It’s time to cease eager about the distinction between candy and savory spices. Many cooks around the globe don’t make such a distinction.

In Greece and Turkey, for instance, tomato sauce comes spiked with cinnamon, and in Mexico, fruit salad is sprinkled with cayenne pepper. In each instances, the spice is refined however provides simply sufficient distinction to make every chew extra attention-grabbing.

We saved that in thoughts whereas looking for a simple solution to enliven a easy summer time berry compote. In this recipe from our e-book “COOKish,” which limits recipes to simply six substances with out sacrificing taste, we tried black pepper and chili powder, a mix that may embody not solely spicy cayenne but additionally cumin, garlic and onion powder. The mixture of candy strawberries and savory spices was a success, the right topping for vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

A single teaspoon sufficed for a pound of candy strawberries, half of which we cooked with a comparatively small quantity of sugar and lime zest. We evenly mashed the cooked berries and poured them over contemporary ones, which softened with the compote’s warmth.

Substituting garam masala, an Indian spice mix that features warming spices like cinnamon and clove but additionally black pepper, mustard and coriander, was simply nearly as good with the citrus zest and berries, although with a special taste profile.

Citrus and spice strawberry compote

Start to complete: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 to six

Ingredients:

1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered2 tablespoons white sugar, dividedGrated zest of 1 lime OR 1 lemon OR ½ medium orange1 teaspoon chili powder OR garam masala¼ teaspoon coarsely floor black pepperPinch of kosher salt

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss two-thirds of the berries with 1 tablespoon of sugar and the zest; put aside. In a small saucepan, toast the chili powder, stirring, till aromatic; add the remaining berries, the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, the pepper, salt and ¼ cup water. Simmer, stirring, for five minutes, then mash the berries to interrupt them down. Cook, stirring, till jammy. Immediately pour over the berries within the bowl and stir. Let stand for 10 minutes.

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