A Whisper of Cardamom
Sweetly Spiced Recipes to Fall in Love With
Spice is often the party girl, the loud, bold, exuberant element in the mix. There is also another art, more subtle yet equally seductive. Married with sugar, spice can provide a delicate fragrance, hard to put your finger on but one that gives backbone to a dish. It can balance tartness and bring sweetness so you can tone down the sugar. Flavours can be enhanced by a thoughtful addition from the spice cupboard, making chocolate more chocolatey and fruit taste more of itself. Added not in shouts, but in whispers, an intrigue of spice deepens allure. In this book, we explore how to unlock flavours, and how to marry them to make much more than the sum of their parts.
Floral and fruity spices pair well with rich fats. Warming spices like ginger and clove play off treacly brown sugar. Anise sweetens, lemony coriander seed brightens and herbaceous notes pick out complexity in chocolate. A suspicion of nutmeg cuts the sweet creaminess of custard for a more rounded tart, and a whisper of cardamom makes inky poached plums jaunty and interesting.
Chapters are divided by taste to guide you towards a dessert or bake that is bright and zippy, floral and fragrant, or dark and spicy. Recipes include spice switches so you can be creative and playful with your combinations. For those with an eye to expanding their repertoire, there are helpful spice-matching features and flavour wheels to inspire. A whole world of inviting new flavours awaits.
Photography: Ola O. Smit
Published by Murdoch Books February 2024
Published in North America by Apollo Publishers: March 2024
“Eleanor Ford is an inspiring teacher, and it’s a joy to progress through her lessons in these pages. Did you know, for example, that adding ground ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, allspice, cinnamon or caraway boosts the fermentation of yeasted doughs? Or that cloves have long been associated with love and protection? Or that nutmeg is illegal in Saudi Arabia? And I should add that the book is laced with recipes that you will want to cook simply for their own sake: Milk Chocolate Tart with Nutmeg Pastry; Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers; New Zealand Ginger Crunch; Sweet, Roast Plums with Five Spice; Saffron and Orange Blossom Ice Cream; Violet Cream Chocolate Pots; Prune and Tamarind Tart; Spicy Butter Caramel Popcorn; Stone Fruit Galette with Marzipan and Long Pepper. Yes, I’m hungry now, too!” Nigella Lawson
“A Whisper of Cardamom is nothing short of spectacular and is now available worldwide.” Australian Good Food Guide
“Recently, I suffered a bout of cinnamon fatigue. It was British spice expert Eleanor Ford who cured me with her new cookbook, “A Whisper of Cardamom,” in which she explores the sweet side of spices. She offers anyone who loves cinnamon new ways to use it and those who share my malaise aromatics they can try in its stead. That’s merely an entry point, as Ford traverses the global spectrum in pursuit of flavor.” Washington Post
“The spices - from cardamom to saffron - are used thoughtfully and delicately, reflecting the 'whisper' in the title. That said, the spicing is transformative: the maple cardamom ice cream with crackable chocolate, and Norwegian rizcrem (rice pudding) are a joy. The reader is aware of being in the hands of an expert, guiding you through the story of how spices shaped the modern world, offering great mini-profiles and useful pairing suggestions.” Delicious Magazine
“The book is not just a total beauty and completely fascinating but also includes a rice pudding map of the world - and really what's not to love about that.” Angela Clutton
“A book to inspire curiosity and pleasure.” Mark Diacono
“A whisper of cardamom and a suspicion of nutmeg is all I need to be intoxicated by this stunning book. So many delicious pairings. So look forward to trying them, especially the cakes!” Helen Goh
“Delve into the tantalising interplay of flavour and emotion in Eleanor Ford’s enticing new book! Ford redefines the neutrality often attributed to vanilla, pushing the boundaries of conventional expectations surrounding this fascinating ingredient. As Valentine's Day approaches, Ford beckons readers into a world of seduction with an A-Z guide to aphrodisiacs and unveiling a tempting recipe for chocolate mousse for lovers – a decadent indulgence designed to elevate any romantic celebration. Recipes to fall in love with indeed.” Ramona Andrews
“Ford takes clear joy in delving into the history and lore of spices. There's a lot of careful scholarship that's gone into the many maps, timelines and flavour wheels that make this book so visually appealing - added to the gorgeous illustrations, and photos by Ola Smit.” Susan Low
“Those who prefer sugar and spice and all things nice on their menus would do well to study Eleanor Ford's latest book. [It will] spark inspiration in even the most jaded chef.” The Caterer
“The most perfect dessert book for spice and flavour lovers.” Mallika Basu
“In true Eleanor style, it is a stunner. Using warming spices in baking… right up my street. Cannot wait to cook from it.” Georgina Hayden
