Discussion
what do you do with it?
made a nice salad last night. roasted some new potatoes with a generous amount of saffron and a touch of salt & pepper. then stir fried some fresh prawns with lime, garlic and chilli, mixing them in with the spuds and some rocket & tomatoes.
was the first time i'd used saffron as my palate is not that great on subtle flavours, but the spuds were great [as was the dish as a whole].
so what else can i do with saffron that you'd recommend?
made a nice salad last night. roasted some new potatoes with a generous amount of saffron and a touch of salt & pepper. then stir fried some fresh prawns with lime, garlic and chilli, mixing them in with the spuds and some rocket & tomatoes.
was the first time i'd used saffron as my palate is not that great on subtle flavours, but the spuds were great [as was the dish as a whole].
so what else can i do with saffron that you'd recommend?
biglepton said:
I think generally one would infuse saffron in a hot liquid to get the flavour out and then use the liquid. Just sprinkling the strands on something dry doesn't really do much.
thats what i thought but the recipe said otherwise. i used about a teaspoon as my sense of taste isnt the best on subtle flavours anyway.i should have said, except using it for rice
bint said:
Rice, mainly for Paella :P
Went to Turkey once and bought a bucket load from the market there, much cheaper than the stuff over here, not QUITE as good quality but not bad.
+1 on the Paella - saffron is great with a load of fish dishes. Out of interest, now much do you pay for saffron in the UK? It's not that expensive in some of my client outlets - and they're in the centre of London! Went to Turkey once and bought a bucket load from the market there, much cheaper than the stuff over here, not QUITE as good quality but not bad.
shirt said:
biglepton said:
I think generally one would infuse saffron in a hot liquid to get the flavour out and then use the liquid. Just sprinkling the strands on something dry doesn't really do much.
thats what i thought but the recipe said otherwise. i used about a teaspoon as my sense of taste isnt the best on subtle flavours anyway.i should have said, except using it for rice
t load? Like eating a whole fois gras or a 100lb sturgeons worth of caviar? Triumph Coupe said:
escargot said:
I very rarely use saffron but isn't a teaspoon an absolute st load? Like eating a whole fois gras or a 100lb sturgeons worth of caviar?
A veritable st load? Like eating a whole fois gras or a 100lb sturgeons worth of caviar? t load!i suspect i have a slightly affected sense of smell as subtle flavours are a bit lost on me, plus i was sprinking it on the spuds so just went for it
Triumph Coupe said:
decent stuff is around £5 per gram or more. You have to be careful not to buy that dodgy 'pretend saffron' it has very little in terms of flavour.
I'd need to check the price, but my client stock Mancha saffron and it's about that price per gram. i remember when it was the same price as gold - now gold is three times more expensive! (should have bought more gold...Edited by Triumph Coupe on Thursday 31st July 17:48
Edited by Triumph Coupe on Thursday 31st July 17:51
)Goughie said:
I'd need to check the price, but my client stock Mancha saffron and it's about that price per gram. i remember when it was the same price as gold - now gold is three times more expensive! (should have bought more gold...)
http://www.herbsandspices.biz/showsearch2.asp)£15 for 10 x 1g
Triumph Coupe said:
decent stuff is around £5 per gram or more. You have to be careful not to buy that dodgy 'pretend saffron' it has very little in terms of flavour.
I made this mistake in Turkey. Kofte spice was awesome. Everything else was rubbish. Edited by Triumph Coupe on Thursday 31st July 17:48
Edited by Triumph Coupe on Thursday 31st July 17:51
To get the best out of saffron you need to get hold of a good quality stone mortar and pestle...
Prime it by grinding in some caster sugar until what comes out has the consistency of icing sugar. Never wash the m&P because the only thing you'll every use it for is grinding saffron.
Next the saffron@ best gotten from Iranian supermarkets and the like and it should be kept in the back of a cool cupboard covered in tinfoil.
To us, take a few fronds - literally no more than 6 - 8 and add a pinch of sugar to the M&P and then grind the saffron to dust.
To make rice properly you need to infuse the saffron dust in a half small glass of boiling water for about 20 minutes, then sprinkle onto the top of a pan of rice that has already cooked to the point where the rice has been cooked, washed under cold water, drained in a collinder and put back in the pan to steam for 45 minutes. sprinkle the saffron infused water over the top - it will distribute unevenly creating a beautiful mix of white and golden yellow. Put the lid back on the pan and leave alone until steamed
If done properly, will look like this ..
.. though probably a little darker than the picture but it will taste truly amazing.
Prime it by grinding in some caster sugar until what comes out has the consistency of icing sugar. Never wash the m&P because the only thing you'll every use it for is grinding saffron.
Next the saffron@ best gotten from Iranian supermarkets and the like and it should be kept in the back of a cool cupboard covered in tinfoil.
To us, take a few fronds - literally no more than 6 - 8 and add a pinch of sugar to the M&P and then grind the saffron to dust.
To make rice properly you need to infuse the saffron dust in a half small glass of boiling water for about 20 minutes, then sprinkle onto the top of a pan of rice that has already cooked to the point where the rice has been cooked, washed under cold water, drained in a collinder and put back in the pan to steam for 45 minutes. sprinkle the saffron infused water over the top - it will distribute unevenly creating a beautiful mix of white and golden yellow. Put the lid back on the pan and leave alone until steamed
If done properly, will look like this ..
.. though probably a little darker than the picture but it will taste truly amazing.
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