One of my favourite things about winter is the fragrance of warming spices wafting from the kitchen. Any combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cardamom and star anise creates a delightful aroma and tastes delicious in both sweet and savoury dishes.
All over the world various culture groups use these spices to create nutritious, warming foods during the long, cold winter months. Not only are these spices powerful anti-oxidants with immune boosting properties that keep us strong and healthy, but they are genuinely warming, helping the body maintain body heat through the cold.
Each of these spices is amazing on their own, but they combine well to create delightful flavours. A firm family favourite, for example, is speculaas – the spice mix the Dutch use in their cookies. Our latest discovery and winter favourite is Spice Farm’s Pumpkin Pie Spice. It is delightfully fragrant, tastes delicious and brings a real depth of flavour to the final product. It is also very easy to use. It’s so convenient that the individual spices don’t need to be measured out – all the hard work has already been done and it can simply be added into the mix.
This traditionally American spice can be used in any recipe that calls for cinnamon and any of the other winter spices. I first used it when baking Bran Muffins and was delighted with the result. Then I tried it in our Mulled Apple Juice and it was winner! I even used it in the last batch of rusks I made – and that was a huge hit! They didn’t last long at all! It’s also great in butternut fritters, oats, lattés, biscuits, breads, soups and savoury stews.
The Mulled Apple Juice is a nutritious, warming drink one can enjoy on the cold winter days and nights. It can be made in advance and be reheated to serve, and can keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. This is our favourite recipe:
MULLED APPLE JUICE (makes 1 litre)
- 835ml Water
- 165ml Apple Concentrate
- 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- ½ Orange, in slices
Combine all the ingredients in a pot and heat them together on a medium heat. Don’t boil the mixture – it should just simmer slowly so that the spices can infuse the juice.
Strain and serve it warm.
Adjust the water to apple concentrate ratio to suit your taste buds – adding more or less depending on how sweet you like it to be. One teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice is enough for 2 cups of Mulled Apple Juice.