I love your recipes, especially the vegetarian ones, but I often can’t get the likes of membrillo, creme fraiche, preserved lemon, pomegranate molasses and harissa. What alternatives would you suggest?
Joyce, St John’s, Canada
Wherever possible, you want to stay within the same flavour profile and texture, so if, for example, a recipe calls for creme fraiche, particularly as an accompaniment to a dish, soured cream or thick Greek yoghurt make fine substitutes. If it’s for baking, however, I’d use soured cream, because it has a similar tanginess to creme fraiche.
Pomegranate molasses-wise, date molasses would work as a replacement, though you might want to add a little lemon juice to mimic the sweet-sour note of pomegranate molasses; honey or maple syrup mixed with lemon juice will also provide the requisite tangy note and thick sweetness. And while we’re on the subject of sweetness, simply replace membrillo with another sweet paste: thick apricot or fig jam both work really well.
Preserved lemons, meanwhile, are often used principally to bring a pop of surprise to a dish, so, though they’re not quite the same, give capers or olives a go. If, on the other hand, it’s their lemony taste that’s required, don’t underestimate the power of fresh lemon juice or grated zest.
If you fancy a project, you could also simply make your own preserved lemons or harissa. You can either go for a quick preserved lemon or one that takes a fair bit longer, but both only really require fresh lemons to start off with. The list of ingredients for harissa, meanwhile, might appear daunting, but, chances are, you already have a lot of them in the cupboard, so that’s just a case of putting them together. The same goes for spice mixes such as baharat and nutty dukkah.
Above all, however, don’t ever not make a recipe just because you’re missing one ingredient. Don’t tell anyone, but if you really can’t find an alternative, I promise the world will keep turning if you just leave it out. Keep that between us, though, yes?
