You might already have all the components for many an exotic-sounding dish in your spice rack, and don’t be afraid to bring on the substitutes if you lack an ingredient or two.
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You might already have all the components for many an exotic-sounding dish in your spice rack, and don’t be afraid to bring on the substitutes if you lack an ingredient or twoI love your recipes, especially the vegetarian ones, but I often can’t get the likes of membrillo, creme fraiche, preserved lemon, pomegranate molasses and harissa. What alternatives would you suggest? Joyce, St John’s, CanadaWherever possible, you want to stay within the same flavour profile and texture, so if, for example, a recipe calls for creme fraiche, particularly as an accompaniment to a dish, soured cream or thick Greek yoghurt make fine substitutes. If it’s for baking, however, I’d use soured cream, because it has a similar tanginess to creme fraiche.Pomegranate molasses-wise, date molasses would work as a replacement, though you might want to add a little lemon juice to mimic the sweet-sour note of pomegranate molasses; honey or maple syrup mixed with lemon juice will also provide the requisite tangy note and thick sweetness. And while we’re on the subject of sweetness, simply replace membrillo with another sweet paste: thick apricot or fig jam both work really well. Continue reading...
You might already have all the components for many an exotic-sounding dish in your spice rack, and don’t be afraid to bring on the substitutes if you lack an ingredient or two.
Back to Food Page