A Passion For Nutmeg!

When next you dust a fruit punch, custard, or cake with nutmeg, think of this: There was a time when smugglers of this aromatic spice were put to death. in fact, as food historian Waverly Root tells us, the Portuguese so valued their 16th-century monopoly of nutmeg that they distributed phony charts of the seas surrounding the Spice Islands, hoping to steer foreign vessels toward dangerous unknown reefs.

Thank goodness this isn't the case today--nutmeg is plentiful, and easily available. But some things haven't changed--we still appreciate this versatile spice. In Grenada, even ice cream is flavored with it, and good cooks use it in pumpkin soup and with every vegetable imaginable. I LOVE what it does to my spinach souffle, for instance. In America, we add a pinch to white sauce for just the right mellowness, and use the spice to accent baked acorn squash. Of course, eggnog without nutmeg just wouldn't be eggnog at all.

All this said, let's look for more nutmeg-involving recipes--maybe add a few to an Easter or "Welcome to Spring" brunch or luncheon. Here's a dandy recipe to get us started. It's a time-honored cake that's a tradition for good reason. It's SO good. Now, do YOU have a recipe, thought, idea, or good story we ought to know about? Please share. We're all in this together, so let's help each other out. And until next time, here's to enjoying more nutmeg, and of course, happy cook'n!

OATMEAL CAKE
A broiled coconut icing makes a quick topping for this old-fashioned cake.
1 1/2 C hot water
1 C old-fashioned oats
1 1/3 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 C sugar
1 C firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 C butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine hot water and oats; set aside to cool slightly. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.

In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat sugars and butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add oats mixture and flour mixture; beat until uniformly combined, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Spoon mixture into greased pan. Bake 45 min., or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 5 min. Meanwhile, prepare icing:

ICING:
1 C flaked coconut
1 C chopped nuts (pecans are wonderful for this)
2/3 C firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir together. Heat broiler. Spread icing over top of cake in pan. Place under broiler just until bubbly and golden, about 2 min. (Watch carefully to prevent burning.)