Pair This Spice With Blueberries For 20X The Flavor

Whether you're whipping up some muffins or crafting homemade jam, there are a few mistakes we all make when cooking with blueberries. Of course, one of the most important is to avoid using any that aren't perfectly ripe, but even if you've managed to score the best blueberries at the store, you'll be missing out on taking them to the next level if you don't incorporate one simple spice: coriander.

Coriander is an earthy and slightly sweet spice that's derived from the Coriandrum sativum plant of the parsley family. While the leaves are referred to as cilantro, the seeds are called coriander – at least here in the USA. In addition to its soft sweetness, it also carries notes of citrus, which clearly make it a solid pairing for blueberries, given that the fruit is so often presented with lemon. But what really makes coriander a perfect match for blueberries is the fact that it contains a high level of linalool. This terpene (chemicals that make plants smell nice) gives the spice a floral taste and aroma. And since blueberries also contain linalool, combining them with coriander doubles down on the flavor, creating a more intense blueberry experience in anything from pancakes or quick breads to pies, cobblers, and even a fruity barbecue sauce or marinade.

If you want even more linalool in your blueberry-based dish or drink, there are a few other good sources to toss in with the coriander. Lavender and sweet basil also top the list of foods with the terpene and can complement both the fruit and the spice.

It's fairly simple to upgrade a recipe with coriander. You can easily use a pre-ground version — just make sure it hasn't been sitting in your spice rack for too long. Or, for the freshest flavor, grind the seeds just before using them. You can go old-school like Gordon Ramsay with a mortar and pestle or use a spice grinder if you have one. If not, try using a coffee grinder like Ina Garten does — just be sure to fully clean it before and after, so the residue of the coffee or the spice doesn't make its way into other dishes where it isn't welcome.

Once ground, simply shake the spice into your dish before cooking. It doesn't take much coriander to bring out the boldness of the blueberries — just a dash or two should do the trick. But if you're looking to really transform a recipe, you can always add more to taste.

Unless you have an abundance of berries, you may find yourself with a lot of leftover coriander, which you can use as inspiration for kicking a variety of other dishes up a notch. It's often used in meaty meals, and it's great for seasoning veggies, too. However, it plays well with fruits besides berries, too — try apples, plums, and citrus. Or sprinkle it onto egg dishes, fold it into dough for bread, or even add it to chocolate desserts. And don't sleep on sipping coriander-infused drinks — it can be brewed into beer, muddled and added to citrusy or spicy cocktails, or incorporated into a simple syrup to elevate martinis, margaritas, and mocktails.