Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Nutmeg and mace


egale

Recommended Posts

I have returned from a trip to the spice islands of Indonesia (Sulawesi and the Moluccas) with a kilo of mace and a kilo of nutmegs. (Yes, that's right, a kilo of each.)

 

How I ended up with so much is an amusing story, but what I'm wondering now is what do I do with so much? I plan on making several dishes from Cradles of Flavor, but still.... 

 

Any ideas?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yikes. Do you love North African food? I do, but that would still be a lifetime supply.

 

(one of my favorite lines from the Simpsons ... Marge discovers a costco-style big-box store and is mesmerized. "That's a very good price for 25 pounds of nutmeg!")

  • Like 2

Notes from the underbelly

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That will be a lot of  mix spice you can make and ton of pickling too.  I love nutmeg in my potato mash.  Remember nutmeg is poisonous in large amounts and for spice large amount isnt that much.

Cheese is you friend, Cheese will take care of you, Cheese will never betray you, But blue mold will kill me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whole mace is not that available at local stores, and yours is (presumably) very fresh. I suggest advertising and some local cooks might be interested in buying some, especially Indian and Thai cooks. That supply will not keep "fresh" for more than a few years at most.

 

BTW, I brought home some whole mace from my trip to Thailand, and it molded within a few months. It was stored airtight in a cool, dark place. Could have been a problem with the particular mace that I bought. I also wondered if mace has a fair amount of moisture left in it, even when dried.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That will be a lot of  mix spice you can make and ton of pickling too.  I love nutmeg in my potato mash.  Remember nutmeg is poisonous in large amounts and for spice large amount isnt that much.

I think you'd have to be consuming unnaturally large amounts to have the anticholinergic effects - or perhaps in synergy with another medication.  Reports seem to be few and far between.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Saveur did an article on nutmeg - I remember tearing it out, because I enjoy the flavour of nutmeg even more than cinnamon, which seems to get the lion's share of attention in sweets. There were some nutmeg tarts that looked worth a try - here is a link to the recipes from that article:

 

http://www.saveur.com/find/nutmeg

 

(Hope that works)

 

There is a cake, custard tarts, donuts, and a syrup, along with the typical drinks selections. The custard tart looks particularly delicious - I can see it going really well with a fruit compote.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

IF you're into BBQ here's a good rub recipe that uses a good amount of mace.... http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/rib-rub

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the ideas. And thanks for the rub recipe. I'm going to try that. I think I have so much that giving some away is the best option.

 

The nutmeg and mace I have is very fresh indeed. It was harvested and dried this season. However, I also have nutmeg from 2009 that I got in Southern India and it is still terrific, so maybe these spices don't fade as they age, or maybe it takes many many years.

 

I too have seen nutmeg and mace develop a whitish fungus. Those in the know (i.e., an Indian) told me that happens because the nutmeg or mace wasn't fully dry when it was stored. I experimented with this and found it to be true. Take the nutmeg or mace out of the airtight container and let it dry in sunshine and fresh air. The Indian guy also told me that nutmeg isn't dry until you can hear it rattle when you shake it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I add a pinch of nutmeg to most meat dishes, especially game; it seems to balance, and sort of round out any excessive gaminess, and I like what it does in all sorts of soups. Also, I often add a pinch to coffee and hot chocolate (also, eggnog, of course; in case you appreciate silly warnings, don't give eggnog to your pets). When I've had mace, I've used it in the exact same way.

 

If you keep your stash in the freeze, it should stay fresh a long time.

Michaela, aka "Mjx"
Manager, eG Forums
mscioscia@egstaff.org

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...