5 Essential Spices
As the leaves begin their annual transformation through the warm spectrum of colors, the inhabitants of The 330 prepare for a wonderful season. With the final splash of color and sudden rush of chilled air, nature allows us one last chance to indulge in the atmosphere before bundling up for a long winter. An integral part of the fall season enters the picture on our plates. Piled high with apple crisps, pumpkin pies and cinnamon rolls, the flavors—and the spices that supply them—embody the warmest feelings of autumn.
There are many spices that are wonderful parts of fall recipes; however, we chose five that bring with them the essence of the season. Whether you enjoy cinnamon and nutmeg, or cardamom and star anise, the flavors will place you in the mood to just sit back and enjoy the fall.
Cinnamon
With a warm flavor that sets the imagination on fire, cinnamon is a staple of the fall. “Cinnamon is actually the bark off of a tree. The reason why there are so many cinnamons out there is that they’re actually from many different trees,” says Karen Marks from Heather’s Heat and Flavor in Hudson.
Marks sells five types of cinnamon in her Hudson store, each providing a unique variation on the traditional taste. “Cassia, Ceylon, Korintje, Saigon, Sri Lanka — these are the areas in which the tree grows — but they are totally different-tasting cinnamons.” Saigon is the favorite of her customers, along with also being the strongest tasting. “Saigon cinnamon is so sharp, that you actually [have to reduce the amount] in order to put it in a recipe,” says Marks.
Regardless of which specific type, cinnamon evokes feelings and memories of the fall. Chef and owner of D’Agnese’s Trattoria and Café, Joe Gallagher adds cinnamon into a variety of dishes. “We use cinnamon in a lot [of dishes] because it’s a great fall spice, kind of like a nice, warm blanket.”
More than just an added flavor, this spice can place you in a mindset. “With cinnamon, you think of your favorite sweatshirt or your favorite button-down shirt, the leaves changing colors and the feeling of fall associated with [the spice],” says Gallagher.
Star Anise
Sometimes nature creates beautiful things. Star anise gained its name from a literal description of its appearance. Like nutmeg and cardamom, star anise is a seed pod. It is also a seasonal favorite. “It’s a fall thing,” says Marks. Though she says it is often used in Indian food, Marks sells a lot of this particular spice during Christmastime for inclusion in many baked goods. “In this country it’s in cookies and breads. It’s kind of sweet and fruity—it doesn’t taste like any other spice at all,” says Marks.
This sweetness also stands out to Nosh’s Executive Chef, Derek Finnell. “It’s very strong, and almost licorice-flavored,” he says. Finnell uses the spice in a variety of recipes, expanding its use beyond the baking sphere. Uses range from a rub for steak to an unexpected addition to a sauce. “It’s very fragrant and there’s a lot of oils in it. So when you can steep it in things, you get a lot of that flavor out,” says Finnell.
Star Anise is a visually pleasing addition to drinks — it is even used in a lot of liquors, including absinthe — as well as a pleasant taste for foodies. Finnell has one word to the wise when using this spice. “It’s going to give a little licorice boost,” he says, but “a little bit goes a long way.”
Cardamom
Another pod-based spice, cardamom comes in both green and black pods. With differences greater than just the color of their exteriors, the two variations of this spice each have unique characteristics. “Black cardamom has a smokiness to it, while green cardamom is a little bit sweeter and almost floral,” says Derek Finnell, the Executive Chef at Nosh Eatery.
Finnell prefers the green cardamom in many of his dishes because of its ability to work with other spices. “It fits well with a lot of the other warming spices like cinnamon and even star anise,” he says. “It’s distinct from all of those [spices]. And really, I use it in combination with a lot of those as well.”
Cardamom originates in a pod, with seeds contained inside. Karen Marks carries both the green and black pods in her Hudson store, as well as the seeds. “If you have a recipe that calls for cardamom, generally they mean the black seed, which you have to grind,” says Marks. She sells it unground, but will grind it for customers. Once it is ground, Marks cautions that it begins to weaken. “Anything that you ever buy already ground will spoil way faster than if you buy it whole — especially a seed.”
When fresh, the spice can make a wonderful impact upon a dish. “It has a pretty unique flavor and it’s almost spicy-sweet,” says Finnell. In combination with other fall spices, cardamom can be featured in many recipes. “I’ll make French toast batter, cardamom cake, I’ve mixed it with red pepper— It’s pretty versatile.”
Nutmeg
Nutmeg, as we often see it when preparing a recipe at home, is actually the seed of a pod. The covering itself can be utilized in dishes and is used in Indian food. “The nutmeg that comes out is a seed and you have to grind it,” says Marks. As with many spices that require grinding, Marks recommends buying fresh nutmeg. “It has a much better flavor if you grind it fresh, rather than it sitting in a jar somewhere that you seldom use,” she says. If ground and then left on a shelf, the flavor fades.
When thinking of fall spices, nutmeg often tumbles off the tongue. This spice pairs well with other warm spices, enhancing favorite fall dishes. “You can use it along with cinnamon in apple cider, along with a couple of other things,” says Marks.
Chef Victoria Mayfield uses nutmeg in her scones at Miss Molly’s Tea Room. “Nutmeg is definitely one of those spices that mixes well with a lot of dessert things, fall items, and it definitely adds a very good taste to our scones,” says Mayfield. At Miss Molly’s, Mayfield brings a few of falls best flavors out in her scones. “We all know that pumpkin and fall things are everywhere you go—it’s a seasonal thing—so we utilize the actual flavorings of the pumpkin and introduce it into a scone.”
By integrating nutmeg into the mix, chefs like Mayfield are able to complete the dish. “We don’t have a lot of ingredients in the scones, but they have an at home-feel and nutmeg definitely adds a very good taste to our scones.”
Hazelnut
Though not technically a spice, hazelnut is a great addition to the other fall flavors you would find on your spice rack. The nut has gained popularity recently through chocolate spreads and other sweet treats. Hazelnut is a team player, working well with other spices that you may use in a recipe. “Actually, hazelnut can go into virtually any candy [or] any pudding,” says Marks. “I’d team it with cardamom any day of the week.” As a very versatile ingredient, hazelnut can enhance a dish and is an especially good pairing with traditional fall spices.
With a strong flavor, foodies will recognize it once it hits their palate. “You can’t mistakenly eat it and not know what it is. It’s strong,” says Marks. Often featured in cookies, hazelnut can also find its way into savory foods.
One place you can find hazelnut is in coffee. Madeline Leong, a manager at Nervous Dog Coffee Bar & Roaster, sees it as a jack-of-all-trades. “It’s one of these kind of all-over-the-place ingredients,” says Leong. The local coffee shop utilizes this nut in many of their fall creations, as well as drinks to be enjoyed all year long. “Especially with the Harvest Spice Latté, [hazelnut] is mixed in with the pumpkin and it’s something that people can be reminiscent about all year,” says Leong.