When the air turns crisp, we reach for one of the most aromatic spices in our cupboard: cloves. Along with cinnamon and ginger, this sweet and peppery spice is essential for autumn favorites like pumpkin pie, gingersnaps, and baked apples. How do you like to use cloves?
Cloves are the unopened flower buds of the evergreen clove tree (family Myrtaceae). They are harvested by hand and dried in the sun in countries like Indonesia, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, and India. Sweet, pungent, and warming, this is an intense spice and a little goes a long way. It's usually best to buy whole cloves and grind them yourself, as the powdered form loses its flavor quickly.
Though we often associate cloves with baked goods and sweets, the spice can also add depth to savory dishes, pickles, and Indian, Middle Eastern, and North African dishes. Cloves pair nicely with the flavors of apples, oranges, ham, pork, and chocolate, and other aromatic spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. We like adding a couple of whole buds to a stew or a light sprinkling of ground spice to baked winter squash.
Cloves are also used in many spice blends:
• Baharat
• Chinese Five-Spice Powder
• Dukkah
• Garam Masala
• Pickling Spice
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Ras el Hanout
Related: From the Spice Cupboard: Nutmeg
(Image: Emily Ho)
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I don't like them -- had a Marathon Man-esque run in with clove oil and a bad tooth, and haven't really enjoyed the flavor since.
My friend makes the best spaghetti sauce. It has a mysterious dark taste. She revealed her secret: cinnamon and cloves.
Ooh, we just returned from Zanzibar with our luggage filled with things such as cloves. Can't wait to use them.
Ground cloves are great as an ingredient in chili along with ground allspice.
Yes--Ras el Hanout. Mmmmm. Cloves and cinnamon and the rest of it in Moroccan food. I also love to make devilled eggs with Ras el Hanout, a tiny bit of mayo, and a dollop of nice olive oil.
Also, with the fall coming on, I sometimes like to put cloves in oranges or apples and use them in a pretty bowl as an aromatic centerpiece.
I use a couple of cloves when I make salsa verde. I simmer the tomatillos in a bit of water with cloves and a bay leaf. The flavor is subtle and it makes a huge difference.
I like to smoke them!
Hot Toddy!
Take a lemon wheel and stud it with a few whole cloves, put it into a mug with a shot of whiskey and fill with boiling water. Delicious.