Across the Kitchen Table:

Cardamom and Why We Love It

"Feeste and cheere" at godecookery.com

What Size Pan? A Handy Reference

For the absolute freshest taste, buy cardamom still in its papery pods and carefully remove and grind the seeds. If this seems like too much work, don’t feel guilty. Even in a cardamom-loving country like Sweden, where the spice is more popular than cinnamon, most bakers buy their cardamom ground. It is usually cheaper to buy in bulk from a reputable spice dealer such as Penzeys (at www.penzeys.com) or Suttons Bay Trading Company (www.suttonsbaytrading.com).

Cardamom is especially compatible with the flavors of orange, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, almonds, and caraway. It lends a touch of sweetness to curries, and adds richness and depth to vegetable stews. A dash of cardamom elevates the taste of apple pie or fruit salad. In fact, it can elevate your mood just to get a good whiff of fresh cardamom! Perhaps that is why the French add it to perfumes.

So that’s why I love cardamom. If you have not used it in baking or cooking, try one of the following easy recipes. If you already love cardamom, you know what a welcome scent and taste it is in the kitchen.

Cardamom Coffee Bread

This is the basic sweet yeast bread of Scandinavia, known as pulla in Finland, vetebröd in Sweden, hvetebröd in Norway, hvedebrød in Denmark, and hveitibraud in Iceland. All of these names mean "wheat bread." Traditionally, women make this bread once a week (usually on Saturday), braiding the dough into long loaves. This recipe makes 2 good-sized loaves

In a large bowl, soften the yeast in the warm water. Meanwhile, heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan just until the butter melts. Remove from heat. To this add the sugar, cardamom, salt, eggs, orange zest, and orange juice and stir well. Stir the milk mixture into the yeast. Add the flour a cup at a time, beating well to make a soft dough. Add the raisins if desired. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead lightly (do not add too much flour; dough should be soft).

Let rise, covered, until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and divide in half; divide each half into thirds and roll each part into a 16" rope. Make two loose braids, tuck the ends under, and place on greased baking sheets. Cover with a clean towel and let rise again until nearly doubled. Brush each loaf with the egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Loaves should sound hollow when tapped. (If the braids brown too fast, cover loosely with foil.) Cool on wire racks. Makes 2 loaves.

Spiced Shortbread

In a bowl, beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, cardamom, vanilla, and almond extract and mix well. The dough will be crumbly. Press the dough into a greased 8" square glass pan and bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are golden and the center is firm. Cut carefully into squares while still warm.

Cool in the pan and ice if desired with a mixture of 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, and about 2 tablespoons milk. Drizzle icing onto squares. Makes about 25 small squares.

Cardamom Criss-Cross Cookies

Cream butter with baking soda, cardamom, salt, and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs. Sift the flour and cream of tartar together and stir into the mixture. Chill dough for at least 2 hours, until stiff enough to handle. Shape into 1/2" balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Dip a fork in flour and criss-cross the tines on each ball to flatten the cookies. Bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, until firm. makes about 5 dozen.

Whisk together flour, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar together until creamy. Stir in sour cream and melted butter. Mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F for about an hour, until bread tests done (a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Cool in pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Makes 1 loaf.

Cardamom-Scented Rack of Lamb

Preheat oven to 425°F. If using cardamom seeds, toast them in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Cool and grind in a spice grinder. Sprinkle lamb with ground cardamom, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet and sear the lamb, one rack at a time, until brown, about 6 minutes. Roast on a rack until a meat thermometer registers 125°F for medium-rare, about 18 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, then carve, cutting between ribs. Serve with a coarse-grained mustard. Makes 4 servings.

Heat oil in wok or large pan and stir-fry garlic, onion, and bok choy until tender and crisp. Add salt, pepper, and cardamom and stir-fry for about 2 minutes longer. Serve hot on rice or noodles.

"Feeste and cheere" at godecookery.com

Especially the food — presented both in archaic language and interpreted for the modern kitchen. For instance, all of the food mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is described, from "ale" to "ypocras" (the author is working on Z). Even though Chaucer himself used food in his writing mostly as props for the characters, we can get a good idea of the "feeste and cheere" enjoyed by society of the time.

A festive Medieval meal usually started with foods considered easily digestible (light meats, soups and broths, moist fruits such as peaches, and greens and herbs. Spices were believed to warm the stomach and "open it" to other foods. Cheese, recommended by physicians for good digestion, was often eaten before, during, and after a meal.

Heavy foods (dark meats, "dense" fruits like pears and chestnuts) and fancy or exotic items) came later, served in small portions. Fish was usually paired with nuts, also thought to aid digestion. Wines and ales were served throughout, and sweets were saved for last, often made with spices such as ginger (again, for digestion). The courses were often separated by intervals of conversation, music, and entertainment.

If you’d like your own holiday meals to resonate with Medieval touches, godecookery.com will give you lots of good ideas. You may even decide to make your own ypocras.

1 bottle (750 mL) of sweet red or white wine
1 to 2 cups honey, or 1-1/2 cups sugar, or a combination
1 tablespoon each ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, white pepper, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and caraway seed
cheesecloth for straining

Bring the wine and honey or sugar to a boil; if using honey, skim off the scum that arises. Taste for sweetness. Remove from heat, stir in spices, and allow to sit, covered, for 24 hours. The spices will form a thick residue on the bottom. Using a ladle, transfer the wine to another container, straining it through 2 or 3 layers of cheesecloth to remove pieces of spice. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pot. Make at least a month before serving. The older it is, the better.

[Note: A Medieval Home Companion, edited by Tania Bayard, which gives a marvelous glimpse of household life in 14th-century France, has a similar recipe for ypocras, but does not mention storing it for a month.]

The Fridge Section

What Size Pan? A Handy Reference

The following table of equivalents will help to resolve your questions. In the case of an uncommon size (a hand-thrown casserole dish, for example, or a cake pan in the shape of Santa Claus), you will need to figure out the volume of the pan and compare it to a standard pan. The easiest way to do this is to fill the pans with water, measure the amount each holds, and find the closest match between uncommon and conventional pans.

Remember to extend cooking or baking time if you go from a large shallow pan to a narrow, deep one of the same volume; shorten the time if you are using a larger, shallower pan than the one specified in the recipe. Most recipes are quite adaptable in this way, but some cake and quick-bread batters may never bake thoroughly in a pan that is too high and narrow.

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