Saffron

Iodine in flavor, this spice is derived from the dried stigmas of the purple autumn crocus. The blossoms are picked by hand and then stripped of their 3 orange-red stigmas. Reportedly it takes some 70,000 blossoms to yield one pound of saffron, or over 4,000 for every ounce. It is the most expensive of all our cooking spices.

How to use: Add the saffron shreds directly to the liquids when the liquid will be strained; when not strained, the shreds are first soaked in hot water, then boiled, and this flavored liquid is added to the sauce and the shreds discarded. Saffron also comes in powdered form, but I prefer to use the whole stigmas.