For The Love of Cardamom

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Food & Drink > Desserts

Written by Cindy A Hartzell

Thursday, 26 February 2009 14:44

I was introduced to sugar early in life, by my mother. So early in fact, I was actually still in the womb. All those wonderful baths of sweetness and the joy in her heart as she licked icing from her lips, had a second cinnamon roll, or snuck in her favorite candy bar while no one was watching. Growing up with "Mrs. Wonka" was a sweet tooth's joy and delight. There were always goodies aplenty! Dessert wasn't an occasional meal highlight, it was actually mandatory! Be it acquired or inherited, I was quite happy with my sugar addiction until the "middle aged spread" could no longer be kept under control.

During a recent trip to India, I fell in love with Cardamom. Move over sugar! There's a new love in my life. Cardamom is a sweet and unique tasting spice that is citrus like, has an earthy quality and just a tiny bite to it. The taste is rather hard to define; however, once you have tasted it, you will recognize it. Cardamom is perfect in savory dishes, but it is most delicious in desserts. Cardamom is available for purchase in pods, seeds or ground spice. If you can't find it locally, there are plenty of spice companies that will ship it to you.

Honestly, I didn't just fall in love, I fell hard. I bought the largest bottle of the spice that I could find at the local grocer. Cardamom had a hold on me - I spent hours doing searches for recipes with Cardamom on the internet. I found recipes for mouse, chocolate candy, and even granola bars; but that wasn't enough for me, I wanted more! So I started experimenting with adding Cardamom to some other recipes with great success!

Now Cardamom is my (not so) secret ingredient in my spice arsenal, waging war against the blah and the bland. Add a pinch in your puddings, pies and cookies for a little extra kick to your taste buds. Just 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of Cardamom added to your favorite carrot cake synergizes the cinnamon and nutmeg like never before. People will beg you for the recipe. Add just a dash or two to box cake mix to give it a little extra flair. I used one and 1/2 teaspoons in a chocolate truffle mix, and it was a delicious twist on an old favorite.

In all my experimentation, I discovered more ways to love Cardamom, but the piece de resistance is that Cardamom allows you to cut back on sugar, or artificial sweeteners! That's right; I learned that I can use 3/4 the amount of sugar or artificial sweetener called for in a recipe. If you have been dissatisfied with the aftertaste from artificial sweeteners, Cardamom helps offset the bitterness. If you simply want to cut back on your sugar, Cardamom is your ally. You don't have to be Martha Stewart to know this is a good thing!