Once upon a time, whilst I was married, I discovered that just as I did not like clove, my spouse didn't like nutmeg. Therefore, whenever I made a recipe, I just added up at least the amount of cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or clove in the recipe (along with ginger and cardamom, if any), divided by three, then used that amount each of cinnamon, cardamom, and ginger instead. Not sure why I never tried mace. (If you do use nutmeg, no matter what, always, always, always, grate it fresh. You're welcome.) Worked every time. This, then, would be my apple pie spice recipe:
Whisk together all four spices and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Makes 1/4 cup.
Since then, both my palate and skill as a cook have matured (while I just got older). Still have issues with cloves as so many use too much, kind of like how truffle oil is often misused, both can just take over a dish. Anyways, the important thing here is to not be afraid to experiment, or at least tweak to your tastes. For instance, any of these are often interchangeably delicious: garam masala, pumpkin pie spice, five spice powder, and apple pie spice. Don't have cinnamon, but have one of these four? Use it in the same quantity and keep cooking. Explore the possibilities, the uses truly are almost endless.
iron noder