Use Five Spices Instead of Pumpkin Spices
While I’m not entirely against pumpkin spice, I confess that I was a little tired of it. I have nothing against the combination of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and everything else that accompanies the latte at PSL, but I also want to live a little, and by “live a little” I mean “spice up my pies with five. spice powder “.
Used primarily in Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine, this spice blend usually consists of – amazing! – Five spices: star anise, cloves, Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel. It’s warm, a little piquant and a bit quirky, and it makes whatever you add to it that much more fun. While it is natural in meat rubs and marinades, especially duck and turkey, it is a pleasant surprise in both drinks and desserts.
Drinks with autumn fruits such as apples and pears, as well as bourbon and rum- based blends are especially suitable for cocktails. You can make the syrup by adding a tablespoon to 1: 1 Demerara Plain Syrup, or you can pour it straight into the alcohol, as Portland’s Jeffrey Morgenthaler does for his Dark ‘n’ Stormy . (Just add a teaspoon of the spice to a 750ml bottle of booze, shake it, let it sit overnight, and strain it through a coffee filter the next day.)
For pies, use it like any fall spice mix. If your pumpkin pie requires a teaspoon and a half of pumpkin pie spice, try one and a half teaspoons of the Chinese five. (If you don’t want to give it a full preference, you can try half and half.) It is also especially good in apple , quince and pear pies. If you prefer to add this mixture more gradually to your baked goods, you can add flavor to the topping instead of the filling by whisking half a teaspoon of the powder in half a cup of cream along with a tablespoon of honey.