Culinary Notes
The Power Rule: Cloves are bullies. They will dominate any dish if you are not careful. Use them sparingly—rarely more than 2 or 3 in a pot for a family meal. If in doubt, under-dose.
The "Studded Onion" (Clouté): The classic French technique for infusing milk (for Béchamel) or stocks. Push 3-4 cloves into a peeled onion. This allows the flavour to infuse the liquid, but crucially, makes the tiny, hard spices easy to find and remove before serving. Biting into a whole clove is an unpleasant, tongue-numbing surprise.
Quality Check: Squeeze the bud with your fingernail. A good quality clove should release a tiny amount of oil. If it is dry and brittle, it is past its prime. Also, in water, high-quality cloves float vertically (head up); stale ones float horizontally or sink.
Removal: Unless you are grinding them for a masala, always remove whole cloves before serving. They do not soften significantly during cooking.
