Nutmeg Anyone??

On our Grenada trip, we visited a spice estate and a nutmeg station for the first time.  I have never seen so much nutmeg!  Bags and bags and bags of nutmeg... as you can see from the picture.  It made me wonder about nutmeg - as the only place I've ever seen it growing is in Grenada.

I've learned that nutmeg is primarily grown in Indonesia, as well as some locations in the Caribbean (especially Grenada).  We all know about using nutmeg in cooking, but it is also used for its essential oils, which are placed in a variety of products (Ie: tooth paste and cough syrup).  The nutmeg trade was dominated by the Dutch back in the 17th century.  When the English took temporary control of the Dutch Banda Islands, the Dutch transplanted nutmeg trees to their own holdings elsewhere - notably Zanzibar and Grenada.  So, that is the Reader's Digest version of how Grenada ended up with so much nutmeg!

Go buy some whole nutmeg from the store, and give this delicious dessert a try during the hot months of summer!  I guarantee you will love it...

NUTMEG ICE CREAM - a delicious dessert I experienced in Grenada

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. freshly grated nutmeg - about 1 whole nutmeg

1/8 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

In pan, bring milk and cream just to a boil.  Whisk together eggs, sugar, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.  Whisk 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture.  Whisk the egg mixture into the remaining milk mixture.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until 175 on a candy thermometer.  Transfer the custard to a metal bowl and set it in a larger bowl of ice and cold water.  Stir until the custard has completely cooled.  Freeze the custard in your ice cream machine according to directions.  Enjoy!