Cardamom By R.W. Hoff
One of my most favorite spices in the world - Cardamom. It is the color of the desert and has a free and exotic flavor reminiscent of the silence in the cold under a star-filled sky on a winter night after the snow. A cousin to nutmeg and cinnamon, cardamom is the elegant cousin, a sweet subtle spark of exotic taste.
Since the mid 1980's when I was introduced to cardamom by marrying into a Norwegian (Scandinavian) family, the price of cardamom has increased. It's about $20 a 2 oz. spice bottle in your local U.S. grocery store. I use very little but love to have this amazing, subtle and exotic spice on hand to add a dash to hot chocolate, with nutmeg in eggnog, or in a recipe (see below).
I grew up with a New England and Irish heritage, so the most exotic spices in the cabinet were paprika or caraway seed, both I love. But cardamom appeals to my dominant sweet tooth.
One of the things I love about cardamom as a writer is that there are also alternative ways to spell it: Cardamon, which is the sound I revert to in my memory, and also cardamum. Cardamom is used in a variety of breads, cakes and pastries, even crepes.
What's also amazing about cardamom is that it is used in Indian cooking for dinner and desserts and chai. It's no wonder I gravitate to Indian food when I want to eat out.
I've included a couple of recipes in a sea of hundreds that include cardamon.
I have attached a link to Cardamom patty cakes below. Patty cakes are an earlier version of the cupcake (just like the nursery rhyme), and these have cardamom in them:
https://www.cookrepublic.com/
Also I am including a cardamom recipe for a lassi (or smoothie). ENJOY:
https://www.cookrepublic.com/
