Orange, Cinnamon and Cranberry Tart

Spring 2020. I was craving pie. Sadly, I had no flour and no fresh fruit, aside from an old orange. Thus, the Cranberry and Orange Tart was born out of pure necessity. Dried cranberries were used here, but dried tart cherries can easily be substituted. For this, the crust is made out of saltines, and so the sweet-tart-salty complexity is a flavor explosion. Adding a touch of Indonesian cinnamon and ginger powder enhances these flavors. The saltine crust is just fun, and much less labor intensive to make than tart dough. This is what you get when you play with your food!

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Gingerbread Caramels

Some spices are just born leaders, with big loud voices and an overwhelming presence. Mace can be one of those show-offs, unless properly tamed. Mace is actually the lacy outer covering of the nutmeg, but its flavor is a bit earthier than nutmeg - think bass vs. soprano. Here we're getting the most out of it's character by combining it with other spices to recreate the scintillating flavor of freshly baked gingerbread, but in a soft, chewy caramel candy, perfect for gift-giving this holiday season.Now there's nothing to fear in caramel making, as long as you follow a few simple rules. Rule #1 is know your altitude. Sugar cooks quicker (which means that water evaporates faster, and that's what control's your ultimate texture) at higher altitudes, so the general rule is to subtract 2 degrees for every 1000 feet above sea level from your final temperature. For example, our basic, sea level recipe calls for a final cooking temperature of 240 F. for a soft caramel. My kitchen is around 3000 ft., so, after a bit of experimenting, I finally altered the target temperature to 238 F. It may take a few tries to find the softness that you prefer - I like my caramels a bit on the softer side. The second rule to follow is to STIR CONTINUOUSLY while cooking the caramel. Dairy products burn really easily at high temperatures, and you don't want that. Thirdly, know your thermometer. Test it by filling a large glass with ice and enough water to separate the cubes. Let it sit for a minute, then insert your thermometer - it should read 32 degrees. If not, make a note of how far off it is, and adjust your cooking accordingly. And remember, the caramel mixture will be extremely hot, so resist the temptation to taste it until it's cooled off. I like to keep a dab on my spatula for tasting purposes, since it will cool off quickly. Follow these few rules, and you'll find yourself on the road to candy making success.Note: To make clean up a breeze, after you pour out the caramel refill the pot with water. Cover and bring to a boil, then set aside for a few minutes. The hot water and steam will help dissolve the cooked sugars.

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Quatre Epices

Despite its name, which means "four spices" in French, this blend never seems to keep strict count on the number of its ingredients. Quatre Epices can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Often included in paté, forcemeat and sausage making, it is equally at home in gingerbread or cake, such as in this delicious French Quatre Epices Cake, as seen in Sunset Magazine.

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English Beef Rub

English Beef Rub offers up a bold combination of cinnamon and juniper along with salt and pepper for incredible flavor! Influenced by medieval beef rubs, the intense flavors stand up to and takes the edge off of gamey flavors in meat. Perfect for elk and venison, as well as beef.One technique for tenderizing tough cuts of meat is to season them liberally and then apply weight, like a cast iron skillet, and allow the meat to sit for 24 hours before cooking. The results are tender and delicious!

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Poudre Forte

Poudre Forte is a wonderful spice mix that was used throughout medieval Europe and is still used today by culinary recreationists. The actual components may vary, but Poudre Forte, or "strong powder," is commonly based on cinnamon, clove and black pepper, some of the most important tender of the early spice trade. We've added grains of paradise to enhance the flavor. A sweetly aromatic blend with a good bite, it can be used liberally in both sweet and savory dishes.

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Chole

We loved Chetna Makan on "Great British Bake Off" and her first cookbook, The Cardamom Trail was full of many flavorful and stunningly photographed dishes. For Chai, Chaat & Chutney: a street food tour through India, she returned home to India and the street food that she grew up on. The book has four chapters that are organized by cities that make up the four corners of India - Chennai, Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta), Mumbai and Delhi. The fifth chapter? All masala and chutney recipes. Some recipes will look or sound familiar, others will not...but the photos and descriptions of the food will make you want to eat (or drink!) all of them. If you love Indian food or any form of street food, this is the cookbook for you! This recipe is a wonderful example how curries in the North of India use lots of fragrant and aromatic spices to make this mouth-watering vegetarian curry made with chickpeas.From the author: "One of the ultimate curries of the North, this chickpea curry is often paired with Bhatura, a deep-fried flatbread sold piping hot originally on the streets of Delhi but, now, all over the country. This combination should be on everyone’s must-try list when visiting India. You can keep it light by eating this curry with rice or chapatti, if preferred."

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Pomegranate Ash with Meatballs

We have long been a fan of Naomi Duguid's cookbooks! The countries in the Persian culinary region are home to many religions, languages, cultures and politics. In culinary traditions, however, they have a deep love for food that has tart flavors and is fresh and colorful. You'll find fresh herbs at every meal and colorful ingredient used such as pomegranates and saffron. Naomi Duguid's latest book Taste of Persia shows us through delicious recipes and fascinating stories how diverse and wonderful this region is. From the author: "Ash is at the heart of Persian home cooking, a category of slow-cooked sustaining soups that are welcoming, subtle, and rewarding for cooks and eaters alike. The soups are also flexible: You can make substitutions, as long as they stay within the feel of the original. This ash is an inviting blend of legumes and rice, flavored with little lamb meatballs. A crowd-pleaser. Like most ash recipes, this one looks long, but please don’t be dismayed. Yes, it takes some time to cook, but it’s a carefree kind of thing to make: Start it on a weekend afternoon and then set it aside until shortly before you want to serve it. Or make it a day ahead, and reheat it to serve. Just make sure it comes to the table hot."

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Curried Beef and Tendon with Turnip

We love the use of spice and combining of textures in this curry dish from fascinating Macau cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon, Adrienne Lo, and Hugh Amano.From the Author: "In Macau “turnip” usually means daikon, or another large radish, so technically, there’s no turnip in the original version of this dish. At Fat Rice, we mostly follow tradition, but run with the turnip thing and garnish with crunchy raw turnips, radishes, and their greens. Don’t be scared to work with the tendons—they do require long cooking, but add great texture. Try grilling the rubbed beef; it adds a great smoky dimension."

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Bebinca de Rabano (XO Daikon Cake)

Cuisine from Macau is a delicious combination of influences from Chinese, Indian, Portuguese and Malaysian food. This recipe from The Adventures of Fat Rice may take a little work and ingredient hunting, but the spicy and crunchy result is well worth it. If you're a fan of turnip cake found on any dim sum cart, then you'll love this. From the Author: "Throughout the Portuguese-speaking world, bebinca basically describes something that has been steamed or baked to set. Also known as Bebinca de Nabo, turnip cake, white carrot cake, and chai tow kway, this dish isn’t really a cake per se, but more of a steamed loaf. Confusing as hell but absolutely delicious."

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