Fozia Ismail’s Cardamom, Orange Blossom, and Blackberry Syllabub
Fozia Ismail’s Cardamom, Orange Blossom, and Blackberry Syllabub
Make the most of the last days of summer with this Somali twist on a classic British dessert. Words by Fozia Ismail. Photographs by Georgia Rudd.
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Fozia Ismail’s Cardamom, Orange Blossom, and Blackberry Syllabub
Make the most of the last days of summer with this Somali twist on a classic British dessert. Words by Fozia Ismail. Photographs by Georgia Rudd.
When I ran my supper club between 2017 and 2019, it made sense to create fresh and light puddings that were easy to make ahead for large groups of people. My go-to ingredient was cardamom, a beautiful spice that is a key component in many Somali sweet treats, from pillowy and delicious quraac doughnuts to buttery, golden malawax pancakes, which my mum would make during Ramadan. Whenever I smell cardamom, I think of homely, lovingly-made puddings. I love the earthy depth it adds to contrast the sweetness of sugar, as well as its aroma, which blooms with doughy baked goods and cream. For one summer supper club, I decided to infuse cardamom and orange blossom water into a British classic: syllabub.
Syllabubs have a long history in British recipe writing; one of the first Observer recipe writers was pseudonymously named ‘Syllabub’, while Elizabeth David’s recipe for ‘everlasting syllabub’ from her pamphlet Syllabubs and Fruit Fools was reprinted in Jane Grigson’s English Food. Everyone from Margaret Costa (frothy syllabub) to Nigel Slater (coronation syllabub) has had a go at altering what is at heart an alcoholic, curdled cream, so why not a Somali version? Experimenting with dishes like this – which fuse nostalgic Somali flavours with old-fashioned British forms – was some of the most fun I had when cooking back then.
This particular mash-up worked so well that it has become my favourite pudding to make whenever I’m cooking for family and friends. As a fairly lazy cook who likes the quickest route to delicious eating and cooking, this is a foolproof, yet sophisticated enough dessert to serve a large group of people, and impress even the fussiest of guests at the table. Gooseberries are my preferred fruit for this syllabub, but they are slowly fading out of season and are harder to come by at the moment. You can vary the basic syllabub recipe by using whatever seasonal tart fruit is available, which keeps things new each time you make it.
In the version of the recipe I’m sharing here, I’ve used blackberries, which fruit later into the summer. Their acidity balances well with cardamom, cream, and fragrant orange blossom to make for a beautifully rounded dessert. Finally, for added bite and crunch, I crumble over some shortbread biscuits and top with toasted flaked almonds. You can also make this syllabub ahead of time, which adds to its effortless, stress-free appeal.
Cardamom, Orange Blossom, and Blackberry Syllabub
Makes 4–6 individual syllabubs
Time 25 mins plus cooling time