Nutmeg Quandary I Made It

Nutmeg Quandary

chuckieb 10 years ago
Had a little giggle this morning while making Pat2me's
Baked Eggs With Cream Spinach And Parmesan
so thought I'd share. :)
Michelle has mentioned to me a couple of times to try 'fresh' nutmeg in a recipe and that it's superior to just sprinkling it out of the spice jar in ground form.
A few years ago my husband and I were on a Caribbean Cruise and I bought some 'fresh' spices from Grenada including some whole nutmeg.
I have never ever used whole nutmeg before and when I googled it, the links I looked at simply said to take the whole nut and my microplane and go to town. Which I did. But a) the process was painfully slow and I went nowhere fast and b) during the process, the outer part of the 'shell' broke. After a couple of seconds it dawned on me that perhaps what I was supposed to be grating was the inside part of the nutmeg. So sure enough....when I retrieved the bit from the inside, it actually looked more like the pictures I saw on Google.
Don't know if that's how all whole nutmeg is or if mine is old so the inside shrunk and left behind a shell? No clue.
But....I was pleasantly surprised to find that the inside bit grated up much nicer and actually had a very lovely, fragrant smell and taste. And now...in future...when a recipe calls for fresh nutmeg....I'll be ready. :)
Thanks Michelle!
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pointsevenout 10 years ago said:

You can buy whole nutmeg at a regular store in the spice section instead of going on a cruise. Shell not included! :)
Yes fresh grated nutmeg is much more fragrant than the pre-ground stuff that is probably expired anyway. And it requires less than the recipe calls out because it is more potent. I use the whole nut from now on.

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chuckieb 10 years ago said:

That's what I was truly asking really Points...is when you buy it in a grocery store...does it come with this hard shell on the outside of it? And you say 'no' it doesn't.
Lesson learned.

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mommyluvs2cook 10 years ago said:

I have never even seen it with the shell on! Pretty cool! It is kind of expensive in the grocery store 8-10 dollars a bottle, but it last a LONG time, I'm about half way through my jar and have had it about 2 yrs, and luckily they still have great flavor, so I may make it through the rest of my bottle before they start to lose flavor....

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pointsevenout 10 years ago said:

Don't think it loses flavor in the nut form. It's when it's grated and the air gets to it that the flavor diminishes.

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keni 10 years ago said:

Agree, in whole nut form, even without the shell, ;), it should stay good and full flavored a very long time.

I adore fresh nutmeg and use it in any fruit dish, many cream dishes, and, of course, this time of year, pumpkin dishes.

I get mine from myspicesage.com, of course, and love they flavor and price.

Next time it will be easier and this is why you ask! :) :)

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frankieanne 10 years ago said:

I probably would have done the same thing. I've never used a whole nutmeg either.
I've seen fresh nutmeg but it seems like there is so many of them in the jar. I have a jar of powdered stuff that I'll probably never go through. Someone will probably inherit it.

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mommyluvs2cook 10 years ago said:

My nuts are smaller and rounder than yours Janet...wierd....

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pointsevenout 10 years ago said:

Not going there!

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Good4U 10 years ago said:

:):)
I did the same thing as you did the first time I bought it that way, Janet:)
I have only ever bought nutmeg here in hard shells. Out of pure interest now after this. I will have to see if I can find it without the shell now:)
LOL not going there either!

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frankieanne 10 years ago said:

hehe :)

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mommyluvs2cook 10 years ago said:

Oh my gosh, where are your minds!!! No really though my nutmeg does look way different than hers lol!

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notyourmomma 10 years ago said:

This is very entertaining. I have to say that I love nutmeg too. I use a microplane and grate away. I think the outer shell is actually used ground up as mace, another spice. Cool two spices out of one seed.

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lovebreezy 10 years ago said:

I'm gone for 4 weeks and you all get down in the gutter giggley. :-)

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frankieanne 10 years ago said:

hehe You just never know around here!
Welcome back!

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lovebreezy 10 years ago said:

#1 - Reviews for this recipe:
1 The one on this very page.
2 Baked Eggs With Cream Spinach And Parmesan

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