Photography Credit: Elise Bauer

When my friend Kerissa Barron first told me about this buttery rice pilaf, I couldn’t wait to try it. Then she told me it had saffron in it. Uh oh.

For some reason, saffron is a spice that sort of tastes like soap to me. Not a big fan. But, I’ll try just about anything once, and in this case, thank goodness. I couldn’t stop eating this saffron rice!

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Elegant and Simple

Browned in clarified butter, with cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, cooked in a saffron infusion, and tossed with nuts and raisins, this rice is the bomb.

Kerissa came over the other day to make it with me. Here’s what she says about it:

Whether you are making it to accompany a homemade Indian feast or simply serving alongside a roast chicken from the supermarket, this rice, specked with nuts and raisins, imbued with the golden color of saffron, and fragranced with cardamom, cinnamon, clove and orange can truly hold its own.

How to Store Saffron

You’ll only need a half teaspoon of saffron threads for this recipe, so you’ll likely have some leftover. Luckily, saffron stores quite well!

Keep it in an airtight glass jar in a cupboard away from direct sunlight. It should keep just fine for at least a least a year. As long as the strands still smell fragrant when you open the jar, the saffron is good to use.

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