Cardamom!

I love cardamom.  It is so delicate and delicious!  A few years ago, I started to scent my sugar cubes with whole cardamom pods.  The effect is very subtle, although, when you open the sugar bowl, the scent is certainly evident.  It makes a very pleasant addition to your cup of tea, coffee, or espresso.  You could certainly do the same thing with other herbs or spices, dried lavender for example, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, you get the idea.

Another thing I have done with cardamom lately is to use it in hot chocolate.  It is wonderful with dark, bittersweet chocolate, which is truthfully the only kind I eat!  I prefer 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate.  To make my cardamom hot chocolate, heat one part heavy cream and three parts milk, either in the microwave or on top of the stove.  After it is heated, add chocolate, I add roughly one ounce of chocolate for each cup and a half of liquid.  After the chocolate is melted, add a pinch of ground cardamom, and then use an electric wand to mix and froth the hot chocolate.  This is so good!  I had it every morning for about two months!