Sweet & Savory Fall Flavors - EMAIL NEWS

Apples, pumpkins, nutmeg, warm sips of creamy yumminess: all reasons to love fall and all features in this week’s Olde Town Spice Shoppe email!

The aroma and taste of nutmeg are as autumnal as falling leaves & warm sweaters. Nutmeg is a versatile and fabulous spice that can be used in either savory or sweet dishes and very often is a ‘secret’ ingredient in so many of your favorite dishes.

Nutmeg is a spice made from the seed of the nutmeg tree native to Indonesia. The nutmeg is the inner seed, while another lesser known spice, mace is the red, lace-like substance that covers the seed. Although their flavor is similar, nutmeg is said to have a warmer, spicier flavor than mace.

Mace is another ‘secret ingredient’ that has some versatile uses. Often used in very fine pound cake for flavor, mace for it’s yellowish hue. Mace also pairs well with chocolate, pork and lamb.

Nutmeg pairs well with fall fruits such as apples and root vegetables dishes like carrots & parsnips. It’s one of the must-have ingredients to apple pie spice & pumpkin pie spice. Nutmeg also works deliciously grated over soups and with roasted meats, especially pork cuts. Surprisingly nutmeg gives an unbeatable flavor boost to dairy, being the key ingredient to the classic bechamel white sauce and an amazing compliment to cheeses, either mixed into a cheese sauce like mac & cheese or alfredo or simply grated on top of your cheese board selection.

Ground nutmeg is the more common form of kitchen use, but whole nutmeg is the real secret to amazing dishes! by simply grating whole nutmeg into each recipe, your dishes will take on an amazing result of flavor.

Nutmeg & Grater Kits

One of our favorite spices here at Olde Town Spice Shoppe is nutmeg and NOTHING compares to fresh grated nutmeg from the whole nut – that is why each fall & winter we make these cute and convenient Nutmeg & Grater Kits!
They also make perfect little gifts or stocking stuffers for your fellow foodie friends and family.

That delicious cup of sweetened black tea mixed with milk and spice we know as ‘chai’ or ‘chai latte’ is actually called masala chai, and has been traditionally sold all over India by chai wallahs, or tea vendors for centuries.
If this is your favorite warm treat you’ll know a daily cup of this from the coffee shop can drain your weekly budget, but with a little effort, you can make at home and you’ll find it much more delicious and nutritious coming from your own kitchen!
This recipe is for 4 servings.Homemade Chai Latte
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds or ground cardamom
1 (1 1/2-inch) piece cinnamon stick
4 peppercorns (preferably white)
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh grated from whole is best)
2 cups whole milk
3 1/2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, or add to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups water
5 teaspoons loose orange pekoe tea or Assam black tea
Equipment: a mortar and pestle or an electric coffee/spice grinder

DIRECTIONS:
Grind together cardamom, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and fennel seeds with mortar and pestle or coffee/spice grinder.
Bring milk just to a simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir or whisk in brown sugar, all spices, & a tiny pinch of salt (1/8 tsp.).
Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes to infuse flavors.
Meanwhile, bring water to a boil in a 1-quart saucepan, add tea, and boil 1 minute.
Pour tea through a fine-mesh sieve into hot milk mixture (discard tea leaves) and cook over low heat 1 minute. Stir before serving.

At first glance you might be hesitant to try this semi unconventional recipe, but we guarantee you will be wowed at how wonderful, economical & easy this fall flavor packed dish is!

Apples with onions, a combination that has been an end of harvest staple for centuries. And when you combine the two main ingredients with a sharp cheese, the mouth watering results are addicting. This dish works great as a veggie focused main dish or pairs perfectly with pork.

Apple Onion & Cheese Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh grated is the best but regular ground works!)
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples (a firmer, semi to sweet apple)
1 cup chopped onions
2 cups grated Cheddar or Gruyere cheese
1-2 tsp of whole thyme
1 cup chopped walnuts (**Optional)
1 cup bread crumbs*
OPTIONAL: For a slightly sweeter gratin, mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with the bread crumbs. This will bring out the flavor of the apples.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350° and lightly oil an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
In a small pot, scald the milk, bringing it almost but not quite to a boil.
In another small pot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour.
Slowly add the scalded milk, whisking continuously until the sauce starts to thicken.
Add the nutmeg and salt and stir for about a minute, until thick.
Remove from the heat and set aside
Thin slice apples & onions and toss with the thyme then spread evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Sprinkle on the grated cheese and pour the sauce over the top.
Scatter on the walnuts and bread crumbs (seasoned with brown sugar, if you like).
Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp.(picture from one of our favorite food blogs Ezra Pound Cake)

If you’re looking for a deliciously fun treat for the family this fall, look no further than this amazing stuffed pumpkin recipe. It’s a little bit of effort than your usual one pot meal but so worth the rewards not only in flavor but presentation!

Bacon Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin
INGREDIENTS:

1 pumpkin, about 3 pounds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 pound stale bread, thinly sliced and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (could substitute 2 cups of cooked rice
1/4 pound cheese, such as Gruyère, Emmenthal, cheddar, or a combination, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2-4 garlic cloves (to taste) coarsely chopped
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, and chopped (could substitute cubed ham, turkey or ground pork)
About 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives or sliced scallions
1 tablespoon thyme
1 tablespoon sage
About 1/3 cup heavy cream
Pinch of (freshly grated from whole is best!) –ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven or casserole dish with a diameter that’s just a bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick, so you’ll have to serve it from the pot. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell can be challenging.
Cut enough of the top opening to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot.
Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper—you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure—and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled—you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Add just enough cream to make the mixture very wet, but not ‘swimming’.
Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours—check after 90 minutes—or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, remove the cap during the last 20-30 minutes, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.
When the pumpkin is ready, carefully bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you’ll bring to the table.

(picture and recipe inspiration from one of our favorite food sites Epicurious)

Here’s a throw-back video of us showing Fox 2’s morning show how to whip up a very impressive yet simple root beer party punch for your Halloween gathering, complete with the spooky fog rolling off it’s top!

It’s the last weekend for Historic Main Street’s Legends and Lanterns festival!
And we will be OPEN LATER so you can enjoy a stroll in the cool crisp, maybe grab dinner at one of our fabulous main street eateries and then stop in and get all your fall foodie spice supplies!