GOODNESS
Allspice: No, this isn't a mixture of everything in your spice rack, but rather a dried berry of the pimenta tree. If that's a surprise to you, imagine how Columbus felt -- he thought it was pepper (thus the name pimenta, which is Spanish for pepper). The berries look a little like plump peppercorns and the flavor is pungent, but it is not pepper. The best allspice comes from Jamaica.
For the freshest flavor, you should buy allspice in berry form and grind or crush it as needed. The taste is a pleasant mix of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Used in jerks and for pickling, it goes great with meat and gives a nice kick to soups and stews.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon comes from the bark of a tropical evergreen, just like its cousin cassia. It has an ancient pedigree, even being used to embalm a few pharaohs. That may not sound appetizing, but it has been found to be good for the heart, the stomach and the joints. Not impressed yet? Well consider that it also seems to mimic insulin and therefore helps diabetics moderate their sugar levels. So don't be shy with this tasty and healthy spice.
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Recipe

Plum Granita with Summer Fruit

serves
prep time: 10
cook time: 272

ingredients

  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
  • 1 1/2 pounds plums, preferably red-fleshed (about 7 large), pitted, cut into 0.75 inch pieces
  • 1 peach, pitted, thinly sliced
  • 1 nectarine, pitted, thinly sliced
  • 1 plum, pitted, thinly sliced

directions

Combine water, sugar, allspice and cinnamon in heavy small saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean, add bean. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 2 minutes. Cool syrup completely.

Puree 1 1/2 pounds plums in processor. Press enough puree through sieve to measure 1 1/2 cups. Strain syrup into puree and blend well. Transfer mixture to 9x5x3 inch glass loaf dish. Freeze plum mixture until flaky crystals form, stirring every 30 minutes, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover, keep frozen.)

Spoon granita into 4 glass goblets. Top with peach, nectarine and plum slices and serve immediately.