Many-fruited mustard

---------- Recipe via UNREGISTERED Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
       Title: Many-Fruited Mustard
  Categories: Sauce
       Yield: 1 1/2 cup
 
     1/2 c  Dry mustard powder; lightly
            -packed
     3/4 c  Cold water
   1 1/2 tb Orange or tangerine zest;
            -packed, coarsely shredded
       2 tb Dried apricots; packed and
            -diced
       2 tb Dried peaches; packed and
            -diced
       2 tb Dried figs; preferably
            -white, packed and diced
       2 tb Candied cherries; packed and
            -diced
       2 tb Golden raisins; packed
     1/2 c  White wine vinegar or
     1/2 c  Oriental rice vinegar or
     1/2 c  Cider vinegar
     1/2 c  Sugar
       1 ts Salt
       2 tb Fresh lemon juice; strained
            -(up To 4)
 
   Stir the mustard and cold water together in a bowl, mixing until all 
 lumps
   vanish. Let the mixture stand at least an hour, better 3 or 4 hours. 
 Simmer
   the orange zest in about a cupful of water for 5 minutes. Drain the 
 shreds,
   then chop them very fine, reserving the zest. If the dried fruit is 
 not
   tender, cover the pieces with boiling water and let them stand 5 
 minutes,
   then drain them well. Combine the drained orange zest, vinegar and 
 sugar in
   a medium-sized saucepan and boil the mixture, uncovered, over medium 
 heat
   for 5 minutes, until the syrup has thickened somewhat. Stir in the 
 salt,
   then add the fruit and the mustard mixture. Stir the mixture over
   medium-high heat until it comes to a boil and thickens smoothly. 
 Remove
   from the heat. When the mustard has cooled, taste it and add lemon 
 juice to
   taste. Scrape the mustard into a clean, dry jar and store it, 
 covered, in
   the refrigerator. If it should thicken too much upon standing, thin 
 it with
   more lemon juice or with water. Keeps indefinitely in the 
 refrigerator.
  
   Witty says this recipe is inspired by mostarda, an Italian specialty 
 of
   mixed fruits pickled in a sweet mustard syrup. Other fruits can be 
 added or
   substituted for the ones listed above, depending on what you have. 
 She
   suggests using glazed pineapple, dried pears and/or candied citrus 
 peel.
   The exact combination of the fruits isn't important, so long as the 
 total
   amount is about 10 tb. and the fruits are balanced for sharpness and
   sweetness. Good with cold ham or smoked poultry, especially when it's 
 been
   mixed half-and-half with any bitter-orange marmalade.
  
   From _Fancy Pantry_ by Helen Witty. New York: Workman Publishing 
 Company,
   Inc., 1986. Pp. 184-185.
 
 -----