Easy does it. A light hand is vital when you’re cooking with nutmeg.
Nutmeg is usually a supporting character that makes the lead actor look good; it is the makeup rather than the face. It has such a strong, dominating flavor that it is best used sparingly.
You may not even notice it when you taste it in something, but you’ll sure notice its absence when it is left out.
It’s the secret ingredient in fettuccine alfredo or any cream sauce, and it gives that extra nip that makes your egg nog taste nice.
If you use it at all, you are likely to use it now, with the holidays at hand. Otherwise, it may stay in your drawer until next year — or until the next time you make fettuccine alfredo.
But what is nutmeg? It is the seed of a tree, and the fruit in which it is found can also be eaten (in Malaysia and Indonesia, it is sometimes sweetened and crystallized or turned into a jam). The nutmeg seed is also surrounded by a red sheath that is ground up to make the spice mace.
That’s three different food items made from one fruit and seed. If nothing else, nutmeg is efficient.
In this country, nutmeg is most frequently found already ground. But you can also buy it still in the seed form and grind it yourself when needed. This method is much more fragrant and flavorful, and it’s also easy. If you have a microplane, just run the nut over the grate.
Few entrees make use of nutmeg, so I decided to use it in a snack, a vegetable dish, a starch and a dessert.
The snack is probably the most fun. How can you go wrong with something called Spiced Popcorn with Pecans and Raisins?
As usual, the nutmeg flavor is subtle, part of the blend. Here it is mixed with cinnamon, turmeric, ginger and maple syrup for a sweet-and-spicy mixture that is stirred into melted butter and then poured over popped popcorn. Toasted pecans add nuttiness and crunch, and golden raisins provide a dash of sweet color.
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of this dish for me was making the popcorn. I used a pot with a glass lid, which I had never used before for popcorn. All my previous lids were solid metal. I watched it the whole time it was popping, fascinated. Perhaps I’m just easy to please, but it’s almost worth buying a glass lid for.
The most savory of the dishes was also the fastest and easiest to prepare. Wilted Spinach with Nutmeg and Garlic contains almost nothing more than the name indicates; it is a simple presentation that makes the most of the natural affinity of spinach for nutmeg and also of spinach for garlic.
Put them all together in a bit of olive oil and you have a dish that takes almost no time to make but is elegant enough to grace the menu of a fine restaurant.
The starch dish is a variation on one of everyone’s favorite foods. The nutmeg in Nutmeg and Black Pepper Popovers adds a depth that is missing in ordinary, nutmeg-less popovers, and the black pepper adds a bite that contrasts nicely with the richness.
The rest of the dish, of course, is entirely rich and light and airy and delicious. It has a little bit of parsley in it, too, so you can tell yourself it’s healthy.
For dessert, I made a dish in which the nutmeg is the star of the show. Nutmeg Cake is a wonderfully light and airy Armenian dish with all sorts of goodies in it: cinnamon, sour cream, brown sugar and walnuts among them.
But it’s the nutmeg that really stands out as the predominant flavor, and that turns out to be a good thing. With its exotic, nutty appeal, nutmeg is a vital spice in many desserts.
When you eat the cake, you wonder why nutmeg is still a supporting actor and not a star.
Nutmeg and Black Pepper Popovers
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
2 1/2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons melted butter, divided
Note: The batter may be made up to 1 day ahead of time and kept covered in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Whisk together flour, parsley, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk until well blended. Gently whisk in flour mixture, followed by 3 tablespoons of the melted butter. Do not overmix.
Divide the remaining 3 tablespoons of melted butter among 18 standard muffin cups, placing 1/2 teaspoon of butter in each one. Pour batter into the muffin tins, filling cups 3/4 full and dividing equally. Bake popovers until puffed, golden brown and crispy around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes. Using a thin knife or offset spatula, remove popovers from pan and serve immediately. Serves: 18
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.
Per serving: 118 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 45 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams protein; 13 grams carbohydrates; no fiber; 348 milligrams sodium.
Spiced Popcorn with Pecans and Raisins
5 cups popped popcorn
2 cups pecans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or virgin coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 cup golden raisins
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Toss popcorn with pecans. Set aside. Melt butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add cinnamon, salt, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, ginger and nutmeg and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in maple syrup. Pour over popcorn mixture and mix to coat.
Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and bake, tossing every 10 minutes, until dry and nuts are toasted, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool. Stir in raisins. Serves: 8
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.
Per serving: 312 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 8 milligrams cholesterol; 4 grams protein; 28 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 245 milligrams sodium.
Nutmeg Cake
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
4 1/2 teaspoons (1 1/2 tablespoons) freshly grated or ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine flour, nutmeg, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter cubes and pulse until pea-size crumbs form.
Add brown sugar, sour cream, milk and eggs; process until smooth. Add walnuts; stir in with a rubber spatula.
Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool. To serve, unmold cake and dust top with powdered sugar. Serves: 12
Recipe adapted from Saveur.
Per serving: 464 calories; 21 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 76 milligrams cholesterol; 7 grams protein; 63 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 293 milligrams sodium.
Wilted Spinach with Nutmeg and Garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 pound baby spinach
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated, or 1/2 teaspoon ground
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the spinach in big handfuls, putting more in the pan as it wilts. Stir in the nutmeg and salt. Serve while hot. Serves: 4
Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food.
Per serving: 97 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; no cholesterol; 3 grams protein; 12 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 240 milligrams sodium.
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