Using Kilner jars to store punches of flavor for your food

Continuing our feature this week with former Royal chef, Carolyn Robb, who gives us her tips for obtaining the best flavor for your food!

I love infusions, marinades, macerations, ‘dry-rubs’, bouquet garni’s….

I just love real FLAVOR in food and these are some of the tools for achieving sensational flavour, the kind that lingers in your gastronomic memory months and years after you have experienced it.

Here are a few tips for creating flavoured sugar and grains:

Using flavoured sugars your cakes and desserts will never be the same again!

Using rice and grains infused with aromatic blends of whole spices, you can whip up a perfect pilaff, a risotto or a brilliant biriyani in no time.

You will need:

KILNER JARS: I started with small ones and small batches until I got my quantities perfected. Also some things are better not kept for too long.

SUGAR: Use fine castor sugar – either white or golden. Brown and unrefined sugars are both stronger in flavour and moisture, flavouring these is not as successful.

FLAVORS: Let your imagination run wild….. whole vanilla pods, lavender, rose petals (dried), home-dried rosemary stems, cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, cloves, whole cardamoms, your own combinations of whole spices, dried citrus zest – orange, lemon and lime all work well, roasted coffee beans, crystallised violet and rose petals, cocoa nibs (such as Scharfen Berger) or even chillies (chilli sugar is amazing used in a very dark, rich chocolate cake or mousse) … to mention but a few possibilities!

Place the sugar in the jar with your chosen flavouring, shake it up, seal it and leave it for at least 2 weeks before using.

RICE, GRAINS, PULSES, BEANS : basm

ati rice, jasmine rice, camargue red rice, risotto rice, wild rice, lentils, millet, quinoa, dried beans, bulghar wheat, couscous, chick peas etc and you can add dried wild mushrooms, chillies, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, whole star anise, cardamom pods, coriander seeds, citrus zest, whole dried herbs like stems of rosemary and thyme, sage leaves, bay leaves …..

Prepare in the same way as the flavored sugar.

The jars look wonderful lined up in your larder – like some ancient apothecary!

They make lovely gifts that are always met with great wonderment.

Good Luck and have fun!