In 1986, Elie-Arnaud Denoix knew that if he didn't take it upon himself to revive an old family recipe for violet mustard (in French, "moustarde violette"), it would be lost forever. In the late 19th century, during France's La Belle Epoque era, this gorgeous purple mustard was as de rigueur as luxurious Edwardian fashion. But since then, it nearly fell into obscurity -- which would've been a tragedy of epic, culinary proportions, because this mustard that gets its hue and fruity flavor from grape must (concentrated, unfermented red grape juice) has a singular flavor that will take you back in time. Along with its stunning color that sets it apart from other mustards, this violet mustard -- made in Turenne, in the Limousin area of France, near Bordeaux -- has a much more delicate flavor than Dijon, yet it also has a kick that comes from the coarsely ground mustard seeds, vinegar, salt, and spice that are in the condiment, too.

Serve this purple paste with poultry, steaks, duck, grilled salmon, ham, sausages, pastrami, roast pork, charcuterie, or even vegetables. Pair it with a hard cheese, or even a semi-aged goat cheese. Or use it as a base for sauces and vinaigrettes, too. Steamed haricots verts drizzled with violet mustard coulis? Yes, please. Or a heirloom tomato salad dressed with a violet mustard emulsion? Right on!

Fairway Marketplace is brought to you by Fairway Market, a specialty food chain that started back in 1933 with a small fruit and vegetable stand on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Today, Fairway Market is legendary for its experts and expertise in all things food, and a relentless obsession with quality throughout all of the different departments in its stores. In December of 2011, Fairway launched this online shop, so that we could bring the best of the best of what Fairway offers, at the same great values, to those who don’t live near one of our stores. Why keep all of this foodie goodness to ourselves? That simply would not be fair.