Saffron

[flyinglentris]

Saffron is lauded as the most expensive and celebrated of spices. And oddly enough, its flavoring potential is very soft and easily masked by other things. It can be used as a food coloring, but why pay out that much for a food coloring?

Besides using it in Pilafs and other rice dishes, I have to wonder where else it might be used. I figure that soups, butter and cream dishes are great candidates.

I often use it to make a special variant of Clam Chowder which I call "California Gold Clam Chowder" for its golden color from the Saffron and melted butter.

For its special properties, how would you use Saffron?

 

[Morning Glory]

I love the stuff and use it a lot. Yes, its great to flavour sauces. But you can also use it 'neat' to sprinkle on fish or chicken whilst it cooks. I've probably got quite a few recipes with saffron on the forum. I'll do a search...

 

[Morning Glory]

Seems I have two pages of links. Here are a few:

Recipe - Lamb with Saffron & Juniper

Recipe Spaghetti with Crab, Mascarpone & Saffron

Recipe Scalloped Potatoes with Saffron & Ricotta (low calorie)

Recipe - Turkey or Chicken Breast with Cranberries & Saffron

 

[Burt Blank]

I make a saffron flavored Beurre Blanc (Burt Blank ) for dressing fillets of sea bass

its flavoring potential is very soft and easily masked by other things.

This I disagree with mate, a little to much and it goes from a pronounced sweet earthy flavor too a bitter metallic taste.

 

[Morning Glory]

I make a saffron flavored Beurre Blanc (Burt Blank ) for dressing fillets of sea bass

This I disagree with mate, a little to much and it goes from a pronounced sweet earthy flavor too a bitter metallic taste.

However, it is true that it can be lost if paired with some things. Put it in a very hot spicy curry sauce and you probably won't taste it very well.

 

[flyinglentris]

This I disagree with mate, a little to much and it goes from a pronounced sweet earthy flavor too a bitter metallic taste.

I get that much. But Saffron is still easily overwhelmed. And too much does ruin it. Some people will dump teaspoons full. I can do a few threads and get a desired result.

 

[Burt Blank]

Put it in a very hot spicy curry sauce and you probably won't taste it very well.

Morning Morning, I understand that but why would want to use it in a spicy sauce, We make Hyderadi Biryani from scratch. We stopped using saffron because it added nothing to our taste.

The yellow dots are turmeric milk.

 

[Morning Glory]

Morning Morning, I understand that but why would want to use it in a spicy sauce,

You wouldn't want to if it was a very hot spicy sauce. I was simply saying that flyinglentris has a point that saffron can be overpowered. It can certainly be used in spicy sauces though. Tagines for example. This recent recipe I posted is spicy:

Recipe - Lamb with Saffron & Juniper