These two spices, especially Cardamom, have made significant appearances in my life lately. I will start with the first as it is not quite as heavy, metaphorically and literally. The other day, I decided to stop into Pearl Bakery to see what they had going on behind their glass case of goodness-galore. It wasn’t what was behind the case that caught my eye, but rather it was in a big basket. It was a panini bread, a chocolate panini bread. I had seen this before, but something about the texture and color of this particular batch caught my eye. I decided to ask the guy behind the counter how it was made. It turns out it is your basic white flour bread with cocoa added to the mix, giving it a rich deepness in both flavor and tactility. There was no extra sugar added, however there were extra-tiny-mini chocolate chips in it which gave it another element of flavor and gooey-ness.
I will be trying this out as soon as possible. I appreciate the flexibility in the instructions allowing this cake-creation to become something of my own (or yours!).
The cardamom I’ve been using in a lot of my pie recipes as a substitute for the normal cinnamon or nutmeg. Especially with the darker fruits like blackberries, huckleberries or dark cherries. It adds an extra element of surprise and exoticness to a juicy slice of pie. But it was also a favorite spice of a young lady who was very close to my best friend and died suddenly last year. In remembrance of what once was and in celebration of life, I made cardamom cookies with my friend Kiija in mind. She had made these cookies with her friend in mind the other day. I wanted to pay it forward for her, make way for her grief and joy to keep moving along the rivers of life.
Cardamom Cookies (recipe adapted from Debora Madison)
1/4 pound (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for tops
2 tblsp granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp ground cardamom
3/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups flour
cream to butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg yolk. stir in the cardamom, salt and flour. divide the dough in two, roughly shape each piece into a log about 1 inch thick, then roll in plastic or wax paper. pull each log through your thumb and first finger to make it even and, if you prefer, longer and narrower. refrigerate until firm or freeze until ready to use.
preheat oven to 375 degreees. cut the dough into 1/4 inch rounds or diagonals and set them on cookie sheets at least 1 inch apart. bake until pale golden on top and lightly browned around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. cool. serve plain or dusted with confectioners sugar.
(cardamom cookies with chamomile tea)
No recipe, but here’s what you need to do (for the best chocolate cake…um….ever):
0. If you’re feeling ambitious, make some ganache with excellent-quality chocolate and freeze it to use for centers. (Half-ounce portions would be perfect.)
1. Start with the best, moistest Devil’s Food Cake you know.
2. Turn it into crumbs. The grater attachment on the Cuisinart is good for this, or you can do it by hand if you’re a sucker.
3. Make some chocolate anglaise using whole eggs and cream. No need to strain it, but use the best chocolate you have. (Valrhona Manjari is good.)
4. Mix the crumbs and the anglaise until you have a thick, puddinglike batter. Try not to eat it all like that.
5. Portion it into molds (stick in those ganache centers if you made them) and bake in a water bath until they puff up a bit.
6. Devour.