Beet Sourdough

Spring 2020, the sourdough frenzy started. I had very little bread baking experience and flour was scarce. There was no sourdough starter in sight, but we were in lockdown. After a legit learning curve, and in desperate need of a hobby, sourdough ended up giving me all of the bread confidence I needed. So grateful! Sourdough truly has a mind of its own, but that makes it fun to work with. It is rewarding and well worth the patience. At my peak of sourdough creativity, I set out to make a beet sourdough loaf. Beet puree made a bright colored dough but it was messy and caused mayhem with the starter, resulting in an epic fail. Enter the secret ingredient, beet powder. Rusty red earthy layers emerged to compliment the tang of my starter. The dried powder is free from moisture, making for less interference with the starter and easier clean up. The awesome layers created while making the folds in your boule are gorgeous. It's not too late to dive deep into making bread and sourdough.

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Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Orange-Rhubarb Glaze

Give boneless leg of lamb the royal treatment with Ras El Hanout and Moroccan Preserved Meyer Lemon Paste. Ras el Hanout is the spice merchants showcase of their finest flavors, and ours is a blend of 24 spices with sweet and savory, piquant and floral notes blended to perfection. Combined with Moroccan Meyer Lemon Paste, and marinated overnight, it is an easy prep for this slow roasted leg of lamb. For a stunning sauce to finish the dish, we made a jammy glaze with rhubarb and honey, orange and mint to elevate the flavors with fresh seasonal ingredients. (To add a little smokiness to the glaze, try our Upper Left Madrona Smoked Honey.) Serve this delicacy with rice or roasted potatoes alongside your favorite spring greens.

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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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Herbes de Provence Lemon Chicken

The most common question we get in the spice shop is "what's good on chicken" and this go-to Lemon Chicken with Herbes de Provence as always high on the list. Classic but never boring, the lemon-chicken combination is a perfect fit, and this dish is a one pan crowd pleaser. We opted for bone in skin on chicken breast for optimum juiciness and Herbes de Provence for a classic French application. We added lavender for a touch of woodsy flowers that bring out the sweetness in the lemon and a buttery chardonnay to give the broth body. Pull out this recipe for any quick weeknight supper, everyone loves it!

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Beet Pappardelle with Herbes de Provence

Use your extra hour of daylight savings time to make pasta from scratch! It is a labor of love, and what's not to love about hand made pappardelle. These wide, fat noodles are not fussy. Just fold the pasta sheets like an accordion and slice off the strips. For a little extra love, we've added beet powder to the pasta dough for delightful color and a hint of earthy sweetness. This vibrant powder is so user friendly compared to fresh beets! You can get the delightful color and flavor without the beet-bloodbath that comes from the fresh vegetable, and without the extra water in the pasta dough, it is less finicky. To further embrace spring flavors, we tossed the noodles in a light sauce with Herbes de Provence. The taste of garden herbs like tarragon and thyme, pair perfectly with caramelized fennel and garlic for an aromatic sauce. Garnish your mound of pasta with some crumbly sheep's milk cheese for some tang that compliments the earthy beet noodles and bright spring flavors.

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Baked Brie with Savory and Caramelized Onions

This impressive baked Brie is proof positive that cheese can be a complete meal if you're so inclined. Artfully wrapped in puff pastry, the presentation is fancy, but is easy to make and the layers of flavor are equally spectacular. A caramelized onion jam is hidden beneath the cheese, and the smorgasbord is rounded out with fruit and nuts. The onion jam slowly caramelized with Savory to lend a little piney earthiness, along with a splash of balsamic vinegar and brown sugar to make the onions jammy. Once baked, the cheese and onions are easy to spread on crostini or sliced apples.

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Everything Bagel Spiced Cauliflower

Everything Bagel Spice has....everything! The beloved calico crunch is a favorite for bagels and crackers but we've tapped it as a crust for cauliflower that doesn't disappoint. The flavor nuggets nestle into the nooks and crannies on the whole cauliflower head like peas in a pod. Our Everything Bagel Spice boasts all the usual suspects - onion and garlic, poppy and sesame but we've taken it up a notch with nigella and caraway too. The crust adheres to a layer of Greek yogurt that caramelizes as it bakes, lending a chewy tang to the vegetarian dish. Serve this beauty with a side of dipping sauce for a stunning presentation at the table.

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Absinthe Long Pepper Angel Food Cake

It's time to celebrate Absinthe Day! The illustrious Parisian liqueur is noted for its exotic spicing and hallucinogenic effect, but instead of concocting a deadly drink we've decided to make a cake! More user friendly, an Angel food cake makes an ideal sponge for the warm herbal-anise flavor of absinthe. To take it over the top, we added long pepper to elevate the mind-bending flavor. This exotic Balinese pepper tastes a little bit like cardamom and ginger, with a floral top note. This rustic cake is full of flavor and has a heavenly texture. For toppings, we chose a citrus salad with clove simple syrup, along with a dollop of whipped cream for an enchanting bite. So enjoy this magical cake to celebrate Absinthe Day and if you have a nip on the side, we won't tell....

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Stout Pickled Mustard Seeds

Add a crunchy pop of flavor to your next sandwich or cheese board with Stout Pickled Mustard Seeds. Yellow Mustard Seed and Brown Mustard Seed make an appealing calico combination and the flavor pairing with rich creamy stout and aromatic shallots is a winner. This quick and easy treat keeps in the refrigerator for up to two months, so make ahead and keep some on hand or scale up the batch and make some for gifting.

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