Author Archives: kimberley
Hibiscus Margarita
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo like never before with this delicious cocktail. The hibiscus infuses a deep rich red color to this libation. Add a slice of lime and Sel de Mer to the rim of your glass and you have the colors of the Mexican flag! Almost cranberry in flavor, it’s got a “zing” that is enhanced by using silver tequila and the homemade spiced simple syrup. Tune in to the mariachi station on Pandora while you whip these up for an absolute fiesta!
Hibiscus Margarita
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a medium sized pot
- Bring to boil over medium-high heat
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes
- Strain and pour into jar. Allow to cool to room temperature
- Once cooled, place in refrigerator. Your syrup will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks
- Combine tequila, lime juice and Hibiscus Spiced Simple Syrup in a glass with a couple of cubes of ice.
- Stir well
- Drink
- Repeat
Rooster Spice Asparagus
Songkran (สงกรานต์) is the traditional Thai New Year water festival which starts on April 13 every year. Traditionally, the throwing of water is said to be a symbol of luck to bring good rain for the crops. Well, we are swimming in good luck with a bountiful asparagus harvest this year and a brand new spice blend, Rooster Spice! We designed this spicy chili powder drawing inspiration from Indonesian sambal, Thai nam phrik, and Vietnamese tuong ot toi. Rooster Spice has limitless possibilities but here we combine the seasonality of asparagus with the celebration of Thai New Year. Enjoy!
Rooster Spice Asparagus
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a deep saute pan, gently heat oil to 375 degrees
- Bring 4 quarts of heavily salted water to a rolling boil
- Add asparagus, cook for 50 seconds
- Transfer to a bowl of ice water to shock, then dry thoroughly
- In a medium bowl, mix egg yolks with flour, cornstarch, Rooster Spice and beer, taking care not to over mix
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs whites to soft peaks
- Fold egg whites, very gently, into egg yolk mixture
- Do not over mix or allowed batter to sit too long
- Toss asparagus with a few tablespoons of flour, shaking to remove excess
- Dredge in batter and fry in oil, until golden and crisp
- Season with Sel de Mer, a squeeze of lemon, or a generous dousing of malt vinegar
- Serve in newspaper cones
Lemon Thyme Rhubarb Cake
Tart, sweet and dramatically red, rhubarb never tasted so good in this Lemon Thyme Rhubarb cake. The cake is moist and fluffy on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside edge. The sharpness of the rhubarb combined with the delicate pungency of the lemon thyme make this a most wonderful offering of spring’s bountiful harvest.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan or cast-iron pan
- In a small saucepan, over medium heat, add rhubarb, sugar and water
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb has softened
- Strain, reserve juice
- Set rhubarb aside to cool while you make the rest of the cake
- Cream butter and sugar together until smooth
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition (batter should look light and fluffy)
- Gently mix in the baking powder, salt, lemon thyme and flour - be careful not to over mix
- Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter
- Spoon the rhubarb compote over the top of the batter
- Using a butter knife, swirl the compote through the cake batter, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the pan
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the reserved rhubarb compote juice over the top
- Sprinkle with the rest of the lemon thyme and sugar
- Bake 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center of cake comes out clean
- Serve warm or room temperature
- Enjoy with more of the rhubarb compote mixed with whipped cream or Greek yogurt, served on the side
Pacific Seafood Halibut Escabeche
The first of the season Alaskan halibut has arrived, and we are thrilled! Considered the world’s premium whitefish, first of the season halibut are the best quality because the fat content of the fish is at its absolute peak. To celebrate the arrival of this delicacy from the icy north, we created an escabeche using our Pacific Seafood. This simple preparation is a luscious showcase of some of spring’s first fresh flavors.
Pacific Seafood Halibut Escabeche
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick saute pan over medium heat
- When hot, add the halibut steaks and saute until golden, about 2-1/2 minutes per side
- Remove from pan and transfer to a dish large enough to hold all of the halibut in a single layer
- Set aside
- Using same oil and saute pan, saute onions, jalapenos, bay leaves and peppercorns until they are almost soft, about 4 minutes
- Add Pacific Seafood and saute for another minute until the onions and jalapenos are completely softened
- Stir in vinegar and cook at a simmer for about 5 minutes
- Pour mixture over the cooked halibut, being sure to spread over and around the halibut
- Top with remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil
- Serve at room temperature
Our Saffron Story
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We have an enchanting story to share…it tells the tale about the very special saffron that comes to us from the folks at Fair Trade Morocco.
Fair Trade Morocco is a small importing business founded by Randy Thompson and Felicia Cain. While volunteering with the Peace Corps in Morocco, Felicia and a fellow volunteer met with a local association that was interested in exporting the exquisite saffron grown in the Suktana region of Morocco. Randy and Felicia have collaborated with the saffron association and the community of Taliouine, Suktana, to provide the highest quality, sustainable product to the U.S. market.
The saffron is harvested in October and arrives in our store, not long after, personally delivered by two Peace Corps volunteers. We get giddy over the beautiful, certified organic, aromatic threads. We ooh and ahh, take zillions of photos, talk about saffron laden recipes, inhale the luscious bouquet and carefully place the saffron in 1 gram jars for our customers.
Oh yes, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world. Always has been and probably will always be. Here at the shop, we are often asked about the price of our saffron by the ounce. We normally sell it in smaller quantities, by the gram, and the staff was shocked to realize that it would cost $520 for just one ounce!
The beautiful yellow, orange, and red stigmas from the small purple saffron crocus must be handpicked from the center of the flower, each crocus provides only three stigmas and it takes 14,000 stigmas to yield one ounce of saffron. It can take 40 hours of picking, a full work week, just to pick a couple pounds. Luckily, one gram is more than enough to enjoy this exotic spice.
The golden threads of saffron infuse both an elegant flavor and a golden color into recipes. Saffron is part of the culinary culture in many different regions of the world. In India saffron is an indispensable ingredient in many recipes of rice, sweets and ice-creams. It is also used in Ayurvedic medicine and in religious rituals. In Saudi Arabia, a real Arabic coffee should have saffron and cardamom. In northern Italy and southern Switzerland, saffron is essential in the preparation of a traditional Risotto. In Sweden it is a traditional to bake saffron bread on the day of St. Lucile. Bouillabaisse, a fish stew from Provence in France, is traditionally served with a saffron broth. Finally, in Spain saffron is an indispensable ingredient in such famous dishes as Paella, Fabada or Pote Gallego.
That’s our Saffron Story…..we hope you enjoy both the story and the saffron as much as we do.
Le Quebecois Mini Pies
We were recently asked by another spice company to change the name of our Montreal Steak Spice because they owned the rights to the name. Well, okay….
We had to brainstorm a new name, take the labels off of jars in gift sets, redo the store displays, and adjust our website all in a very short amount of time. We were busy! While all of this change was taking place, I recalled a quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ‘We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.’ Change can be good, our store displays are fresh and new our website got a nice update, we have a fantastic new name for one of our earliest blends and an outstanding recipe to go with it. Introducing……Le Quebecois Steak Spice (applause, applause)!
Paying homage to the Canadian Provence were the blend originated, Le Quebecois Steak Spice showcases both the French flair for deft seasoning, and the British love of beef. While usually associated with steak, we tried it in these vegetarian mini pies with great success – you know how how we love to play with our food! Bon appétit.
Le Quebecois Mini Pies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat
- Add onion to pan and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes
- Add chard stems and celery, cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add chard leaves, raise heat to medium high and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes
- Add scallions, arugula and herbs. Cook for two minutes more and transfer to a collander
- Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as you can
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in cheese, zest, eggs, salt, sugar and Le Quebecois Steak Spice
- Lay out a sheet of filo, cut into 12 squares and brush with olive oil
- Lay the oiled squares into the cups of a muffin tin
- Repeat, alternating the angles of the squares so that they cover the sides of each muffin cup, until you have 5 layers of filo
- Fill each cup with herb mixture and fold excess filo over the edges of the filling
- To top each cup, make another 5 layer filo piece, cut in a round, and place atop of each cup
- Brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes until the filo turns golden brown
- Serve warm or at room temperature as an an appetizer or an accompaniment to roast lamb or beef
Roasted Quail Feast for Valentines Day
Exotic, aromatic and romantic we prepared this intimate feast with a table for two in mind. Succulent quail are roasted to perfection with one of our most alchemical blends: Ras el Hanout, which contains a hint of Moroccan rose petals and finished with a finger licking honey glaze. Our Wild Rice Pilaf accompaniment features the bold, classic flavor of cassia cinnamon while the Paradise Pistachio Relish combines grains of paradise and Aleppo to bring everything together for a memorable Valentine’s Day Feast, we’ll leave the desert up to you.
Honey Roasted Quail with Wild Rice Pilaf and Paradise Pistachio Relish
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the Brine - Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot.
- Once boiled, remove from heat and add sugar and salt.
- Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Add enough ice to bring water volume to 1 gallon
- Once the brine has cooled, add quail and spices and refrigerate for 2 1/2 hours
- Preheat over to 450 degrees
- Remove quail from brine and pat dry with paper towels Set aside to bring to room temperature, about 30-40 minutes
- While quail are setting, melt butter in a small skillet
- Add Ras el Hanout, whisk and remove from heat
- Apply butter/Ras el Hanout mixture liberally to quail
- Roast quail, preferably on a grill rack, for 12-17 minutes
- While the quail roasts, prepare the glaze:
- In a small saucepan, heat honey and coriander over medium heat, stirring often, until honey is reduced by half, about 8 minutes
- Discard coriander seeds
- With a pastry brush, glaze the roasted quail with honey.
- Finish with Sel de Mer
- Serve with rice pilaf and pistachio relish (recipes below)
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, brink stock to boil
- Add rice, cinnamon stick and bay leaf
- Reduce heat and simmer until rice kernels open, about 45-50 minutes
- While rice cooks, saute onion on medium heat until lightly browned, about 10 minutes
- Add garlic to onions and continue sauteing until garlic is lightly browned
- When rice is nearly cooked, add onion/garlic mixture, and dates
- Cover and until the dates have dehydrated, about 10 minutes
- Season with salt to taste
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine pistachios, parsley, mint, garlic and lemon in a mixing bowl
- Slowly add olive oil, mixing as you go
- Add Aleppo, grains of paradise and salt
- Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Have you ever eaten something so good that it induces a trance? Well, check out our Voodoo Shrimp and Grits. This classic dish features our brand new spice blend, Voodoo, a robust seasoning which includes onion, garlic, thyme and allspice on a base of peppercorns and sea salts. We are excited to share Voodoo Shrimp and Grits just in time for Mardis Gras. French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras refers to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season. Definitely rich, this recipe could be the inspiration for your own Mardi Gras ritual.
Voodoo Shrimp and Grits
Ingredients
Instructions
- For the Grits: Put water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add salt and slowly sprinkle in grits while stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Add the half-and-half and return to a simmer.
- Reduce heat, cover and cook the grits slowly.
- After 30-40 minutes, stir in chopped butter and black pepper.
- Continue to cook grits until smooth and creamy, about an hour.
- For the Sauce: In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and brown the andouille sausage. Once the sausage begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes, remove from pan.
- Season both sides of the shrimp with Voodoo.
- Sear the shrimp over medium high heat for about a minute on each side, working in batches to not crowd the pan. Remove from pan.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to pan
- Add cooked sausage onion, pepper, garlic and spices. Saute for 3 minutes, until the onion is tender and translucent
- Add stock and bring to boil, gently scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan
- Reduce heat and slowly add the cream
- Bring up to a simmer and allow to reduce until sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes
- Once thickened, add seared shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked, about 2-3 minutes
- Spoon sauce over grits
- Finish with Voodoo
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Expect a huddle in the kitchen as well as around the TV with this Creole-inspired dish. Many of us fondly remember Sesto’s Cafe, our neighbor here on Western Avenue and its New Orleans native and owner, Chuck Smith. Chuck made some of the most memorable and mouthwatering Gumbo out of the Bayou. We sure miss Sesto’s but lucky for us, Chuck generously shared his recipe for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. We’ve streamlined his process just a tad (Don’t worry, Chuck, your secret is safe!), and layered it with a classic roux from the cookbook of the Junior League of Lafayette, LA. There’s this big game happening on February 3rd in New Orleans – a city rich with culinary history, laden with exotic influences. What an excellent opportunity to enjoy this delicious dish.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
Instructions
- A large, heavy pot is a must - the heavier the better. Patience is a must - the more the better. (It will be rewarded! We promise!)
- Mix flour and oil until thoroughly until blended before heating. Turn heat on medium-low and immediately begin stirring. Allow roux to brown slooowly, stirring constantly.
- When roux is dark brown, add chopped vegetables.Increase heat to medium and stir until onions are translucent. Add seasonings, stirring to blend. Add sausage and chicken, stirring until evenly browned.
- Slooowly add heated chicken stock, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until gumbo comes to a simmer. Simmer 1 hour, stirring often and reducing heat if necessary to prevent sticking. Add salt to taste.
- You can adjust the final thickness of the gumbo with file (FEE-lay) powder , or pass it at the table as a traditional accompaniment.
A Celebration of Spices….The World Spice Team In Action
Well, we’re playing with food once again! A gathering of chefs, spice merchants, photographers and professional tasters (that’s me!) creating some delicious spicecentric recipes. Planning this testing has been so much fun because many of the recipes are geared towards the upcoming holidays. At our planning meetings, we shared stories of holiday food memories some of which were downright hysterical, other amazing, but without exception, all were remembrances of celebratory moments. From these stories (and meetings!) we have formulated several delectables for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more. There is a whole lotta love and joy in theses recipes and we hope you, your friends and family enjoy them as much as we have.
Chefs at Work
Three Chefs: Angelina, Robert and Sherrie
