Now that fall is in full swing, it’s all things pumpkin, the vegetable that makes good pie. But that pumpkin flavour is all about the spice, as pumpkin on its own is, well it’s a vegetable. But once you add those spices, that warm custardy flavour from every bite of a good pumpkin pie is transformative.
Pumpkin spice is simply a combination of spices like ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, etc. Really, it’s all about the ratios and what you prefer. I like mine to have a slight hint of a bite, so that is why I finish mine with a hint of pepper. I’m also a traditionalist at heart, so I include a touch of mace to round out flavour. In that same regard is why include cloves. You can play with the ratios yourself to customize it to you. The key thing is that cinnamon is your most dominant spice, then ginger, allspice, etc. In fact, whatever your ratios, Cinnamon should be just a tad more than all your other spices put together, but not much more.
The other key thing is to use fresh spices. If you can’t remember when that jar of allspice was acquired, but the jar you have is no longer the branding that company uses, for the love of all things sweet, throw it out. Using spices that are years old, is like shaving your legs with old razor blades. Yuck. Rather than enjoying a full bodied flavour, you’ll be tasting a flat, suspicious spice, that is the culprit of why whatever you just made is devoid of what it is supposed to be and maybe even why it tastes off. Lecture complete.
Now, I like to source my spices from when they are grown and like to grind them myself, if it’s possible. Nutmeg is the perfect example, freshly grated nutmeg is so much fuller than powdered. You don’t have to, but in my opinion, it makes for a much more full bodied flavour.
And get to know varieties, for instance, cinnamon. Cinnamon is divided into two categories: Ceylon Cinnamon and Cassia Cinnamon, and each have many varieties. Korintje Cinnamon is a Cassia Cinnamon that is most often sourced from Indonesia, that’s most often what you see in stores. It has a nice strong flavour that I quite like.
But if you want something more subtle try Ceylon Cinnamon also known as a True Cinnamon or Mexican Cinnamon, most often sourced from Sri Lanka. It’s subtle taste has hints of sweetness, is seen as the ‘sophisticated Cinnamon’. I may use it for cinnamon toppings when you don’t want the spice to overpower what’s underneath.
Then there is Saigon Cinnamon, a Cassia Cinnamon as well, but far more aggressive than it’s cousin Korintje. It has a strong and bold cinnamon smell and its taste is also bold, spicy and sweet. Think the spicy valentine heart candies. Now you know why those candies are soooooo cinnamon-ee. Why would you use it in your pumpkin spice? Maybe you like bold. Or, maybe it’s for a savoury dish and that kick from the cinnamon would give it that extra zing.
What I like to do is at the beginning of fall and the pumpkin themed baking is about to begin, I make a few batches of this for pumpkin pie spice uses, and use it in all of my recipes. I’ll have one that’s a bit spicier, for a pumpkin soup that’s a favourite in our house, a traditional one, and one that I use for chocolate applications that doesn’t have mace, and the cinnamon isn’t too powerful.
Blending my owns saves a bit of money, makes it fresher, and I get to tailor the flavour.
Hope you enjoy this as much as I do,
