Book review: A Whisper of Cardamom by Eleanor Ford

Those who prefer sugar and spice and all things nice on their menus would do well to study Eleanor Ford’s latest book

The author of Fire Islands and The Nutmeg Trail returns with 80 recipes and stories exploring the cultural history and flavours of spice and how they can be used in sweet cooking and baking.

Rendered in soothing pastel colours, the book showcases the culinary detective’s investigations into piquant seasoning that can be used to liven up any kind of dessert. Spices under the microscope include the eponymous cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, clove, anise, saffron, cumin and coriander.

Ford’s passion for “the party girl” of ingredients is evident throughout, demonstrating her detailed delve into the topic while utilising an army of testers who have gone to great lengths to ensure each crafted sweet treat is just so.

She reveals how to pair the right spices with the most suitable dishes, encapsulated by marrying floral and fruity spices with buttery fats, warming spices like ginger playing off treacly brown sugar, and nutmeg cutting through the creaminess of custard for a more rounded tart.

The chapters are divided by flavour to guide readers towards desserts that are either bright and zippy, floral and fragrant or dark and spicy. Recipes also include spice switch suggestions to encourage creativity with spicing.

A section on understanding spice comes with easy-to-grasp pie charts illuminating the qualities of each variety and how best to unlock flavours, as well as giving essential advice on spice storage and building dishes. There’s an added bonus of spiced drink options for both hot and cold beverages, such as strawberry and rose lassi and Vietnamese ginger coffee. Plus watch out for an A to Z of aphrodisiacs to embed sensuality in Valentine’s bakes.

A Whisper of Cardamom’s quirky look at being playful with the sweet course puts you on a tropical trail to spark inspiration in even the most jaded chef. Ford writes evocatively on each spice type’s story down the years, setting an aromatic scene to tease the tastebuds.

A Whisper of Cardamom by Eleanor Ford (£26, Murdoch Books)