Nutmeg has a flavor that is quite strong. In small amounts, it blends in with great subtlety. You will find it called for in many vegetable recipes such as squash, spinach, and sweet potato pie. French white sauces often call for a pinch.
In addition to its uses in desserts, breads, and pound cake, nutmeg is often a good secret ingredient for stew, cream soup, sauces, preserves and meatballs. We have many customers who still make sausage by hand, based on old family recipes handed down through generations -- for pork or bratwurst sausage, nutmeg is a standard ingredient. We have a family Christmas Eve tradition that involves the making of eggnog the old-fashioned way, topped off by the grating of nutmeg in Grandma's antique nutmeg grater. Everyone loves it, from the kids to the older folks!
Nutmeg has a long history of acclaimed healing and magical powers. Most of these were for inducing romance or enhancement of beauty or popularity. Nowadays, the use of nutmeg is pretty much limited to the food industry!
The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a new star.
Brillat-Savarin
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