This was actually the first recipe I made after I bought Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table, before French Fridays with Dorie even started. I was happy to see this recipe on the docket because they were relatively easy to make and quite delicious.

Mustard Bâtons is yet another one of Dorie’s versatile template-more-than-recipes to add to your repertoire. The first time, I made this recipe “straight” with a fresh bottle of Dijon mustard and a seed medley (flax, toasted sesame, black caraway, midget sunflower, poppy, & anise seeds) on top. They were the perfect elegant nibble to serve at a reception.

This time around I wanted to be a little more creative. I checked out the pantry shelves for inspiration. I found a little jar of something called Goma Shio, also labeled Rice Seasoning. It’s meant to be a Japanese condiment, though my jar was made in China. It contains just black sesame seeds and large crystals of salt and sugar. This inspired me to go with an Asian theme. I had some dried wasabi that I thought I could mix into Dijon mustard, but then I spotted a jar of Trader Joe’s Sake Wasabi Mustard on the condiment shelf of my fridge. A little taste confirmed that this mustard had enough bite to use as is.

The hardest step in this recipe is rolling out the puff pastry. I’m good at rolling things out, though I found it a challenge to get a true rectangle. No worries, I cut the sides straight, and the ends are just a little curvey.

I liked the sweet and salty flavors from my topping. I think a little sprinkle of sugar and salt would be nice with plain seeds. I also think of a light sprinkle of seeds on the inside would be fun. You wouldn’t see them, but they would taste good!

These crispy treats were a treat to nibble on. There were some leftover that I served with salad for lunch the next day. They were a little soft after the night in a plastic container, but a quick crisp-up in the oven would fix that.

Overall, I give this week’s recipe a hearty thumbs up. This is the kind of recipe I love. The steps are simple and anything could go inside or on top of the batons for an endless variety of elegant appetizers.

As always, I love to see my fellow FFwD bloggers did with this week’s recipe. I’m sure they’ve been very creative. Check out their links at French Fridays with Dorie. We don’t post the recipes, but Dorie has posted the recipe on her site, so you can find it here.

First Try at Mustard Batons