember a great mustard sauce for years.

 

Museum:

Anything new on the mustard horizon?

 

Eric:

Barry and I are working on a mustard crème brulee. It will be fabulous! People may not think of mustard as something for dessert but it makes a lot of sense to me.

 

Museum:

Do you have any great mustard memories that you'd like to share?

 

Eric:

I once caught my daughter - she was only six at the time - eating mustard straight out of the jar. She didn't just double dip, she must have quadruple dipped! I was very proud of her.

 

 

Do you have any mustard cooking questions for Chef Eric Rupert? You can write to him at The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum or e-mail him in care of the curator: [email protected].

 

The Mount Horeb Mustard Museum

PO Box 468

Mount Horeb, WI 53572