Question
Alison Flatley
I'm trying to add depth of flavor to my zucchini bread recipe that I'm not getting from cinnamon and nutmeg. Should I add a bit of molasses? Another spice? It's just lacking some umami depth.
Answer
So I'm thinking about vanilla. What kind of vanilla are you using, and how much are you using in the recipe? That would be the first thing. The second thing is most importantly, is what kind of cinnamon are you using? And I'll share a personal story with you. I was at H-Mart, and H-Mart was offering a cinnamon made by a popular brand of cinnamon, and it came in a gigantic bottle. And I was wowed by the price because I was like, "Cinnamon is cinnamon." But I knew I didn't believe that at that point. And when I used the cinnamon, I said, "I've got to go back to..." Listen to this. I went to Costco. They have an organic Saigon cinnamon in a gigantic bottle for $4.99, and the fact that it was organic and Saigon, the spices that you use may make a big difference. So again, I believe it's Frontier Spices. You may remember their logo on little bottles, but they also have, at many grocery stores, a bulk area where you can buy a tablespoon of a spice, and you might want to go and try that out. So should you add a bit of molasses? I don't know what sweetener you're using. If you're using a maple syrup or whatever, you could try molasses. I think, as I mentioned earlier, sometimes when we are recreating a recipe that was tried and true in the days of using ingredients from non-vegan days, that we sometimes want that to taste exactly the same. Do you put raisins in it? Because raisins will add a new texture and another flavor, or maybe are you using cranberries, or are you cutting up dates, or my personal favorite, cutting up prunes because I think they are so delicious. So I think you should-- I don't know if you need another spice. I think allspice would replicate the cinnamon and the nutmeg, but I would look at the source of your cinnamon, and I think that might be very helpful. It sounds like a delicious recipe. I would like to see it at my front door during the holidays. It sounds very good. And if you follow me on social media @char_nolan, I recently posted a picture of a zucchini cake that I made for an event that I did in one of my cooking classes in South Philadelphia. And I think it had a boatload of spices, and it also had pecans in it. If you cook with nuts, maybe try some chopped pecans or something like that to add more flavor and texture. But you're on your way. Just keep going, keep trying, and sounds like a wonderful recipe.
