Pickled mustard seeds are quite the restaurant staple. Sounds sophisticated, right? Make them as I did yesterday:

Pour about 118 ml (1/2 cup) brine from a bottle of cornichons, or a pickle brine of your choice, into a small jar. Add 15 ml (1 tablespoon) mustard seeds. Cover and let sit at room temp for a day or two. And voila!

Drain the seeds to use as bright acidic notes in cole slaw, potato salad, vinaigrettes, in mac ‘n cheese, deli-meat panini,  or stuffed eggs. There’s just no way to go wrong with this simple embellishment. To double or triple the recipe, keep the proportions so there’s plenty of vinegar solution to tame the harsh seeds.