Recipes

Rhubarb Rugelach

1 hr

This recipe is a true keeper, with a surprisingly easy-to-make dough that relies on the magic of whipped butter and cream cheese. While the soft dough chills, prepare a luscious jam with a classic pairing of strawberries and rhubarb. Cook it down to the perfect consistency, ready to be spread and rolled between the dough. For a tantalizing twist, we chose the concentrated flavor of ginger and added a secret ingredient — mace. This lighter and peppery spice complements the tangy fruit, enhances the lemon zest, and fills the jam with a sweet and aromatic spice allure. Get ready to savor each bite of these heavenly treats.

Chewy Lemon & Blueberry Mace Oatmeal Cookies

The fall colors and weather are here, and there's nothing better to come home to than a warm home flooded with the scent of freshly baked cookies.My grandmother used to make oatmeal cookies with mace powder and lemon that were absolutely delicious. Alas, I misplaced her recipe years ago. Over the years, I have been trying different recipes to find one just like she used to make. This is the closest I have found. They have the perfect chewy, yet with a slightly crumbly texture.Since blueberries go well with both mace and lemon, I added some dried ones to the recipe. The resulting cookie is one that's perfect for a late morning or afternoon pick-me-up with a cup of coffee or tea.When most people think of mace, they think of pepper spray. But the two have nothing in common! Mace comes from the outer coating of nutmeg. It has a bold, pungent yet sweeter flavor than nutmeg. We heavily recommend trying this spice, especially if you never have before.

Mace Gnocchi with Butternut Squash

This hearty fall fare makes a great family meal and brings together some of the best flavors of the season. Potato gnocchi and butternut squash are a perfect pair but instead of hinting at Mace in the background, we've spiced the dish boldly and it didn't disappoint. This time the brown butter and sage are in the background and they nestle in nicely as an accent. Gnocchi takes quite a bit of hands-on time and the results are worth the effort, just make sure your potatoes are baked well to start and don't over-knead the dough. The result will be pillowy goodness with spectacular flavor and full bellies around the family table.

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.

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.

Sri Lankan Banh Mi

Who doesn't love a great sandwich! We are all fans of banh mi sandwiches, and loved this recipe from Andrea Nguyen's The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches. We have tried many different types of banh mi, and loved this one made with a Sri Lankan Curry.From the author: "When Viet people eat curry with baguette, they typically dip the bread into the spiced coconut-scented sauce. San Francisco chef Alex Ong sent me his recipe for this bewitching curry (the name comes from the dark-colored spice blend), insisting that it would be perfect stuffed inside a baguette for banh mi. He was right, but to avoid a soggy sandwich, I hand shredded the cooked chicken and recooked it in the sauce, allowing it to fry in the residual oil and become encrusted with the seasonings. It became like an Indonesian rendang or, as my husband put it, a curried chicken carnitas. It’s fantastic."

Heavenly Béchamel and More Fun with Mace Blades

Of the five classic French "mother sauces," béchamel gives us some of the most rich "small sauces". Although béchamel may be the most simple to prepare, that doesn't mean it can't also show off some pretty complex flavors. Taking the time to create layers of flavor in the building blocks of a recipe ensures that the sauces and dishes created from those blocks will build palaces of flavor. As the recipe below demonstrates, there are not many ingredients in the basic béchamel sauce; just milk, roux, and the onion cloute. An onion cloute is an onion studded with cloves and a bay leaf, and although I've seen some recipes call the cloute optional, it is not. The onion cloute is essential, as it is the only flavor added to the milk besides butter. An Italian chef I once worked for insisted that a béchamel was never complete without a bit of nutmeg, an ingredient that was conspicuously absent from béchamel recipes in my traditional French culinary education. Once I tasted his version, I never again made my béchamel without a dusting of freshly ground nutmeg to finish it. Never, that is, until a few weeks ago when we were lucky enough to get the first shipment of mace blades we've been able to secure in years. I had always used a mixture of mace powder as well as a little extra freshly grated nutmeg when making creamed spinach from a béchamel base, but I had been reluctant to to try including mace powder in every batch of my béchamel for fear of the flavor being overpowering. This is a perfect application for mace blades! By adding a nice mace blade or two to my onion cloute, I could get the subtle mace flavor I was looking for without overshadowing other flavors. Béchamel itself is used in many recipes for lasagna, croque madames, or soups, but there are quite a few other sauces that can be derived from a basic béchamel, often by adding just a few ingredients. The French call these "small sauces" and some of my favorites are: Cheddar cheese - add some shredded cheddar cheese, Mustard Powder, and Worcestershire sauce or Worcestershire powder. Mustard sauce - add some prepared mustard. Crème Sauce - just whisk in some heavy cream (I also like to add a heavy pinch of Piment d'Espelette.)

Quatre Epices Cake

This recipe from our friends at Sunset Magazine promises a citrus and sweet taste, followed by a glow or a kick — depending on whether the signature French four-spice blend is made with white or black pepper. Well, our Quatre Epices delivers the best of both, with prized white and black peppercorns!