The mighty clove
As we prepare to depart, detox and diet, let us give thanks for that most fragrant of Christmas flavours, the clove. Where would our glasses of hot whiskey be without the spice of life? Can one imagine vats of mulled wine without its warming presence? The Christmas cake would not be complete without some crumbled clove and the same goes (and went) for the pudding. Neither apple tart nor braised ham does the business without the addition of cloves.
Can one have too much clove? Too many cloves? When Clarence, the angel in It's a Wonderful Life, goes to the "Evil" bar, he orders a glass of mulled wine that is "heavy on the cinnamon, easy on the cloves." I know what he means, but still, cloves are hard to beat and their popularity is not just a seasonal thing on those chilly islands washed by the Atlantic. You'll find cloves in five-spice powder, so popular in Chinese cuisine and any garam masala worth the name must contain clove (s). Actually, it is only second to saffron in price in India. So, here's to Christmas past and may we all live to see the next one. Cheers! Cloves!
