Adventures in Spiceland

Only the most vibrant, hand-picked spices can do justice to the blends required for an Asian or African dish. Le Sanctuaire has chosen four stand-outs from See Smell Taste, a company devoted to the study and perfection of spice harvesting. Cardamom seeds, when protected by their green pods, retain their natural flavor. Use them whole in shrimp biryani. Sweet, and aromatic coriander seed, along with cumin, creates a lively spice rub for pork chops. Stunning mace blades possess a warm spiciness, and, because it's more delicate than nutmeg (mace is actually the outer shell of the nutmeg) it can serve as a more subtle presence in sweet dishes (say, a cherry cobbler). Star anise, with its dense licorice-like flavor, is as beautiful as it is fragrant, adding complexity to a Vietnamese pho (a rich beef-and-noodle soup).