Herbs & Spices

This recipe was first published in the New York Times as part of an article on different kinds of shaved ice. The paper’s Diner’s Journal blog asked readers to suggest different flavors, and I had to pick one and come up with a recipe. I chose horchata, a milky beverage often made with rice, because I thought it would go perfectly with the luscious, juicy strawberries that filled the market stands at that time. It’s worth seeking out Mexican cinnamon, as its flavor makes all the difference in this raspado. If you want a stickier, sweeter syrup, add another can of sweetened condensed milk.

Rompope is a beverage brought to Mexico by nuns in Spanish colonial times. You can purchase it at some U.S. liquor stores, and more widely in Mexico, but making it is fun and you’ll surely enjoy the frozen version.

In Mexico, chocolate is mainly used to prepare hot chocolate, so when you hear people say “Mexican chocolate,” or chocolate de mesa, they usually mean chocolate made for this purpose. It’s grainy because it’s basically toasted ground cocoa mixed with sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes vanilla, almonds, or both. I really love the fragrance of Mexican cinnamon, so I like to infuse some in the liquid for this ice pop to add more flavor. I decided to add little bits of chocolate and almonds to these paletas to give another layer of flavor and crunchiness. Who doesn’t love that?

Hibiscus is a flavor that you could say is quintessentially Mexican. Hibiscus paletas are widely available, but not with raspberries. My friend Hannah thought these two flavors would be awesome together, and she was right. (Thanks, Hannah!) We spent a lot of time figuring out different ways to blend the two flavors: cooking the berries in a bit of the agua de jamaica, macerating or mashing them together, and using frozen versus fresh berries. I kept experimenting and found that mixing the raspberries with the sugar and letting them sit for a while helped draw out their juices. Then, when you pour in the agua de jamaica, the juices blend, so you get both flavors in every bite.

This is the most versatile filling for many classic desserts. Using a fresh vanilla bean is the key to a great pastry cream.

This new-fashioned whipped cream makes any dessert just a little bit better. This is a great topping for ice cream treats or for use as a cake frosting or filling. To frost a large cake, increase this recipe by half; to frost and fill a cake, double the recipe.

Substituting evaporated skim milk for some of the cream reduces the fat yet maintains the richness of this classic dessert sauce.

This is my favorite frosting. It’s a real buttercream, rich and creamy, but not too sweet. It’s great on any cake or cupcake.

I’m a big vanilla ice cream fan, so I had to create a great-tasting, low-fat alternative to enjoy guilt-free. Use a fresh vanilla bean and thick, Greek-style yogurt for best results.

This is the real thing: real vanilla beans and real heavy cream reminiscent of old-time creamery blends. This is better than any store-bought premium brand—and it’s sugar-free. Here’s a tip: make your ice cream base the day before and refrigerate it overnight. The colder it is when you get ready to freeze, the better it will turn out.

This apple crumble is the ultimate healthy-eating comfort food. Together the warm cinnamon apples and the rich walnut topping can’t be beat. Combining apples of mixed texture works best. A firm variety such as Golden Delicious will retain its shape and texture while a Cortland will lend itself beautifully to producing a thick, delicious sauce.

Here’s a picture-perfect apple pie—filled mile high with juicy apples. Sprouted spelt flour makes the crust unbelievably flaky and easy to work with. Serve it hot with a generous helping of vanilla ice cream and listen to the raves. For a vegan version, use butter substitute instead of butter, and serve with Soy Vanilla Ice Cream (page 83).

This low-fat vegan cake is incredibly delicious served warm from the oven and topped with a cool lemon tofu crème. Using fresh ginger makes a great difference in its taste. I prefer this cake without the nuts and raisins, but others enjoy the texture and sweetness they add. Either way, this flavorful cake is sure to become a favorite of yours

This is a whole grain, sugar-free version of a classic sponge cake. It’s light, contains no butter or oil, and freezes wonderfully. You can make the pastry cream up to 3 days in advance.

A cross between apple pie and crumb cake, these cookie bars are perfect for parties, picnics, and crowds, and a great addition to any cookie platter. For the best taste and texture, I recommend you use any combination of Macintosh, Cortland, or Golden Delicious apples for the filling.

I first made this delicious, super-crunchy granola while consulting for Edge of the Woods, a great natural foods market, bakery, and vegetarian café in New Haven, Connecticut. At the time, I was developing lots of agave nectar desserts and goodies for diabetics and clients concerned with sugar when it occurred to me that there were no good-tasting, sugar-free granolas available. Hence the birth of Orange Pecan Granola, a staple in our household! Great on its own as a snack, or sprinkle it over yogurt, fresh fruit, or even frozen yogurt for dessert.

For people—and especially kids—who like crisply textured sweets, there’s nothing like a ginger snap to scratch that itch. Many of my clients worry that they’ll have to give up sweet treats like cookies during treatment. Nonsense. You just have to be smart about it, and this recipe shows you how: It uses quality ingredients (and no refined flour) and many cancer-fighting spices. There’s just one caveat: Make the dough at least three hours before you want to bake the cookies, and preferably an entire day ahead. Once you make the dough, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to five days. Chilling the dough makes it easier to cut the cookies and also gives the flavors a chance to come together so the cookies taste their very best.

I call this “company food”—as in, what can I make for company that’s easy but impressive? Poaching a pear sounds fancy, but all you’re doing is simmering it in a fruity broth. The poaching softens up the pear, making it a breeze to chew and digest. The Saffron Broth turns the pears a beautiful sunset yellow color. Or if you prefer, check out the vanilla and star anise variations below. All three are light, refreshing, and nourishing; if you’re looking for extra calories, top with a generous dollop of nut cream.

Yogurt is a wonderful international culinary staple that’s been subverted by American agribusiness. Contrary to popular belief, genuine yogurt is anything but the thick, overly sweetened blend you’re likely to find in the refrigerated section at your local grocery store. Designed as quickie substitutes for breakfast, too often they’re laden with copious sugar for a rapid ride on the glucose express. Real yogurt—the healthier version known to the rest of the world—is generally much lighter. It’s also served in a wider variety of contexts, such as Indian raitas, served as a condiment, and Greek tzatziki, a combination of cucumbers and yogurt served as a dip, condiment, or spread. Yogurt (the name is Turkish) is meant to refresh, and this version is an ideal topping on cucumbers, lamb, or Middle Eastern Chickpea Burgers (page 112). When I first proposed this blend, one of my recipe testers looked at the long list of ingredients and asked, “all this for yogurt?” And then she took a taste …

In baseball, the utility man is the one who can do everything. He keeps four different gloves on hand in case he’s called on to play catcher, first base, the infield, or the outfield. I suppose he also does the team’s laundry between games of a doubleheader. I think of capers as my utility guys, capable of blending into many dishes from eggs to polenta. Capers, which are actually flower buds, are usually pickled. They may be tiny, but they pack a flavorful punch. Here, they’re blended with chopped olives and lemon zest to create a mouth-popping relish.