Cardamom

Ingredients 1 quart fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered, or sliced ½ cup water Seeds of 15 cardamom pods, lightly ground 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon molasses 2 tablespoons bourbon Method Syrup Into a small saucepan, add: Water Cardamom seeds Sugar Honey Molasses Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by 75%; stir occasionally. Add bourbon and stir until the alcohol has evaporated (30 to 60 seconds). Let cool to room temperature. Add to strawberries Places hulled and sliced strawberries in a non-reactive bowl. Pour syrup over strawberries. Lightly stir. Let set for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator. ...

This cake, thought to have first appeared in the 1920s, has had such names as pineapple glacé and pineapple skillet cake. Info yield: Serves 8 active time: 30 min total time: 1 ¼ hours Source: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pineapple-Upside-Down-Cake-103088 Special Equipment A well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet Electric Mixer Preheat Oven Preheat oven to 350°F Ingredients Topping ½ medium pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cored ¾ stick unsalted butter ¾ cup packed light brown sugar Batter 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 to 3 teaspoons ground cardamom 2 teaspoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ stick unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 tablespoon dark rum ½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice 2 tablespoons dark rum for sprinkling over cake Preparation Topping Cut pineapple crosswise into 3/8-inch-thick pieces. Melt butter in skillet. Add brown sugar and simmer over moderate heat, stirring, 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Arrange pineapple on top of sugar mixture in concentric circles, overlapping pieces slightly. Batter In a medium bowl, Sift together flour cardamom baking powder salt In a large bowl, using an electric mixer: Beat butter until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in granulated sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum. Add half of flour mixture and beat on low speed just until blended. Beat in pineapple juice Add remaining flour mixture, beating just until blended. (Batter may appear slightly curdled.) Spoon batter over pineapple topping and spread evenly. Bake Bake cake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cake stand in skillet 5 minutes. Presentation Invert a plate over skillet and invert cake onto plate (keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together). Replace any pineapple stuck to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle rum over cake and cool on plate on a rack. Serve cake just warm or at room temperature. Notes Some of the food editors found 3 teaspoons of cardamom to be too much, but others loved the intense flavor. Cake may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.