Cardamom

This yogurt mousse is an exercise in nostalgia for me, evocative of two different memories. The first is recent: cold lassi spiked with cardamom, a favorite drink at Indian restaurants. The musky flavor of cardamom just plays well with the tangy, refreshing taste of yogurt. And so does honey, which brings me to my second memory. My mother often served me and my siblings big bowls of plain yogurt with honey swirled in—it was a favorite summer lunch. I remember how the honey laced the yogurt in thick ropes of sweetness. This is a plain yet comforting dish, the two flavors marrying perfectly. I bring these three tastes together here in this dish, and finish it all off with fresh summer apricots. Top the finished mousse with apricot slices, or get fancy and pipe the chilled, set mousse into apricot halves and garnish with mint.

Part of what gives this cake its light texture is beating the butter and sugar well, so don't rush this step.

This tart (pronounced FISH-deh-kakah) has a moist, cakelike filling. For the best flavor, forgo pre-ground cardamom; take the time to shell and grind whole seeds. Hesitant about rolling out pie crusts? This recipe is for you; the crust is simply pressed into the pan.

These buttery, heart-shaped French cookies are great for dunking into hot cocoa—or serving with coffee.

This recipe is a peek inside the magic hat of cookbook author and New York City caterer Serena Bass. There’s nary a tea leaf in sight of this spicy and refreshing “tea”—rather, it’s made from a fragrant combination of apples and cardamom spice. Be sure to use high-quality juice, not from concentrate, such as Adam and Eve apple juice or cloudy, fresh-pressed apple juice.

Here's a traditional spice blend from Yemen, where it's called hawayil. Add to onions and celery when making chicken soup; sprinkle on carrots before roasting; or rub into steaks before searing.

These cream puffs are a completely French invention. They look so perfectly beautiful! My children love filling them with whipped cream—and eating them, of course. These are certainly hard to resist.

Pistachios contain potassium, a mineral which may help lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Bliss is a few bites away.

The warm flavors of the Indian-accented butter elevate classic creamed corn. When making this dish, scrape juices from corn cobs with the back of a knife to extract as much milk as possible.

This chiffon cake filled with rose-scented whipped cream is inspired by the aromatics found in Persian, Turkish, and Indian confections. Cardamom seeds have more flavor than the ground powder and are like little explosions of spice in the cake.

This is the South Indian equivalent of cake: essential at every wedding, birthday, and holiday. Indians like to serve it warm and soupy. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast.

Martin Cate, owner of the rum-centric Smuggler's Cove bar in San Francisco, shares his spiced rum recipe below. The secret: Start with good rum, and don't overinfuse the mixture.

You will need about 2 medium sweet potatoes to obtain 2 cups cooked flesh. We like the flavor of roasted potatoes best, but you could also use boiled or steamed potatoes. Before using, peel and discard the skins.

Keep the apricots submerged in the poaching liquid, or they will turn brown. Mixed with seltzer water, the poaching liquid makes a refreshing apricot fizz.

This dessert captures all the smells and tastes of fall. Similar to its cousin, pineapple upside-down cake, it is easily prepared in a cast-iron skillet, then turned out on a plate along with its syrup. Sweet potatoes serve as a binder and sweetener in this cake. Serve it with a dollop of tangy crème fraîche or a little warm caramel sauce.

These cookies get their flavor from freshly ground whole spices. Be sure to make the cookies at least a day before serving; they will soften a bit and the flavors of the cookie and the filling will have a chance to meld. You can also omit the filling and serve these cookies on their own.