Spice up your Cocktails with Cardamom. IV

CARDAMOM PEAR MARTINI

INGREDIENTS:

• Quarter of a pear
• 1 Cardamom pod
• 2 oz Vodka
• .33 oz Simple syrup (one part sugar, one part water)
• 1 dash Lemon bitters
• .5 oz Fresh lemon juice

Garnish: Pear fan
Glass: Martini

PREPARATION:

In a shaker, muddle the pear and cardamom . Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Shake, and double strain into a Martini glass. Garnish with a pear fan.

cardamom uses around the world part II. Europe

Continuing with our series cardamom uses around the world, we head to europe, where cardamom has been used for centuries as a flavoring ingredient for meals, pastries, spirits, and in regions such as scandinavia, it has become a staple in their culinary traditions.

Finland:

 Cardamom is used in cardamom buns called pulla. a special occasion treat, often served with coffee.

France

 Cardamom is sometimes used to flavor pots de crème and creme anglaise.

Creme Anglaise

Pots de creme

   

Germany


 Baked goods, such as cookies called lebkuchen, sausages, and liqueurs use cardamom.

   

Lebkuchen

   

Netherlands


Speculaas, or Dutch windmill cookies, use cardamom.

Norway

 Similar to its use in Germany, cardamom is also used to flavor cakes and liqueurs in Norway. It is also added to cakes, pastries, sausages and some pickles.

Krumkakes

Cardamom Cinnamon Rolls

   


























Russia

Pastries, sausages, and liqueurs are purportedly flavored with cardamom throughout Russia. There is a special Russian winter drink called sbiten, which is infused with cardamom and consumed warm.

Sbiten

Russian Blini

  




























Denmark

Cardamom is used to flavor akvavit, a liquor distilled from grain or potatoes. this liquor is widely used by scandinavians.

Sweden

 Cardamom is added to cakes, pastries, sausages and some pickles.

 

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Coffee Bread

  





























England 

The Normans purportedly introduced cardamom to England in the 11th Century. Based on a Russian recipe, "Russian cardamom mead" is a traditional British recipe for mead flavored with cardamom and clove mead is a kind of wine made mainly with honey. It is made by mixing honey and water and possibly some extra ingredients such for flavor  (e.g spices such as cardamom or fruit juice)

Mead

Turkey


Cardamom is an ingredient used in a spice blend called baharat, which typically consists of black pepper, cardamom, chili, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and paprika

Turkish Baharat

Cardamom Crème brûlée

                                                        

Ingredients

8 large egg yolks, beaten 4 cups heavy cream
8 cardamom pods
1 cup Extra fine sugar
1 cup of water

Cardamom and Cocoa Pork Tenderloin in Cabernet Reduction

The meat:

1 Pork Tenderloin

1 TB Kosher salt (Sea salt works too)

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cocoa

The sauce:

1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon - unsweetened grape juice, or "Fre" will work if you would like an alcohol free version. If you do go the alcohol free route, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to lower the PH of the sauce.

1 minced shallot

1/4 cup diced cherries - you can use any dark colored fruit such as boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries (my personal favorite) or cranberries. Frozen works.

1/4 teaspoon minced chipotle in adobo sauce (if this isn't available add 1/8 teaspoon dry chipotle powder

1 Tablespoon of butter, Ground Peppercorn to taste

Cardamom on Perfumes II

       

                                                          
Dolce & Gabbana The One for Men, a fragrance dedicated to the Dolce & Gabbana man: charismatic and seductive, elegant and sophisticated. He loves taking care of himself—he is a bold, modern hedonist who never passes by unobserved. The One for Men was developed by preeminent perfumer Olivier Polge. His masterpiece is a sensual, spicy, oriental fragrance developed on the harmony of tobacco with refined base notes of cardamom, ginger, cedarwood, and citrus spice accord. It is both classic and modern, vibrant and engaging.

Notes: Grapefruit, Coriander, Basil, Cardamom, Ginger, Orange Blossom, Cedar, Tobacco, Ambergris. Style:Confident. Sexy. Refined.

Cardamom Recipes

Pistachio Cardamom Cake


This recipe makes a 9-inch round cake that will yield up to 12 servings. It's adapted from David Lebovitz's "Ready for Dessert: My Best Recipes" (April 2010, Ten Speed).

Topping:

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted or salted butter

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ cup sliced almonds, preferably unblanched

Cake:

¾ cup unsalted pistachios, removed from shells

1 cup (divided) all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cardamom seeds

½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare topping first. Melt the butter in a 9-inch round cake pan set directly on the stovetop over low heat. Remove from the heat and let cool briefly. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the melted butter. Add the almonds, tilting and shaking the pan to distribute them evenly. Set the pan aside.

Prepare cake batter, using a blender or a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulverize pistachios with ¼ cup of the flour until fine ground. Transfer to a small bowl.

Crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle or seal them inside a sturdy plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add the crushed seeds to the pistachio mixture and stir to combine. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl by hand), beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until completely incorporated.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ¾ cup of flour, baking powder and salt. Stir it into the butter-egg mixture. Stir in the pistachio mixture just until combined.

Spoon batter into the prepared cake pan by dropping 4 or 5 mounds on top of the almonds. Carefully spread the batter into an even layer, trying not to disturb the almonds. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Let cool completely before serving.

Nutrients, Minerals and Vitamins found in Cardamom

Nutrients in Cardamom Pods

A side benefit of the great flavor of cardamom is its mineral content. Ten grams of cardamom (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) provides about five percent of your daily required zinc, magnesium, and iron according to the USDA nutrient database. Most of us do not consume enough cardamom for it to make a dramatic impact on our nutrient intake, but it does add in small ways to the minerals in our diet.

Macronutrients In Cardamom Pods

Component	Amount	% Daily Value*
Calories	31
Protein	1 g	2.2%
Fat	.6 g	1%
Carbohydrate	6.8 g	2.3%
Fiber	2.8 g	11%
Potassium	112 mg	3.2%
Sodium	1.8 mg	.01%
Water	.8 g
Ash	.5

*The daily value is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.

Vitamins In Cardamom Pods

Vitamin	Amount	% Daily Value*
Vitamin C	2 mg	3.5%
Thiamin – B1	.02 mg	1.3%
Riboflavin – B2	.018 mg	1%
Niacin – B3	.1 mg	.6%
Vitamin B6	.023 mg	1%
Vitamin B12	0 mcg	0%
Vitamin A – IU	0 IU	0%
Vitamin A – RAE	0 RAE
Retinol	0 RE
Vitamin D – IU	0 IU	0%
Vitamin D – mcg	0 mg

*The daily value is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.

Minerals In Cardamom Pods

Mineral	Amount	% Daily Value*
Calcium	38 mg	4%
Iron	1.4 mg	7.8%
Magnesium	23 mg	5.7%
Phosphorus	18 mg	1.8%
Zinc	.75 mg	5%
Copper	.04 mg	2%
Manganese	2.8 mg	140%

*The daily value is based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet.