A day or so ago, I stopped by the local tea shop to pick up some herbs for pickling. I had searched high and low at the local grocery store for what I thought were whole cardamon seeds for my regular pickling spice. Unfortunately - fortunately? - they'd had none, and so I'd popped into the Walnut Street Tea Co., as they regularly have what no one else has, and usually at a better price than expected. And per the norm, they did. In fact, they had a beautiful, gallon-sized jar full of the desired herb.
Digging in with gusto, I bought about 1/3 of a pound of the herb to the tune of $9. A bit heftier than I usually spend on spices - especially there - and the herbs looked a lot different than I remembered, but I bought them quickly and raced home so that I could get dinner started.
Some time later, as I pulled out my pickling spice recipe, I realized that I'd made a huge mistake. It wasn't CARDAMON seeds that I needed, but rather whole CORIANDER seeds! Doh! I have no idea how I mixed the two up, but somehow, in my over-burdened little mommy mind, I'd managed to do just that. So, now, I have $9 worth of an herb I have never used before, and none of the herb that I actually need. Brilliant, Roana, absolutely brilliant.
The good news is that Walnut Street Tea Co. also has whole coriander seeds, and while I haven't had time to grab some yet, I can do so easily enough. That leaves me, however, with the problem of what to do with the Cardamon. I've heard that it's often used in Indian food, but I've not seen it in the very few recipes that I've picked up over the years. It's a very potent-smelling herb, I must say, so whatever it goes in, it will be noticed.
As any good computer user in the year 2012, I will be Google-ing it for possible recipes, but I thought I'd throw it out there for those of you who read this blog before I do. Have you ever used this herb? If so, how and in what? Any recipes that you have would be greatly appreciated, and to show my thanks, I'll happily bundle off one half of my cardamon stash and send it along to the person who comments with the first recipe.
I look forward to hearing from people soon. In the meantime, off to The Ultimate Search Engine, glass of chardonnay in hand. Have a great night!
Conveniently, I have a cookie recipe from one of my husband's friends. They're absolutely delicious, though I haven't actually made the cookies yet. Someday, soon, I hope.
ReplyDeleteAlmond Cardamon cookies
2C flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/8 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 t cardamon
2/3 C unsalted butter
1 C sugar
1 (3 oz) pack cream cheese, softened
1 egg
3 T almond paste
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t lemon extract
Preheat oven to 375*. Grease cookie sheet. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamon.
In medium bowl, cream butter, sugar, cream cheese, and almond past. Beat in egg, vanilla, lemon. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes, there should be some browning on the cookies.
Sounds like a fabulous recipe... but it's for ground cardamon rather than whole. :( And while I do have a mortar and pestle, it doesn't sound like fun trying to ground it all up.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Anastasia Renee for posting this recipe link on our Facebook page!
ReplyDeleteCardamom Ice Cream Recipe
Average Rating:
Submitted By: The Spice House via Anastasia Renee.
This recipe comes from one of the best spice books we've yet to find, Jill Norman's "Herbs & Spices: The Cook's Reference". Along with the beautiful photos and useful information, she includes a whole slew of recipes from around the world.
Ingredients
2 cups (scant) milk or light cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
8 whole green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
Serves / Yields
6 servings
Preparation Instructions
Put the milk, or light cream, vanilla bean and crushed cardamom pods into a heavy pan and bring slowly to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let infuse for 20 minutes. Take out the vanilla bean and scape the seeds into the liquid. Remove the crushed green cardamom pods.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale. Gently reheat the milk or cream and beat a little of it into the egg yolks. Pour the egg mixture into the cream and return the pan to a low heat. Stir until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; it will take several minutes. Do not let it boil, or you'll get pieces of scrambled egg.
Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir until it has almost cooled. Whip the whipping cream lightly and fold it into the custard. Add the 1/8 teaspoon of ground cardamom. Freeze in an ice cream maker following the manufacturer's instructions.
Helpful Hints
Be careful not to add too much cardamom to the recipe. Cardamom is a very strong flavor, and too much of it can cause a soapy taste.
http://www.thespicehouse.com/recipes/cardamom-ice-cream-recipe
I, too, have a bag full of cardamom seeds. This is what I do with them..
ReplyDelete1. Put a pinch in your loose tea, along with any other spices (cinnamon, etc) you desire
2. Put a tiny pinch into your coffee before you brew it.
3. Curries. My "starter" curry recipe is this:
Make meatballs, about 1 1/2 inch diameter, and fry them. When they're done, make a sauce using 1 can coconut milk (in the Asian/Indian aisle, not the pina colada kind) and any Indian spices you want. Serve the meatballs and sauce over rice.
Thanks, Ashley, Anastasia, and Daniel! They all sound like great ways to use such an unusual spice. I can't wait to try the recipes and suggestions!
ReplyDelete