Recipes
Lavender Dulce de Leche Stuffed Crepes
We love an excuse to eat dessert any time of day. These decadent crepes are bursting with spring flavors, and look amazing on a brunch buffet. Each crepe is stuffed full of Lavender Dulce de Leche. French Lavender is bright, floral and woodsy; it's best with assertive flavors. To complement it, we spiked the batter with Moroccan Meyer Lemon Paste, and ran it through a blender. You can do this the night before for a breezy morning. Tastes like spring is here!
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Lavender Dulce De Leche
If you've never had dulce de leche you're in for a treat. Making this is as easy as boiling water, but it does require patience. The process takes three hours of monitored boiling followed by an overnight wait but the results are worth it. The texture of dulce de leche is velvety smooth and not as tacky as caramel, but with and equally rich flavor. The French Lavender shines and is brightened with the salty crunch from the Fleur de Sel. Swirl some into your lattes, dollop on desserts or ice cream, and even go savory on glazed ham. Or just eat it on bread as shown here. It's all good.
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Saffron Tart Cherry Nougat
Yes, really! This stunner of a candy recipe makes a festive treat for the holidays. Sweet and chewy, tart and crunchy, it is impossible to resist. Two pinches of Saffron are enough to get a hint of color and perfectly balanced flavor, but you can always add more if a stronger flavor is desired. The pairing of saffron and sugar with the pop of tart cherries and crunch of pistachios is simply delightful. And it's so pretty! Be sure to have a good, reliable thermometer at the ready. Success with this nougat is a temperature game and cooking the eggs with the hot sugar is an essential step.
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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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Kashmiri Curry S’mores with Toasted Cumin Marshmallows
These S’mores add a global flavor twist to an old favorite. The hints of savory complement the sweet with mild Kashmiri Curry. in the graham cracker and toasted cumin in the marshmallow. They smell amazing and are a great activity around a camp fire. Charring and roasting the marshmallows brings out the toasted cumin flavor. If the outdoors aren’t your thing you can achieve the same result at home using a blow torch to impress your friends.These marshmallows work with more than S’mores, use them to top your favorite cocoa or mocha, or even sweet potato casserole. This unique spin on marshmallows is fragrant, slightly savory and will add depth of flavor to your favorite recipes.The staff favorite used orange dark chocolate in the S’mores but the possibilities are endless. Once you master the toasted cumin marshmallow and Kashmiri Curry graham crackers you will be able to substitute them in all your favorite treats.
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Rhubarb Compote with Indian Coriander Cream
To me, one of the true harbingers of spring is the sight of my rhubarb leaves tentatively reaching up towards the sun. Soon, I know they’ll be producing non-stop throughout the summer, and whatever I can’t use fresh will go straight into the freezer. This recipe is a great way to use the ruby-red stalks, whether fresh or frozen. And the Coriander Cream, made by infusing freshly ground Indian Coriander Seed seed into heavy whipping cream, has an insanely addictive taste. Using the seeds un-toasted reveals their delicate citrusy flavor, which blossoms throughout the cream. There are endless ways to serve this modern take on the classic Rhubarb and Custard dessert: it can be served on top of a tender biscuit, shortcake style, layered into a trifle with a vanilla sponge cake, or spooned straight up in a small bowl with an Orange Pistachio biscotti alongside for crunch. One further note: since rhubarb is very acidic, it should not be cooked in a metal pan, such as cast iron or aluminum, since the acid will react with the metal and cause the rhubarb to become discolored and off-tasting.
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Dawn's Apple Cranberry Pie
This is not your average apple pie. Dawn's apple cranberry pie takes an All-American classic for a spin, with cranberries and currants soaked in fragrant liqueur and seasoned with Ras el Hanout. This seasonal and festive fruit combination makes a great addition to any holiday table. When making the recipe, be sure to macerate the apples with sugar and spices for a few hours. This step is key to getting the perfect texture and flavor infusion! You can use your favorite homemade or store bought pie crust for this recipe, including gluten-free.
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Pakhlava
Did you know that we are one of the few spice shops in the U.S. that carry Georgian spice blends? We love our Georgian blends, and Georgian food is so delicious! We are thrilled to feature a recipe from Olia Hercules' cookbook Kaukasis: A Culinary Journey through Georgia, and continue to revisit these amazing recipes. Full of stunning photographs evocative of the region, this book is a celebration, weaving personal narratives and recipes for a little known cuisine that combines European and Middle Eastern ingredients in ways that are fresh, new, and totally unexpected. Olia Hercules will take you on a culinary journey unlike any other. If you liked Mamushka, her Ukranian cookbook, you will love this book.From the author: "Pakhlava is a festive dish made for Novruz, the traditional celebration of the coming of spring in Azerbaijan, but it’s rarely prepared at home, since nuts are expensive and making thin pastry is rather laborious. However, it is a gorgeous thing, and if you like baking and making something new, this is a great way to spend an afternoon, especially if you are cooking with your loved ones. The recipe makes enough to last you a couple of weeks and to package up into gift boxes for friends and family."
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Gingerbread
This is a stout gingerbread. Literally! Rich molasses and stout beer perfectly complement the ginger and aromatic spices in this moist, delicious gingerbread. Our Gingerbread Spice is a powerhouse of flavor with ginger, allspice and Vietnamese cinnamon alongside a generous measure of clove and black pepper. This easy gingerbread travels well to a holiday gathering and will keep you warm for the holiday season alongside a cup of mulled wine or a toddy.
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