When used to spice up baking, from gingerbread to muffins or chocolate and fruit cakes, nutmeg retains much of its appeal. Nutmeg is the perfect way to finish a cheesecake, baked or unbaked, and works particularly well if there is orange present, as grated zest or orange-flower water.
What food do you put nutmeg in?
Slightly sweeter than mace, nutmeg is essential to bechamel sauce and also goes well with baked or stewed fruit, custards, eggnog, punches, curries, sauces (particularly onion-based and milk sauces), pasta, and vegetables (especially spinach).
What does nutmeg do in a recipe?
While nutmeg is considered a sweet seasoning, it’s not your typical sugary sweet. It’s more of an earthy, nutty sweetness. That’s what makes it so versatile, and it’s why it can be added to savory dishes as well as sweet ones. Just know that a little goes a long way with the unique spice.
In what form is nutmeg most commonly used?
The spice nutmeg has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm slightly sweet taste; it is used to flavour many kinds of baked goods, confections, puddings, potatoes, meats, sausages, sauces, vegetables, and such beverages as eggnog. The fleshy arils surrounding the nutmeg seed are the source of the spice mace.
How do you put nutmeg in dishes?
To cook with whole nutmeg, use a nutmeg grater, pepper mill, or microplane to grate off a small amount of the seed into your dish. Nutmeg also pairs well with creamy sauces and cheesy dishes, such as bechamel, alfredo sauce, and soufflés, which benefit from the spice’s subtle heat.
What flavor does nutmeg give?
Whole or ground, nutmeg tastes nutty, warm, and slightly sweet. It’s reminiscent of clove and tobacco and can even have subtle citrusy notes.
Does nutmeg go well with cheese?
Nutmeg is a tasty add-on for any creamy dish, from mac and cheese to potato gratin to creamed spinach. It’s delicious with buttered vegetables like broccoli, sweet potatoes and carrots, too.
How much nutmeg do I add?
Small amounts of nutmeg can be used safely in cooking. Most recipes only call for roughly 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg per recipe.
Does nutmeg taste like cinnamon?
Nutmeg is a top substitute for cinnamon because of its pleasing taste and versatility. It has a warming, slightly nutty flavor and is sometimes combined with cinnamon in recipes, like in pumpkin pie.
Is nutmeg good for you in coffee?
A little nutmeg added to your coffee is a health benefit. Nutmeg is used to treat many health conditions. It’s anti-inflammatory properties help to relieve pain. Nutmeg has been used to treat digestive disorders from time immemorial.
Does nutmeg lower blood pressure?
Lowers high blood pressure
Nutmeg has hypotensive abilities and can help manage hypertension. Also, nutmeg spice is rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium which are the key nutrients to manage high blood pressure.
What are the benefits of nutmeg?
Nutmeg is found to have health benefits, including its ability to relieve pain, soothe indigestion, strengthen cognitive function, detoxify the body, boost skin health, alleviate oral conditions, reduce insomnia, increase immune system function, and prevent leukemia, and improve blood circulation.
Does nutmeg go in oatmeal?
Stir raisins, brown sugar, and nutmeg into the cooked oatmeal. Top with milk, nuts (toasted or un-toasted) and cinnamon.
Can I use nutmeg to boil meat?
Besides being an exotic spice, nutmeg is grouped under the category of aphrodisiacs, and in cooking, only small quantities – such as a little grating or a pinch of the ground powder – are used to make soups, meat gravies, beef stew, steaks, roulades, and even desserts.
Does nutmeg taste bitter?
The high oil content ensures the flavour is easily retained in all forms, so just a sprinkle of ground nutmeg can give a real kick to your cooking. It’s highly aromatic, with woody undertones, and can taste slightly bitter to some.
Can nutmeg be added to pepper soup?
In the southern Niger Delta where I was born and raised, pepper soup is not pepper soup without a mix of spices—erhe (calabash nutmeg), urheri (grains of Selim), alligator pepper (grains of paradise), umilo (cocoplum) and gbafilo (rough-skinned plum).
Can nutmeg be used in tea?
Nutmeg is sometimes used as a masala chai spice. It’s not one of the essential ones, but you can find in in regional variations or custom blends. Nutmeg tends to go best with black teas, particularly black tea lattes. If you want to add a dash of eggnog spice to a tea latte, include some nutmeg.
What does nutmeg taste like in coffee?
Nutmeg adds flavor to your coffee, makes it more interesting and provides an exotic treat to your taste buds. It gives a hint of earthiness and a slightly sweet smell to your favorite coffee.
Is nutmeg different than cinnamon?
Cinnamon is from the bark of a tree, and nutmeg is a seed. Cinnamon is the “hot” flavor in a lot of candies, e.g. “Hot Tamales”, as well as being used in apple pie and cinnamon rolls. Nutmeg is more subtle, often used with other spices, sometimes including cinnamon. Beyond this, let your taste buds decide.
What meat goes well with nutmeg?
Like other sweet spices, it plays nicely with starchy potatoes and squash, and dark meats like lamb and pork. It’s a no-brainer on dark liquor cocktails, punches of all sorts, and hot winter beverages.
What fruit goes well with nutmeg?
Sprinkle nutmeg onto raw or cooked apples, bananas, peaches, nectarines, pears, pineapple or mango. Cut up several fruits to make a mixed fruit salad, dust the fruit with nutmeg, and squeeze a little fresh lemon evenly onto the dish.