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47 Comments
Orysia
January 2, 2015
My favorite spice to use in a dessert with a chocolate base is chili or a mole spice?
Gislaine M.
November 24, 2014
Ha! I am like you, I love to collect food packages, especially cute cookie boxes and tins. I love spices, all types. Like in life, we need our spiced moments, things that will get our life to be out of the ordinary. Great book!
Crystal
November 14, 2014
My favorite spice to put in dessert is cinnamon. It enhances the flavor of many different dishes and adds just the right amount spiciness without being overwhelming.
Robin
March 17, 2014
My favorite spice is coarsely chopped fresh ginger. I use it to flavor the syrup I spoon over rum cake. Then I pile it in the center of each miniature cake for a taste surprise.
Jennifer L.
March 14, 2014
This is a worthless book. Gorgeously photographed, that's where the beauty of this book ends. If you want to actually learn something about mixing and creating spice mixes, you are out of luck. There are no formulas for the spice mixes--at. all. This is just one gigantic and seriously overpriced advertisement for the author's spice line. Save yourself the dollars and skip this.
christine
March 14, 2014
Too bad - I was looking forward to some experimentation! Any other resource you might suggest which would give actual recipes for creating our own blends?
Jennifer L.
March 14, 2014
Christine, I don't. Sometimes I think you just have a feel for things like this. However, what I'd suggest is maybe flip through some cookbooks and see if you notice a pattern of certain herbs and spices going with certain foundations. I think after a while you'll get the feel for what goes with what, at least most of the time. For instance, I don't have a particular flair for Asian flavors, and I must stick with a printed recipe, rather than just a shake of this or that there off the top of my head. Barbecue sauces and rubs, kind of on the other hand, seem often to have no wrong ingredient. Finally, leaf through a couple of the better magazines, like Saveur and Food & Wine. Take a look at the recipes that have a spice or other ingredient you haven't worked with before and try it, see if you can really identify what that ingredient brings to the dish--from there, you can work those things into other recipes. Conversely, I often buy a random spice at William-Sonoma or Penzy's, something exotic, and THEN look for a recipe that utilizes it--thank goodness for Google.
Trish
December 27, 2013
Wasabi. Sounds crazy but one me my first baking trophy. My granddaughter and I made dark chocolate wasabi cake with chocolate wasabi ice cream. Yum. Can't wait to read the book
Daisy
December 22, 2013
It's not a spice, is it, but sesame seeds are a delicate addition to dessert, and a sort of surprise.
Roy A.
December 17, 2013
Orange Blossom Water (or, in Arabic, Ma' el Zhar)
Despite “Orange” in it’s name, it’s derived from the flower not the fruit, so it’s a floral accent not a citrus-y one. And, the tiniest bit goes a very long way.
It is commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, such as in the syrup used to make baklava and knafé. It’s also used in madeleines, scones, gelato and even by mixologists in exotic cocktails and coffee.
My mother makes a fruit salad of strawberries and bananas tossed together with a hint of Orange Blossom Water and some sugar. After sitting in the bowl, all mixed together in the refrigerator for at least an hour, the flavors all meld and the resulting salad is indescribably fresh and delicious and the touch of OBW elevates it to an entirely new level. Morrocan cuisine puts it to many savory uses as well, including Chicken Bastilla.
Despite “Orange” in it’s name, it’s derived from the flower not the fruit, so it’s a floral accent not a citrus-y one. And, the tiniest bit goes a very long way.
It is commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine, such as in the syrup used to make baklava and knafé. It’s also used in madeleines, scones, gelato and even by mixologists in exotic cocktails and coffee.
My mother makes a fruit salad of strawberries and bananas tossed together with a hint of Orange Blossom Water and some sugar. After sitting in the bowl, all mixed together in the refrigerator for at least an hour, the flavors all meld and the resulting salad is indescribably fresh and delicious and the touch of OBW elevates it to an entirely new level. Morrocan cuisine puts it to many savory uses as well, including Chicken Bastilla.
Peggy H.
November 30, 2013
If the recipe permits, steeping with szechaun pink peppercorns, adds a nice zip to sweets!
Nina M.
October 20, 2013
My very favorites are saffron, sage, vanilla, cardamom, cumin and black pepper. I could go on and on!!
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