Recipes That Use Mace (Includes a Savory Root Vegetable Dish)

Slofoodgroup Team June 12, 2021

Some ideas for using mace in both savory and sweet dishes

Mace is an extremely versatile, yet underutilized spice. The little pantry popularity it does possess is usually held by bakers, who incorporate the spice into sweet applications, alongside cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. 

This aril of the nutmeg seed Myristica Fragrans tree is capable of flavoring a much wider variety of  dishes, though. It makes us wonder why it isn’t found in the ingredient list for more recipes overall. That point aside, let’s take a look at the recipes—both savory and sweet— that do include this delightful spice. 

Classic sweet recipes containing mace

When it comes to sweet application, mace is often found alongside other warming spices like ginger, cloves, and cinnamon, with or without it’s kernel counterpart, nutmeg. The outer coating of nutmeg, mace, is sold whole, as blades, or ground into a powder. We recommend buying it whole and grinding it yourself, to get the most flavor out of your mace. Many classic sweet mace recipes include pumpkin pie (or anything calling for a pumpkin pie spice blend), donuts, fruit crisps (especially those containing berries), cakes, and oatmeal cookies!

Typical savory dishes containing mace

Typically, mace’s savory uses are restricted to curries and stews, but it has so much more potential. Add a pinch of ground mace to any creamy sauce like a Béchamel, stroganoff, or cheese fondue; sprinkle it on chili or mole; season delicate shellfish; or use it in barbecue sauces and dry rubs for pork .  You really can’t go wrong unless you cook it too long (it has the tendency to become bitter when heat is applied for too long), so feel free to experiment with this versatile spice.. We love some of these savory dishes containing mace that have been curated by the BBC! https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/mace

Roasted root vegetables with Maple and Mace

Ingredients

• 2 large carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut in 3 to 4-inch strips
• 1 bunch radishes, halved
• 1 turnip, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 1 parsnip, sliced in ¼-inch rounds
• 2-3 beets, peeled and cut into ½-inch wedges
• 2 shallots, minced 
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed into ¾-inch pieces
• Approximately ¼ cup olive oil for roasting
• ¼ cup tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons  cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped finely
• 1 teaspoons of stone-ground mace
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 400 ℉. 
2. Toss the carrots, radishes, turnip beets, garlic, sweet potatoes ,salt, pepper, and shallot in enough olive oil to thoroughly coat them. 
3. Add and mix. 
4. Spread the root vegetable mixture in a single layer on a sheet pan and roast for 45 minutes. 
5. Meanwhile, mix together your maple syrup, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme, mace. Salt and pepper to taste (remember, you salted the vegetables too).
6. Pierce the vegetables with a fork or toothpick to ensure they are cooked through. If not, pop them back in the oven until they are. 
7. Once the vegetables are tender, toss them in the dressing. 
8. Turn the oven up to broil and pop them in for an additional 2-3 minutes, just to barely start charring. Keep a close eye on them so they don’t burn.