Recipes

Autumn has a smell, and in these muffins it comes from Place des Épices’ organic pumpkin spices, a richly fragrant blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace and cloves folded into a moist pumpkin batter.

Toasted squares of pain d’épices, a cool slice of foie gras, a glossy dab of jelly and a few flakes of salt: Dammann Frères’ Noël à Paris Tea Jelly, with its notes of cherry, almond and spiced gingerbread, makes an elegant holiday bite in minutes.

Pale pink to carmine red, the berries scattered over dark chocolate could pass for tiny candies: Place des Épices’ organic pink berries from Bahia, sweet, resinous and floral with no heat at all, are truly the candy of spices.

Warm cherries spooned over vanilla ice cream, their syrup running into the melting edges: poached in Dammann Frères’ Noël à Paris N°182, a festive black tea with cherry, gingerbread and bitter almond, they taste like Christmas in Paris.

Sugar melting into amber, cream bubbling up the sides of the pan, then a pinch crumbled between the fingers: Place des Épices’ Maldon fleur de sel, with its rare pyramid crystals and clean taste, gives this caramel its bright, crunchy finish.

A mortar and pestle grinding tea leaves to dust, orange zest in the butter, a log of dough waiting in the fridge: Noël en Laponie Tea Bags N°695 from Dammann Frères, green tea with cinnamon, pink peppercorn, orange and cranberry, turn into holiday shortbread.

The first minute matters most, when the spices bloom in hot oil and the whole house knows dinner is coming: Place des Épices’ organic Indian curry, a warm, aromatic ground masala, then wraps chickpeas and cauliflower in its sauce.

The pop of berries bursting in a simmering pan, then a spoonful beside a soft wedge of Brie: Noël en Laponie N°695 from Dammann Frères, a limited-edition green tea with cinnamon, pink peppercorn, cranberry and bitter orange, spices up the holiday cheese board.

Two hours of gentle simmering, beef falling apart, a spoonful of sour cream melting into a deep red sauce: Place des Épices’ organic hot paprika from Murcia, richly aromatic and pleasantly warming, gives this goulash its glow.

Cranberries bobbing in a hot punch, a slice of orange on every glass, windows fogged by winter: Noël en Laponie Box of 6 Sachets N°695 from Dammann Frères, a limited-edition green tea with pink peppercorn, cinnamon, cranberry and orange, warms a holiday gathering.

Mint crushed with cane sugar and lime at the bottom of the glass, crushed ice, a splash of bubbles: here Dammann Frères’ Miss Dammann Tea N°477, with real pieces of ginger, lime and passion fruit, stands in for rum, spirited without the spirits.

Sardine skin blistering on a hot grill, a drift of smoke, lemon wedges at the ready: a pinch of Les Terres Blanches’ Fleur de Sel Algarve, hand-harvested on Portugal’s sunny southern coast, adds its clean, mineral crunch and briny finish.