Food | Travel | Family | Life
Check out my guest post over at Spicy Eggplant for Cardamom Shortbread. I was excited to come up with something sweet and filled with spice. I love the addition of cardamom to these buttery cookies. The ground
spice is very aromatic and provides a distinct flavour, with the
pistachios providing the perfect match and garnish to the shortbread. Check out Ginni’s site for the recipe!
This month, we are playing with cumin. Cumin can be used in its seed form or ground into a powder. It’s a versatile spice in that it is used in a range of cuisines, from Indian and Middle Eastern to Mexican and Spanish.
The seed is derived from a plant in the parsley family. The seed itself is often mistaken for caraway seeds or fennel. It is a warm spice with a distinctive flavour.
Cumin is used a lot in our house. It is key to many curries and of course for chili. Hubby’s favourite use of cumin is in a salted lassi. Although I prefer the sweet kind, he loves the cumin spiced creamy drink.
Salted Lassi
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch salt
ice
Place the yogurt and water in a glass. Crush the cumin seeds in your hand and add to the glass along with salt. Add ice and serve.
This month, we are playing with Tonka Beans.
Tonka beans are black and wrinkled with an interior that is smooth and caramel in colour. The fragrance is amazing, with hints of vanilla and almonds. The beans come from the a flowering tree native to Central America and northern South America.
Just a small amount is needed to infuse the bean’s flavour. Using a microplane, just grate the wonderfully scented bean.
I first learned of tonka beans from my friend Cheryl, from Dining Room Empire. Cheryl uses tonka beans constantly – in scones, muffins, jam, chocolate cake, and even chocolate chip cookies. She also puts a whole bean in her home-canned peaches.
I wanted to find a recipe that showcased the tonka beans and their fabulous flavour. I used this shortbread recipe from Dinner with Julie. I made a batch for Sunday brunch with some close friends and the cookies were a hit. If you ever come across these beans, be sure to take a sniff. So delightful!
This month, we are playing with pink peppercorns.
Unlike how the name suggests, these are not related to actual peppercorns. They are the dried berries of Baies rose plant. They taste peppery but are not spicy in flavour. The pink peppercorns are sweet and mild.
These delicate little spices are rosy in colour and are brittle compared to the black peppercorn. They are soft with papery skins and can easily be ground by hand. I love how the colour accents the dishes that they are added to. They are very eye-catching and I’m so happy I stocked up the last time I was in France.
Although great with chicken and fish, I was hoping to find a sweet way to showcase these pink berries. I was intrigued when I found Martha Stewart’s Peppercorn Shortbread. Instead of using a variety of peppercorns, I stuck with the ones I wanted to showcase.
The combination of the buttery shortbread with the peppery berries sounds strange but it really works!
Peppercorn Shortbread
Adapted slightly from Martha Stewart
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tsp pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
3/4 cup icing sugar
Topping:
3/4 tsp pink peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 TB granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in center. Lightly butter a 10-inch springform pan, and set aside.
Stir together flour, salt, and peppercorns; set aside. Put butter and icing sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until combined.
Using a small offset spatula, spread dough evenly into prepared pan, smoothing top. Bake until shortbread is golden brown, about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Transfer pan to a wire rack. Immediately sprinkle with granulated sugar and remaining peppercorns. Remove springform; let shortbread cool completely. Cut into wedges.
I have heard much about the spice sumac and came across it recently in a local middle eastern store. The sumac spice is made from ground dried sumac berries, which are a relative of poison ivy(!).
Sumac is a middle eastern spice that is burgundy in colour. The taste of sumac is lemony and tart but more complex than a lemon. It is used as a condiment, like salt, but also in spice rubs, dressings and marinades. The spice is gaining in popularity. In fact, Alton Brown named sumac his official spice of 2012.
You often encounter sumac at donair shops, sprinkled over the raw onions. It is also a great topping for hummus.
Sumac is best known for being a key ingredient in Fattoush, a middle eastern salad containing pieces of crispy pita bread. The salad is made with romaine lettuce, chunks of cucumber and tomatoes, herbs like mint and parsley and tossed together with the pita and the dressing. I used sumac in the dressing as well as sprinkled it on top. It adds a great sweet and sour taste to a refreshing salad.
Fattoush (Middle Eastern Pita Bread Salad)
Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes, diced
Cucumbers, diced
Green onions
Parsley
Mint
Sumac
1 pita bread, brushed with oil and toasted
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp sumac
Mix the salad ingredients together. Top with as much dressing as you need and then sprinkle with some sumac.
I’m excited to begin a new monthly series on my blog, Playing with Spices. There are so many spices out there that I have yet to discover, so once a month, I hope to feature a new one.
This month, the focus is garam masala. Garam masala is actually a blend of spices used in indian cooking. The
spices used in making garam masala vary from region to region and is
really dependent on personal taste. It is readily available in most supermarkets but is super easy to make at home. I like having control of what is in it, using
more of the spices that I like, like coriander seeds and cinnamon, and
less of the ones I don’t, like cloves.
The garam masala can be used in many curries or even as a seasoning for popcorn or spiced nuts (see recipe below).
1/2 cup coriander seeds
1 TB mustard seeds
1 TB whole black pepper
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
2 tsp cardamom seeds
1/4 cup dried curry leaves
