This month our Staff Selection was made by David Manikow
Saffron is often referred to as the "King of Spice" and rightfully so. Its flavor profile is so unique that most people are not able to completely express it, and it has a variety of uses in cooking & baking, as well as in health remedies and pigments. It's also the most expensive spice in the world, due to the labor-intensive cultivation methods. Each strand of saffron has to be hand-plucked from the Crocus flower and thousands of the strands go into a single ounce!
Saffron can be grown in many parts of the world, including France, India, Italy, Spain and even parts of the USA, with its origins from ancient Persia. The La Mancha region of Spain is famous for its high quality saffron as well as Kashmir and Iran. Its beautiful red color and distinct powerful aroma make it a treat to use.
Since saffron is so expensive, it's reassuring that you only need a little bit in cooking/baking. When working with saffron, it's best to steep the strands for at least 20 minutes before utilizing it in a recipe. While the aroma and flavor of the spice will be released after this amount of time, the full effect will last for up to 2 hours. I personally love making cream-based sauces with saffron, but some other complementary flavors are almonds, apples, cinnamon, citrus, fish stocks, most grains, potatoes and white wine. You can also use it to make your own infusions of vodka (think Bloody Mary's), honeys, syrups and other fun and tasty things! We also have a nice selection of saffron infused items in addition to the Mancha-Oro brand of saffron (from La Mancha, Spain) at Provenance, so come on by and check it all out! Cheers!
Here are some recipe ideas:
Cream of Cauliflower Soup with Saffron
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cream-of-Cauliflower-Soup-with-Saffron-107622
Coconut Cake with Saffron Cream
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/coconut-cake-with-saffron-cream
Chocolate Saffron Pots de Creme
http://www.food52.com/recipes/2723_chocolate_saffron_pots_de_creme_with_honey_cream_and_sea_salt
Chicken Scaloppine with Saffron Cream Sauce
http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-scaloppine-with-saffron-cream-sauce-giada-289804
