Ingredients
100g (3½oz) ricotta, drained
7 green cardamom pods, seeds ground
50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar, plus more
for sprinkling
Pinch of fine sea salt
150g (5½oz) rhubarb, thinly sliced
320g (11¼oz) sheet all-butter puff pastry
8 teaspoons ground almonds
1 egg, beaten
Spice Switch
Use eight ground juniper berries instead of the cardamom, which offer a similarly sweet, medicinal flavour with a suggestion of forest floor.
Method
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Mix together the ricotta, ground cardamom, sugar and salt, then add the rhubarb.
Unfurl the puff pastry and cut into eight rectangles. Scatter each with a teaspoon of ground almond and top with a spoonful of the rhubarb mixture. Fold the pastries in half to make fat pillows and crimp the edges together using the tines of a fork (dust the fork with flour if it is sticking). Chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes or more.
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan (400°F).
Brush the parcels with egg, then sprinkle over sugar with lavish abandon. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden and puffed.
Serve warm or at room temperature, though they are best on the day they’re made.
Images and text from A Whisper of Cardamom by Eleanor Ford, photography by Ola O. Smit. Murdoch Books RRP $55.00.’
