Ingredient Spotlight: Mahleb

... and why it's time to ditch the artificial almond extract!* Also, a recipe for Mahleb Muhallabiah with Sour Cherry Compote

Hello, and welcome to Newsletter No 28 here on Substack! Thank you for stopping by. If you are already subscribed, thank you - seeing so many of you read my newsletters each week means the world to me! And if you are not yet a subscriber, grab a seat if you are interested in recipes as well as tips and tricks to make the most of our increasingly eclectic pantries and a good dose of my at times random musings about all things food. And do make sure you hit that subscribe button below if you don’t want to miss any future posts!

“When crushed and sprinkled over pastries it tastes like marzipan, but taken straight from the spice jar, it tastes first like pine nuts, then like bitter wood”

Kate Lebo, The Book of Difficult Fruit

As I mentioned in my 2024 Food Trends post at the start of the year, there has been a 550% increase in searches for Mahleb in 2023. Given this, and since stone fruit season will soon be upon us (Mahleb being the perfect partner in crime for anything made with stone fruits), I thought it was high time I introduced you to this favourite spice of mine! So in this week’s newsletter I will give you an overview of what Mahleb (also called mahalab, mahlep and mahlepi) actually is, what it tastes like and how you can use it (with plenty of recipe ideas to choose from). And my hope is that once you give Mahleb a try, you will also ditch those tiny little bottles of artificial almond extract and use Mahleb instead!

(I have nothing per se against almond extract but tend to think that if there is a spice readily available that offers a similary delicious flavour to almond extract (in fact I like to think that Mahleb is even more delicious) then I am all in favour of using that spice rather than an artificial extract!)

And to round things off, I’ll also share my recipe for a Mahleb flavoured Muhallabiah with a Sour Cherry Compote.

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Mahleb

What is it?

Sold either whole in soft and somewhat chewy kernels the size of dried lentils and that look like plump miniature almonds or ground into a gritty powder, Mahleb is the kernel of Prunus Mahaleb, i.e. the St. Lucie cherry. Native to Asia Minor, St. Lucie cherry trees are part of the rose family and today grow all across the Mediterranean. They are cultivated both for their aromatic kernels (the fruit itself is very tart and not edible) and as ornamental trees given their fragrant flowers.

What does it taste like?

To me the flavour of Mahleb is reminiscent of bitter almonds but more floral and fruitier with some cherry notes. Dr Stuart Farrimond in “The Science of Spice” notes that Mahleb also tastes a bit like sweet clover and apricot and has some warming, balsamic, almond and green apple notes with a slight bitterness.

What does it go well with?

Mahleb works well wherever you would typically use almond extract - so anything and everything involving stone fruits such as peaches, apricots, nectarines, cherries or plums. Mahleb also goes well with all types of nuts and seeds, almonds in particular of course, but also pistachios. And you can also use it to introduce a sort of almond paste / marzipany flavour without using any almond paste or marzipan. I also really enjoy using it in baked goods made with dried fruit such as Hot Cross Buns or Stollen for example.

In terms of other spices and flavours, Mahleb is quite versatile. Eleanor Ford recommends vanilla, nutmeg, rose, sesame and Tonka Bean as flavour pairings - the Tonka Bean in particular makes a lot of sense since both Mahleb and Tonka Beans contain a lot of coumarin. Beyond that, what you pair Mahleb with depends a bit on which of its flavour notes you want to complement. Dr Stuart Farrimond in his book has lots of great suggestions:

1. If you want to complement Mahleb‘s floral, sweet and grassy notes, use it together with clove, nutmeg, liquorice or vanilla.

2. Cinnamon, galangal or ginger complement Mahleb’s warming, balsamic and fruity notes - and the same is true for poppy seeds and lemon myrtle.

3. Sesame and cocoa complement Mahleb‘s sweet woodiness.

How can I use it?

First things first, ideally you should buy Mahleb in whole kernels since the kernels retain their flavoursome oils better than ground Mahleb. Store Mahleb in a dark cool space, even better in the fridge or freezer - given its high oil content, Mahleb goes rancid quite quickly.

Since only some of Mahleb’s flavour compounds are water soluble, it is generally best to avoid cooking Mahleb in water-based liquids. Instead, try mixing Mahleb with the fats in your recipe and note that the application of heat will decrease any bitter flavours. A trick I picked up from both Dr. Stuart Farrimond and Eleanor Ford is to freshly grind the Mahleb kernels and let the powdered Mahleb rest for a few minutes (to allow the bitter phenols to evaporate) before continuing with my recipe.

Mahleb is typically used in baked goods across Greece, Turkey, North Africa and much of the Middle East. It is most famously used in Tsoureki (Greece - where it is often mixed with Anise and Mastic) and Choreg (Armenia) - enriched yeasted breads commonly made for celebrations such as Easter. And while baked goods are a good starting point for exploring Mahleb, there is no need to stop there! Mahleb works equally well in things like rice pudding, ice cream and even to make a flavoured syrup to sweeten your coffee - which I discovered last summer thanks to what is possibly my favourite bakery in Brussels, Khobz, which offered a delicious Mahleb syrup sweetened iced coffee to cool down during a heatwave.

If you are new to Mahleb, I would suggest starting with something simple - such as these Mahleb Sugar Cookies from Molly Yeh - to really appreciate and understand its flavour. This Armenian Shortbread with Mahleb and Cardamom recipe in the LA Times also caught my eye.

Since Mahleb is most famously used in Greek Tsoureki or Armenian Choreg, I would also suggest you try your hand at making these. And if you already know how to bake challah, learning how to bake Tsoureki or Choreg will not be hard at all. And while Christmas is still a long way away, I can highly recommend you bookmark my recipe for Stollen with Cardamom, Mahleb and Saffron which is an absolute crowdpleaser.

Let me know in the comments if you have ever made anything with Mahleb! Also, let me know if there are other ingredients I should cover in my Ingredient Spotlight series!

Below you will find my recipe for Muhallabiah with Mahleb and a Sour Cherry Compote - a dessert featuring a Mahleb flavoured ice flour thickened custard.

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Muhallabia was a dessert my parents often made for special occasions when I was a child. In part I think just so my dad could hide a single cherry at the bottom of our dessert bowls so that once you inverted the set custard onto a plate it looked a bit like these Minne di Sant’Agata.

Muhallabia is not a difficult dessert to make. But it requires your undivided attention for the better part of a quarter of an hour while you stand at the stove and stir the custard while it slowly thickens. Any distraction, however small, and you risk the mixture turning lumpy. And of course that is exactly what happened the first time I took over the Muhallabia making …

Muhallabia is a great and simple dessert to add to your repertoire. A simple egg free custard thickened with rice flour (something I always have on hand since I use it to dust my bannetons when I bake bread – it is far more absorbent than all purpose flour). And thanks to the rice flour Muhallabia has a unique texture. Finer than semolina or cream of wheat yet grainier than regular custard or panna cotta.

And you can of course flavour it whichever way you like. Some people like to stir some orange blossom water into the cooked custard, others like serving it with a rose water syrup and some crushed pistachios. You could also make a cardamom or cinnamon flavoured custard. Or indeed try this delicious Mahleb flavoured version with a sour cherry compote.

Muhallabia with Mahleb and Sour Cherry Compote

Serves Four

Notes: Muhallabia is best made the day before you want to serve it so the custard has time to set. At a minimum the custard needs around 3-4 hours in the fridge to set (using rice flour will give the Muhallabia a softer set than using cornstarch). The cherry compote can also easily be made ahead and either served cold or gently reheated once you are ready to serve.

Ingredients

For the Muhallabia 

500ml milk
50g rice flour or 35g cornstarch
2 tsp ground mahleb
3 tbsp sugar

For the Sour Cherry Compote

100g cherries
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp water

Directions

Start by making the custard. Use ca. 100ml of the milk and whisk together with the rice flour (or corndstarch if using), mahleb and sugar. In the meantime heat the remaining 400ml of milk in a medium saucepan until it starts to steam. Stir in the rice flour (or cornstarch) slurry and, whisking constantly, cook the custard on medium heat until it starts to thicken. This will take ca. 10-15 minutes.

Divide the custard evenly between four small bowls and place in the fridge to set for 3-4 hours.

For the cherry compote heat all the ingredients over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the juices have turned slightly syrupy.

Serve the muhallabia with a spoon or two of the cherries and some of their syrup.