Left: Whole nutmeg
Right: The inside of the nutmeg after grating
Have you ever worked with fresh nutmeg? I never did until I took my Rouxbe.com cooking course. I would normally buy a jar of ground nutmeg and use it in any of my recipes that call for nutmeg like my mother in law’s mini fruit cakes or baked doughnuts. But since I tried the fresh nutmeg, there is no going back. It is really fun to learn new things like this and pass them on to you because how else do we learn these things? (Unless you took a cooking course or your mom used fresh nutmeg!)
What is nutmeg? It is the oval shaped pit or fruit of the nutmeg tree. It is an intense and specific flavor, slightly sweet and sort of a cousin to cinnamon but sharper like pepper. It is hard to describe, but when you smell it you will know it.
I figured since I found out about whole nutmeg you should too! Just grate it with your microplane or a special nutmeg grater into your recipes. Enjoy!
I agree with you that fresh nutmeg is a must in any spice cabinet – but then again I would say fresh spices are always so much better than the dried, processed ones. At least now there is a good selection of fresh spices available to us. We just have to remember that the little extra trouble makes such a difference. Your picture of the nutmeg is beautiful.
I adore nutmeg! I used to sprinkle it on vanilla ice cream when I was a kid. I don’t do ice cream now, of course, but still love the spicy-lemony fragrance and taste of nutmeg. I’ll have to try using it fresh from the source. Thanks!
make some delicious vegan ice cream and have a nutmeg party! xo
Sounds like a plan!