Nutmeg, narcotics and potato dauphinoise

The latest herb I have reached on my mission to cover all those on the 1970's wall chart is actually a spice: 'Nutmeg'.  I've been doing some research.

The name is a generic term for any of the many species of trees in the genus Myristica.  One which is commonly used for commercial nutmeg is Myristica fragrans, which is a large, tropical evergreen tree with dark grey-green bark, thickly branched with a dense foliage of dark-green oval leaves.  The tree blossoms with little, pale yellow bell-shaped flowers, which produce a yellow fruit, grooved like an apricot.  This splits along the grove when ripe to allow the seed to fall.

This beautiful fruit is actually composed to two spices: mace and nutmeg.  The dark-brown nutmeg seed is wound around with lines of red mace, encased in the lighter yellow fruit.  The centre of the seed is also interesting, pale flesh zig-zagged across with dark lines, visible as you start to grate.

The nutmeg fruit with the mace and nutmeg visible

The trees thrived in the rich volcanic soils and humid conditions of the Moluccas (the Spice Islands).  Although the originally grew only on the carefully guarded islands of Bada and Amdonia, the species soon spread across the East Indies to the Caribbean.  It even grew so successfully in Grenada that the country's flag was designed to emulate the green, yellow and red of the nutmeg - and includes an image of a nutmeg in one corner.

Grenada's flag, nutmeg icon on the left

Historically, nutmeg has also been reputed to have magical properties and was used as an amulet to protect against evil, often worn around the neck sometimes with a silver grater.  As a medicine it is reputed to aid digestion and improve the appetite, and like Savory was also reputed to be an aphrodisiac.  

Nutmeg's flavour and fragrance comes from the oil of myristica, which contains a narcotic - myristicin - which induces delirium.  Nutmeg has been taken in large quantities as a recreational drug, although perhaps not one of the more entertaining ones. 

When we were younger Nutmeg was something we used to flavour hot milk and apple pies.  The wall chart also suggests baked goods, pudding, cauliflower and spinach, but I've decided to include Nadine Abensur's recipe for Gratin Dauphanois, one of my favourite recipes, and (like salade au chevre chaud) one of my fall backs in French restaurants.

Gratin Dauphanois

1 kg of waxy potatoes
300ml double cream
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
50g finely sliced onion
15g butter
75g grated Gruyere cheese

Cut the potatoes very finely into 3 mm discs.  Pat the slices dry and and mix with the cream, nutmeg, garlic, salt and pepper and the slice onion. Use the butter to grease an oveproof dish 6cm deep. Press most of the potato moixture firmly into the dish finishing up with the reserve slices on top. Sprinkle with the grated Gruyere and pake for 1 hour until the top is browned at 180 degrees.  When I make it, I'll add some photos.