Quatre Epices substitute

Substitutes for Quatre Epices with ratios

1. 2Ground allspice plus white pepper

   Close match

   Use the same amount allspice, plus ¼ tsp ground white pepper per tsp

   A single berry that naturally tastes of clove, nutmeg and pepper together.

   What changes

   Best for

   pate, terrines, sausage, braises, stuffing

   The best one-jar answer. Allspice covers three of the four notes convincingly, so the only real gap is pungency, which the added pepper fixes. It is a touch sweeter and rounder than a proper blend and lacks ginger's warm bite, so a terrine made with it tastes slightly mellower and less lively. Nobody will identify it as wrong.

2. 3Cloves and black pepper alone

   Different taste

   1 part ground cloves to 3 parts ground pepper, used 1:1

   The two dominant notes of the blend, without nutmeg or ginger.

   What changes

   Best for

   pate, terrines, pork, braises

   Covers most of the effect with two things nearly every kitchen already has, since clove is the smell people actually register in quatre epices and pepper is the backbone. What is missing is the soft, slightly sweet roundness nutmeg brings, so the seasoning tastes a little bare and more medicinal. Keep the clove proportion low; it is the easiest spice in the world to overdo.

3. 4Pumpkin pie spice plus white pepper

   Different taste

   Use ¾ tsp for every 1 tsp quatre epices, plus ¼ tsp ground white pepper

   A sweet baking blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove and sometimes allspice.

   What changes

   Best for

   pain d'epices, spiced cakes, pork terrines, braised pork

   Two of its spices are the right ones and it brings no pepper at all, hence the addition. The problem is cinnamon, which is prominent and immediately reads as dessert, so a savoury terrine made with it tastes faintly of pumpkin pie. Use three-quarters of the amount to keep the cinnamon in check. It is genuinely good in pain d'epices, where the sweet-spice direction is welcome.

4. 5Chinese five-spice powder

   Different taste

   Use ½ tsp for every 1 tsp quatre epices

   A star anise, fennel, clove, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper blend.

   What changes

   Best for

   pork terrines, braised pork belly, pain d'epices, duck

   It shares clove and a peppery element, so the bones are right, but star anise and fennel push the flavour hard toward licorice and the dish stops tasting French. Use half as much. It is a good choice in a rich pork terrine if you like that direction, and reasonable in gingerbread-style pain d'epices, but wrong for a delicate chicken liver pate.

5. 6Garam masala or baharat

   Different taste

   Use ½ tsp for every 1 tsp quatre epices

   Warm-spice blends from Indian and Middle Eastern cooking.

   What changes

   Best for

   braises, sausage, stews, meatballs

   Both contain clove, nutmeg and pepper alongside cumin and coriander, and it is the cumin that gives them away, since a French terrine seasoned with garam masala tastes distinctly Indian. Use half the quantity if it is genuinely all you have. Workable in a rustic braise, not in charcuterie.