Orange Compote with Pistachios, Honey and Cardamom


This is a lovely dessert recipe with an oriental touch. Raw honey and cardamom round up the sweet and slightly sour taste of ripe navel oranges, and pistachios add a little bit more than just the green color. 


Pistachios are rich in antioxidants and contain more lutein, beta-carotene, and gamma-tocopherol than other nuts. Moreover, they are rich in copper, manganese, and potassium; B vitamins, especially vitamin B6; mono-unsaturated fatty acids like the oleic acid. Pistachios can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The antioxidants in these nuts can help prevent tissue damage associated with diabetes and slow down the degenerative processes in aging individuals.

Although this dessert is very easy to make, it takes two days to make if you want to make it right. You could speed up the things, of course, but this would affect the flavor. It's all up to you.


Ingredients:
  • 2 navel oranges
  • 1/2 cup shelled raw pistachios
  • 2 Tbsp cardamom pods
  • 1/2 cup purified water warmed up to about 105°F
  • 3 Tbsp raw orange blossom honey ( or some other very mild raw honey)
  • tiny pinch pink Himalaya salt


Method: 
  • Place pistachios in a small bowl and cover with water. Soak over night.
  • Using mortar and a pestle crush cardamom pods. Crush the outer shell but do not crush the seeds. 
  • Transfer crushed cardamom into a bowl, pour the warmed water and cover the bowl. Allow to soak over night.
  • Rinse pistachios and process for a few seconds in a food processor until you receive a coarse meal. Set aside. 
  • Using a sieve strain soaked cardamom pods collecting the spice infused water in a dish. Add honey and a tiny amount of salt. Mix well. Set aside.
  • Wash and peel oranges. Cut into slices about 1/3 inch thick.
  • Put orange slices in a dish with honey and cardamom infused water. Cover the dish and place it in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. 
  • Remove the dish from the fridge and arrange orange slices on individual dessert plated. Pour the fragrant water over the orange slices. Decorate with pistachio meal, serve and enjoy in good company!


Tip: Do not discard the soaked cardamom pods! Instead, infuse you favorite nut milk with their essence or dry them and use them in a potpourri. To infuse the milk simply throw the pods into a clean mason jar, pour the milk, cover the jar with a lid and place it overnight in the fridge. Strain the milk and use it to make a smoothie.

And last but not least. Do not get tempted to use ground cardamom in this recipe. The powder will discolor the dish and make it taste bitter.

In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique

Dominique Allmon©2014