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Star Anise
Perhaps the sexiest spice on the market, star anise's intoxicating sweet earthy scent is alive and well in the culinary underground, but somehow has never surfaced to any mainstream attention. The faceless driving force behind Chinese five spice, star anise is better off on it's own. This peculiar dried fruit of Asian evergreen trees is available in it's whole eight-pointed star form or ground. But the pre-ground supermarket stuff seldom yields any potency. Instead, grind a small amount of whole stars in a coffee grinder, then sift through a wire-mesh colander and store in an empty spice bottle. For an exotic scented cup of java, don't bother wiping out the inside of the grinder afterwards. Experiment using whole star anise instead of cinnamon sticks in your favorite recipes. Use whole stars in fruit poaching syrups or add to the poaching liquid of shellfish. Add ground star anise to a basic ice cream or creme brulee recipe. Or for an easy elegant dessert sprinkle freshly ground star anise over peach ice cream with a splash of Amaretto.
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Star Anise
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