Quatre Épices

Although the name of this spice mixture means “four spices” in French, it may contain five spices—as our version does—or even more. Many chefs keep a supply of their favorite blend on hand for enlivening meat or meat-flavored dishes ranging from soups and stews to sausages and intricate galantines and pâtés; such a mixture is usually what is meant when the simple word “spices” appears in certain recipes translated from the French. (But there are other French seasoning mixtures—such as