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On cloves and Ian 'Herbie' Hemphill's recipe for mulled plums

14/5/2017

19 Comments

 
Cloves spilling out of a wooden spoon by Liz Posmyk Good Things
The scent of cloves always takes me back to the early 1960s. I am reminded of the grey-haired school dentist in his pure-white jacket, and the soothing qualities of eugenol paste, made from an ingredient in clove oil, that he used as a temporary filling and analgesic.

My mother kept cloves in a tightly-sealed jam jar on the shelf next to the bay leaves in her larder. She used them mainly to flavour her braised red cabbage with apple. I can remember that, as a child, I used to love unscrewing the lids on both jars, taking deep whiffs of the richly scented condiments within.

Watching Amelie at the weekend, I found myself rubbing my jaw. "I have a toothache," I complained to Peter. He suggested I take a painkiller. Instead, I rummaged through my cedar wood spice box, found my packet of cloves and popped a couple into my mouth, sucking and biting on them ever-so gently. Within moments, the pain had eased and my mouth felt quite numb. Instant natural relief.

Food history tells us that in the Han dynasty during the second century BC, courtiers were offered cloves from a porcelain cup. Having chewed the cloves thoroughly, it was considered that they had sweetened their breath sufficiently before addressing their sovereign, the Emperor.

In his magnificent cook's compendium of herbs and spices, Spice Notes, Ian 'Herbie' Hemphill writes that whole cloves as we know them are the dried unopened flower buds of an attractive, tropical evergreen tree. The leaves of the tree, which is part of the Myrtle family, are said to be not unlike those on a Laurel. 

Clove buds grow in clusters on slender stems and are hand picked when they start turning pink. The buds are dried on mats in the sunshine for several days, until they become dark brown and feel spiky. Interestingly, it takes something like 14,000-15,000 of the dried buds to make a kilo of the spice.

An essential ingredient in spice blends such as garam masala, curry powder, baharat, ras el hanout, berbere, Chinese five spice, the French Quatre Epices or four spices, and the Persian advieh, cloves should be used sparingly because of their almost overwhelming pungency in large quantities.

That said, I cannot imagine preparing my mother's braised cabbage without a few cloves. Similarly, it would be unthinkable to cook corned beef sans cloves. Think cloves and other recipes that spring to mind include gingerbread, Peking duck, baklava, apple and pumpkin pie, glazed ham, pickles and chutney, chai, mulled wine and so much more.

The recipe I'm sharing here is my adaptation of Ian 'Herbie' Hemphill's receipt for mulled plums, from his Spice & Herb Bible (third edition). This is spectacular with vanilla bean ice cream.

​Aussie friends, if you're quick, you'll just catch the last of this season's plums. Tinned plums may be used, but the cooking time will be much shorter.

IAN 'HERBIE' HEMPHILL'S MULLED PLUMS 
1 cup/250ml medium-bodied Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Merlot or Chianti
1/2 cup raw sugar
200g ripe plums
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
thickly sliced zest from a small orange
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Cut the plums in half, remove and discard the stones. Combine the wine and raw sugar in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved. Add the plums to the pot, together with the cloves, cinnamon stick, orange zest and ginger. Bring to simmering point and cook gently for up to ten minutes, until the plums have softened but have still kept their shape. Take the saucepan off the heat and allow the plums to cool in the spiced syrup. Remove the cloves, zest and cinnamon before serving. This quantity will serve 4 and can be kept, covered in a Pyrex bowl, in the refrigerator for up to one week. Preparation time: 5 minutes, cooking time: 15 minutes.

Over to you, dear readers. Do you like cloves? Have you ever used them for a toothache? What is your favourite culinary use for this spice?
19 Comments
Simone Mason
14/5/2017 01:09:03 am

Lovely opening and memories, Lizzie. Cloves are an interesting spice. I will try the method next time I have a sore tooth.

Reply
Lizzy
14/5/2017 11:20:43 am

Works well, Simone. Thanks for stopping by.

Reply
Bob Bennett
14/5/2017 01:09:54 am

Heading to the shops to get some plums NOW!!!

Reply
Lizzy
14/5/2017 11:21:02 am

Yay! Enjoy. x

Reply
Peter
14/5/2017 01:10:34 am

Love those mulled plums. Would this work with your fave prunes?

Reply
Lizzy
14/5/2017 11:20:21 am

Thanks love. We shall have to try!

Reply
David link
14/5/2017 10:19:44 am

The plums sound fantastic, Lizzie! And I have been using clove oil on my teeth since I was in college! Great stuff!

Reply
Lizzy
14/5/2017 11:21:30 am

Oh wow, so you can actually get clove oil, David? I had no idea.

Reply
Gerlinde link
14/5/2017 10:39:38 am

Making red cabbage without cloves is unthinkable. Your plum recipe is great, I love seasonal fall food like apples, pears and plums cooked in wine. Thank you for the informative post.

Reply
Lizzy
14/5/2017 11:21:54 am

Thank you, Gerlinde. Agree, isn't it wonderful! x

Reply
Glamorous Glutton link
14/5/2017 02:29:27 pm

I remember chewing on a clove for toothache as a child. As a consequence I hated the taste and it wasn't until I was well into my 30s that I included them happily in my cooking. Now the appear in lots of my dishes, a really versatile spice. GG

Reply
mae
14/5/2017 06:18:38 pm

Similar spices go into plum chutney, one of my favorite plum concoctions -- in jars it lasts until the next season (and we are backwards from you). The difference: quite a lot of cider vinegar and brown sugar in the chutney. I have a little dish of it from last season right beside my computer waiting to go on the table for dinner tonight, coincidentally.

best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Reply
John / Kitchen Riffs link
14/5/2017 07:29:42 pm

Cloves are good, although a few go a long way. I've never had mulled plums -- really like the idea. Thanks!

Reply
Eha
14/5/2017 08:26:01 pm

You make me smile about cloves and bay leaves - In Northern and Eastern Europe not so many spices and herbs are used, but those two were always in the pantry! Love the smell and the taste and yes, cloves are a miracle help with toothache :) ! When the dentist's receptionist coolly states 'no appointments available till next week' :( !! This seems a great recipe - shall definitely have a go . . .

Reply
Fiona Ryan
15/5/2017 05:06:58 am

Despite a dislike of sweet wines, it's hard to not enjoy a glass of mulled wine. Of course, it's a rarity in Qld. My mum gifted me Rosemary Hemphill's books, which she bought in the late 70's. I see the perfectly names Rosemary is still alive at at 95! Must be those herbs & spices.

Reply
Amanda link
15/5/2017 07:38:00 pm

Lovely - I have a bag of late plums sitting in the kitchen awaiting my attention!

Reply
Liz link
15/5/2017 09:58:15 pm

These plums sound lovely! So many spice aromas remind me of my mom' s kitchen<3

Reply
mary frances link
16/5/2017 08:31:29 pm

ahh this sounds amazing!

Reply
Beck @ Golden Pudding link
30/5/2017 06:46:35 am

I love cloves too Liz, and have heard of them being used for teeth, though I’ve never had a dentist use them!
I remember my mother making rum plums with cinnamon using tinned plums when I was a child, I can’t remember if she added cloves, but your combination sounds delicious.
One little note that when I stew fruit with orange and spices including cloves, I always stab the cloves into the strips of peel so they’re easier to remove later :)

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