Your Favourite Food? There’s a Sommelier for that!

When you hear the word, “sommelier” you most likely picture an expert at pairing and serving wine. But the term is evolving, and wine-lovers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from their expertise. Aficionados with a taste for everything from hot sauce to coffee are applying the techniques and skills that make wine sommeliers so popular to their favourite food or drink.

One such connoisseur is Harry Lalousis, in-house mustard sommelier at La Maison Maille, the leading brand of French premium condiments with stores in France dating as far back as 1747. One of only three mustard sommeliers in the world, Lalousis’ position predates the contemporary sommelier trend by about 268 years.

Carrying on that tradition, Lalousis is an authority on all things mustard, from the growing and production process to the latest food trends, and especially on how to cook with mustard as a way of elevating everyday dishes.

“Adding mustard to a recipe intensifies the other flavours tenfold, without overpowering the dish,” explains Lalousis. He says fine mustard can be used as a flavourful addition to countless recipes, from glazes, vinaigrettes, and dips, to cocktails and even desserts! So grab a jar of mustard and get cooking — put this sommelier to the test by trying out his creative mustard, cheese and cauliflower pairing.

Cheesy Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
2 tbsp softened butter
3 tbsp of any Maille Provencal or Honey mustard
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions

Remove the base of the cauliflower. Mix the softened butter with the mustard and cheese. Cover the cauliflower in this sauce completely.
Place cauliflower on a sheet of tinfoil and grill over medium heat. You can also cook this in the oven at 425ºF for 30-40 minutes.
Serve at the center of the table and allow guests to pull their own florets from the cauliflower head.

Check out more mustard-based recipe ideas at maille.ca