from Florisbella's cookbook
"The dried fruit and leaves from this plant add a spicy flavor to many meals"
Goodness gracious! I could scarcely believe my eyes when the dwarf merchant I met at the market in Michel Delving showed me this exotic spice I never saw before, he called it allspice. Because it tastes like all spices combined? I asked. He told me to try a tiny bit grounded and oh dear me! These little brown spheres taste like cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove... together! I must experiment immediately, perhaps with biscuits.
I rushed home, looked what I had in the pantry and made a list:
1 cup of Spring-barley flour from Michel Delving's mill
1 cup of Black-barley flour from... oh I don't remember sadly.
1/4 teaspoon of yeast
1/2 cup of butter
1 teaspoon of salt I bought from another merchant...
3/4 cup of sugar
a couple eggs from Sandson's farm
3 tablespoons of milk
apples from the Appledores... it should be all!
So on I went to heat my oven and set rack in the center.
Whisk, whisk, whisk together both flours, yeast, this allspice and salt until my arms were about to fall off. Now I must whisk even more! Butter, milk and the eggs... there! The batter is all set.
I set that aside and took care of my beautiful red apples. By taking care I mean grating them of course! There are still some large bits, but it will give my biscuits a bit of crunch, so that is good!
All I have left to do now is shape my biscuits in little circles on the baking sheet and in the oven they go!
°°°
Goodness, it has been only fifteen minutes and my kitchen is filled with the lovely aroma of apple biscuits plus a hint of the allspice. If the smell alone is so wonderful, what will be the flavor? I can scarcely wait for them to cool down... oh yes I must clean up, that will help pass the time.
... well I couldn't resist. I had to taste these new and improved spiced apple biscuits and I can safely say this allspice is my new favorite spice! So flavorful, so rich, so strong! I must remember to use just a sprig else it covers the apple flavor but this has been a successful experiment all the same, perfect for tea time!
(image lotro wiki)
