Nutmeg

  I love the taste of nutmeg and couldn't imagine egg nog or French toast without it.  The best way to get the most from this dried seed of the nutmeg tree is to freshly grate it yourself using a...wait for it...nutmeg grater.  I've had this little grater for years and it has perfectly sized holes for grating the hard seed.  The seeds keep for a long time and thus by grating them yourself, you can have fresh flavour each time.  Just a few grates will do since the flavour is quite potent and distinct.  I store mine in a small Tupperware container alongside the grater so they are ready to go when my recipe calls for nutmeg.