Recipes
Grilled Chicken and Pineapple with Ayam Peanut Sauce
Ayam peanut chicken has been on my summer menu for years, and this updated version is the best one yet. Our Indonesian Ayam spice lends the peanut sauce a special flavor to peanut sauce that puts it over the top. The spicing is notable but not overpowering and paired with peanut and citrus makes a versatile sauce that complements grilled chicken and pineapple perfectly.Looking for more grill season recipes? Check out our recipes for Chimichurri Flank Steak or Tarheel Sliders.
Learn moreGolden Milk
Golden Milk is a delightful warm, spiced beverage often sipped before bed for its healing properties. The key ingredients are milk and turmeric, and from there variations abound! Most begin with a non-dairy milk and a healthy dose of turmeric, along with other spices to round out the flavor. Our favorite begins with a base of DIY cashew/coconut milk for pure creamy goodness, and we've blended in the spices with the making of the milk so there's no straining later on. No muss, no fuss and maximum flavor!
Learn moreJapanese Chicken Curry
The Flavour Principle: Enticing Your Senses With Food And Drink contains recipes from around the world, focuses on the fundamentals of flavor and suggests pairings to complement the unique tastes of each dish. This Japanese curry recipe which balances sweet and spicy flavors for a wonderful, balanced taste, and has become a staff favorite.From the Author: "You can buy Japanese curry powder but it’s just as easy to make your own with our recipe. Serve the curry with rice or udon noodles and Japanese pickles (recipes follow). The grated apple gives sweetness to the sauce.This curry powder gets its traditional deep yellow colour from the turmeric. It is not a hot curry; it is more textured, with layered flavour."
Learn moreCardamom Pear Upside-Down Cake
This ultra moist cardamom pear cake is rich and delicious, with almond flour and coconut oil forming the base. The cardamom and a hint of ginger complement the pears, and when you bring all these layers of flavor and texture together the result is a fantastic dessert you don't have to feel bad about eating!
Learn moreHarissa and Vegetable Couscous
This recipe has been a long time coming. Hardly anyone who comes in to the shop -- spice masters and novices alike -- can pass over the North African section without some long, lingering sniffs. The spices from that region are so exotic, in their perfect union of sweet-spicy-aromatic. "How do you use the Harissa?" is one of the most common questions following the exclamations of delight. And though my fellow merchants and I have written versions of this recipe on many a business card, envelope, and scratch paper, it's about time it took its place among our favorites here on the blog.The tender-crisp vegetables and fluffy couscous are a perfect vehicle for this sumptuous sauce, our version of the traditional Tunisian red pepper condiment that is so ubiquitous in Northern Africa. The cumin, coriander, and caraway add complexity and depth, with the guajillos lending just enough heat to be interesting without being overwhelming. You can also try the Harissa sauce on grilled meats or eggplant -- or even on halibut!
Learn moreBejeweled Spice Cake
The holy trinity of baking spices: ginger, cassia-cinnamon and allspice combine in this traditional medieval spice blend called Poudre Douce. It makes this upside-down fruit cake an essential for the winter holidays -- and it's a table-top stunner, too! We made a festive selection of dried fruits over the classic pineapple to allow the spices to shine through. Less sweet than those pineapple upside-down cakes of our childhoods, we like this cake at brunch as well as for dessert!
Learn moreGinger Snappiest Cookies
These ginger snaps are the snappiest in town and offer a classic belly warming tingle all season long. Equally at home with a glass of milk, egg nog, hot cocoa or a cocktail, they offer a petite bite of concentrated spice. We added a sprinkle of sugar to our finished cookies for some holiday sparkle.So pretty and delicious on the plate, and so yummy straight off the rack!
Learn moreMemphis Beale St. BBQ Brisket with Whiskey Sauce
Beef brisket is one of my favorite cuts of meat. When cooked just right, it is incredibly tender and flavorful, and one of the most affordable cuts to boot! However there are an abundance of horror stories out there of under or overcooked brisket that end up tough, dry, chewy, shrunken or shriveled. Don't fear! With a little practice and close attention you can easily avoid these common pitfalls.Briskets come in a wide variety of sizes, from a small one pound size common in the supermarket, to massive fourteen pounders meant to spend an entire day in a smoker; in this recipe we call for about a three pound brisket. Feel free to use whatever size you need to feed everyone at your table. but be sure to adjust the cooking time accordingly. Having an in-oven probe thermometer will be a huge asset here, since being able to pull it out of the oven right at 185°F and letting it rest for a while will give your brisket the maximum amount of time at just the right temperature to melt the fat without overcooking. The key to a tender brisket is cooking it just long enough to allow the connective tissue to breakdown, without leaving it dry and tough.Also, when making the whiskey BBQ sauce, be sure to use a whiskey you would drink. The old adage about not cooking with something you wouldn't drink yourself isn't just for wine!
Learn more