Recipes

Saffron Marshmallows

10 min

Once you master marshmallow making, the sky's the limit on how many flavors you can come up with, just make sure to allow an extra day for them to cure before cutting into your desired shapes. This thrifty recipe makes more than enough for a romantic twosome so you'll have Valentine's marshmallows to share with everyone in the class.  Perfect to top a creamy cocoa, or toast around a romantic campfire, the flavor of the saffron comes through beautifully and adds a very special touch.

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Creamy Saffron Leek and Potato Soup

5 min

An elegant twist to classic vichyssoise, this soup is both vegan and gluten-free. It is simple and highlights the star ingredient: Saffron. Its mellow buttery flavor is the ideal complement with the sweet leeks and creamy potatoes. Salted kettle chips add a perfect contrast in texture, so be sure to add those to your shopping list as well! Perfect for any occasion, it's a comforting bowl of warmth and flavor. As an added bonus, the dish makes a great appetizer and is sure to impress with its creamy consistency and gorgeous yellow color—so keep it in mind next time you are entertaining or need something special for a potluck.

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Saffron Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

10 min

There's no shortage of pumpkin pairings these days, and the beloved spicing tends to be loud and proud. But why not switch it up? Winter is long and there are pumpkins aplenty. For a mellow change of pace, we explored a pivot to the sweet side with saffron and vanilla in this decadent pumpkin dessert. Inspired by our friends at Leite's Culinaria and their recipe for Pumpkin Pots de Crème, we set to it. The result? Amazing!!! These individual desserts are both stunning and sublime. The saffron boosts the color of this crème brûlée and the spicing elevates the flavor of the pumpkin rather than overpowering it. We opted for a tidy shortcut with the blender and allowed the flavors to bloom overnight before cooking. The results were delicious. Flecked with saffron and vanilla, the spicing brought out the buttery base of pumpkin in the most delightful way. The technique also makes it easy to whip these up well before a gathering and finish them at the last minute. If you're a planner you can make this impressive recipe days before and no one will ever know.

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Abuelo's Rabbit Paella

I had the pleasure of making this paella along with my friend Maria. She immigrated here from Madrid and while making this for me, she was beaming with nostalgia. She told me how her grandpa, Cristobal, took great pride in making paella outdoors in the hot Spanish summers. This Valencia-style paella is made with Saffron, Smoked Sweet Paprika, rabbit, and chicken. One of my favorite parts were the large creamy beans and nutty artichoke pieces. The rabbit gets tender while cooking and is similar in texture and flavor to chicken. We're a long ways from Valencia, but I would like to think this dish tasted like a summer vacation in Spain.Paella is a traditional, one-pan dish from Spain. The meats and vegetables used varies from region to region but all keep the signature saffron infused rice as the base. This type of recipe, Paella Valenciana, is hundreds of years old and comes from the paella birthplace, Valencia.A big thanks to Maria O'Connor who taught me her ways and her grandfather Cristobal Nebot for passing down this wonderful dish.

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Saffron Poached Leeks

This versatile side dish will become a spring time staple. Perfect alongside everything from roast meat to vegetarian pasta, the leeks are tender, buttery and melt in your mouth. After a little prep work they cook slowly in a bath of chardonnay, chicken stock and butter. You can season them simply with a crack of pepper or make them extra special with a couple of pinches of Saffron to add elegant flavor and a beautiful yellow hue. This dish is a welcome addition to any Springtime table.

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Flour Tortillas

It's no secret that flour tortillas are champions of versatility! You can top them with anything, fill them with anything, and they work great for snacks or for meals. What's less well known, however, is that they're also incredibly easy to make! Really! And nothing beats a fresh, warm tortilla.When making tortillas at home, use the opportunity to be creative! By using different spices or flours, you can inject a little flair into your recipe, and make your tortillas truly unique! In this recipe, we use Saffron and Butterfly Pea Flower to give our tortillas unique and distinctive colors. You can substitute a portion of the all-purpose flour for other flours, too, for more flavor and texture variety.Recipes such as this one traditionally use lard, but we've found that vegetable oil makes a perfectly suitable substitution. It's easy to double or triple this recipe, and they'll keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. Homemade tortillas are best when fresh, though, and we don't think you'll have any problem finding ways to use them!

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Saffron Raspberry Rolls

Using a bit of creativity, spices can be the perfect spark to elevate familiar comfort foods to new heights. This is especially true when they are utilized in nontraditional ways. These rolls are elegant and exotic, using saffron to get their beautiful sunshine yellow color. Although saffron is subtle and floral, it has a buttery aspect that is perfect for baked goods.Saffron threads are the stamen of the crocus flower, and it is the most expensive spice in the world. As a pairing to this precious flavor, we used raspberries as the filling for a tart fruity contrast. These decadent rolls are intriguing, yet still comforting, and will impress any crowd.

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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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Saffron Lemonade

We often get asked how to use Saffron, and this is one of our favorite and unique ways. A little goes a long way with this flavorful brew and it is so easy to make. The sunshine in this cup shines all on its own but it also mixes well with all manner of spirits, sweet or savory. Truth be told we've tried it with everything from Mezcal to Vanilla Vodka and they are all fantastic.

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