Don't Mess with My Jaw!

A renown Alsatian-born chef reveals his secret mustard for Choucroute Garnie

Whenever I’m traveling around, picking up slang here and there in France, I never know when a certain phrase might come in handy. I certainly never thought I’d use this one: “Tu te fous de ma gueule.”

Literally, it means something like “you’re messing with my jaw,” (though much less polite!), but figuratively, it means something like “you’re pulling my leg” (though again, much less polite).

But I got a chance to use it the other night when I asked the waiter at Baru 66 to tell me what kind of mustard chef David Baruthio was serving with his marvelous choucroute garni.

The server asked the highly acclaimed Baruthio (who is from Alsace, the birthplace of Choucroute Garni). The answer? After numerous taste-tests of possible contenders Baruthio chose…..French’s.

I sent back a note to the kitchen: “French’s?” I wrote. “Tu te fous de ma gueule.”

The waiter came back with a brown bag and asked me to open it and sure

Of course, French's gets a little help from France (in the form of Cognac!)

enough, inside was a plastic squeeze-bottle of French’s mustard. (Clearly, the server wasn’t going to traipse through the dining room with a container of French’s in full view.)

I still didn’t believe it, because the wonderful mustard I was being served glistened, and had a nice depth of flavor that I don’t quite get in French’s (which I certainly use for summer weenie roasts, by the way, but it’s not my choice for Choucroute Garnie).

Turns out, Baruthio was only partially messing with my jaw. He came out to explain that he mixes French’s mustard with a little bit of Cognac. Aha! I knew there was a secret to getting some more depth to the mustard. At any rate, Baruthio claims that the French’s mustard/Cognac combo best approximates the mustard that would be served with Choucroute Garnie in Alsace.

Who knew?

Choucroute Garnie Ce Soir (Braises Just One Hour)

And yes, I have a Choucroute Garnie recipe in my book. Well, actually, two: One is quick braise that can be done in an hour, making it a great choice for Tuesday night. The other takes a little longer to braise, because it includes some salt pork belly, but it’s hands-off simmering time and not difficult at all. It’s a great choice for a weekend meal.

In fact, I just served Choucroute Garni Ce Soir (the easy version) the other night. And if you don’t feel like cooking, head to Baru 66 and have an Alsatian chef cook his version for you.

Takaway from all this? For a true-to-Alsace version of mustard to serve with Choucroute Garnie, mix a little bit of Cognac with some French’s mustard. Sounds good to me!