Spices of my life: # 3 Cardamom

I wouldn’t have known about this spice if I did not try my hand on Indian cuisine. It is one of the spices I need to make my chicken biryani. I just found out that it ranks third among the most expensive spices and that the green ones are often times used in sweets and desserts. I have both the pods and powdered green cardamom and I’ve been using them a lot on chicken dishes. Today, I tried using the powdered one to make scones. A friend of mine gave me this recipe for Cardamom-Orange Peel Scones and if you’re into something new this one’s for you.
Cardamom-Orange Peel Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ cup candied orange peel
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp whole milk
1 stick of unsalted chilled butter, cubed
¾ cup cold half & half + 1 tablespoon for brushing before baking
1 large egg yolk
2 tbsp Florida crystals (sugar) for sprinkling before baking

Procedure:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together half & half, egg yolk, candied orange and vanilla extract.
2. Put aside as you mix flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom in the bowl of a food processor.
3. Add chilled butter and pulse until the largest pieces are about the size of sunflower seeds.
4. Add the cream and yolk mixture to the flour mixture and pulse just until dough comes together in large clumps.
5. Form into a ball and knead gently two or three turns. Spread on a greased baking pan. I used the rectangular one to make traditional scones. Refrigerate for an hour.
6. Preheat oven to 375°. Remove prepared scones from the fridge and brush with milk. Sprinkle Florida crystals or brown sugar on top.
7. Bake 20 minutes, or until skewer inserted comes out clean. Serve with butter or Devonshire cream.