Mace

How to Identify Mace

Mace comes from a tropical evergreen tree that grows quite high, about 33 feet (10 m) more or less. The tree takes more than 10 years to mature and produce nutmeg. A the tree that has reached this stage will render about 2000 nutmegs every year for the following 70 to 75 years. It is female trees the ones to bear the fruits, which resemble a peach, and the seeds.

The seed resembles a red peach kernel. The weblike aril covering the core is mace. The core itself is nutmeg. Mace is dried and then takes a brown color. Mace is sold whole, as small blades, or ground. Good quality blades should feel greasy and release a little oil if pressed. Ground mace should have a rather strong spiced aroma, somehow sweet. Mace is expensive, therefore often mixed with lesser quality nutmeg plants.

How to use and store Mace

Ground mace is best for baking and the blades are good for cooking in liquid. Blades are brittle therefore very difficult to grind at home. Keep ground mace in an airtight container but buy only in very small quantities as ground mace loses flavor and aroma very fast and it is best to renew often.

Use ground mace to flavor creams, custards and puddings;, or to flavor a hot chocolate. It can add a nice touch to soups and casseroles but it is essential to make French paté o stuffings, and a must-have to make the very British potted fish, potted meat of potted cheese recipes. Mace is also used for pickling and preserving, chutneys, relishes and in some cocktails.

How to Grow Mace

The nutmeg tree likes tropical climate and the sea. It is very difficult to grow out of these zones. Some of the best mace in the world comes from Indonesia.

Cooking with Mace

Use mace in all sorts of recipes, such as the oe for potted meat. Use sparingly as it has a powerful flavor.

And if you are working on a recipe that lists ground mace among the ingredients and you don't have it at hand, use instead same amount of:

• ground nutmeg
• ground allspice
• apple pie spice mix
• ground cinnamon.

More Cooking Suggestions

Mace goes well with green vegetables and those with a sweet or mild taste. Try adding a little to dishes with green beans, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cawliflower, celery, corn, eggplant, greens, parsnips, spinach, summer and winter squash, sweet potatoes, or turnips - or add mace to the plain vegetable, steamed or roasted.

Mace matches fruits in general. Try adding mace to a fruit salad or poached pears. Mace will highlight the sweetness of red summer fruits such as cherries.

Mace will enhance many a cheese recipe. Add it shamelessly to soufflés, spreads, or fondues.

Many meats and poultry benefit from the flavor and aroma mace gives off. Try it with beef, ham, pork, rabbit, or venison, either in a casserole or roasted. Chicken, duck, goose or turkye dishes have benefited from mace.

Mace will not harm, quite the opposite, if you are cooking with chocolate. Mix a little in the dough for bread, both sweet and savory, if you feel adventurous.

Of course, most stuffing recipes will improve with the addition of mace and we have already mentioned baking, puddings, soups, potted meat or fish, stuffing and French paté.