Columnist Muriel Stevens: New stores offer spice of life

Wednesday, March 2, 2005 | 8:21 a.m.

With new stores opening in Las Vegas just about every day, it should be a cinch to find whatever you want when you want it. So, how come each time I shop I have to go to more than one market to buy all of the items on my list?

Long before the Food Network came on the scene I could find cardamom pods wherever spices were sold. And as Las Vegas became more food savvy and our global marketplaces expanded, my joy was boundless.

Surely, now I would be able to find exotic spices without having to go to Jamaica.

Cardamom is available in the pod (my preference), out of the pod ready to grind or already ground. Never buy this; the flavor dissipates in a short time. The seeds in the pods keep their flavor for a long time. I store the pods in a jar in the freezer.

Cardamom has a lovely lemony, cinnamony flavor that enhances any cake or cookie. The recipe I wanted to make came from a small thin cookbook I found in a New England art gallery/cafe. "Picasso and Pie" was written by the owners. Both the book and the recipes are long gone.

I loved almost every recipe. Cardamom tea cake, a tender pound cake-like loaf that took no time to whip up, is a must for any occasion. Two devastating fires took care of the books -- I'd purchased extras after the first fire.

They were lost years later when my apartment was blown up by a neighbor with a meth lab. One day I'll share that terrible story. It not only destroyed my apartment, it destroyed my cardamom and my peace of mind.

I haven't made the cardamom tea cake for some years, so I decided as part of the healing process I would buy some cardamom pods at the Indian market in Commercial Center and have it ready.

Only one problem: The market was gone! When it closed or why I didn't know and I didn't care. I'd lost my desire to bake the delicious cake.

This week I received a copy of the new spring edition of the Baker's Catalog. Before King Arthur flour was available locally I would purchase it from the Baker's Catalog in Vermont. They've got everything for the baker ... except cardamom.

Why do they no longer sell it? No demand, said the operator.

Within minutes after the call from the Baker's Catalog came a call from Pensey's, a catalog store that sells herbs and spices of all kinds. Heather at the Baker's Catalog called to tell me that cardamom was readily available from the Pensey's catalog.

I used to order vanilla beans from Pensey's. They sold them by the pound and they were wonderful.

My Pensey's catalog should arrive in few days. Pensey's is soon opening a shop in Scottsdale on Hayden Road. If you'd like a catalog call (800) 741-7787.

For a Baker's Catalog call (800) 827-6836 or visit www.bakerscatalogue.com. Vanilla beans are on sale -- a quarter-pound of Madagascar beans is $8.95. Split two beans lengthwise; add to eight ounces of vodka or brandy in a clean bottle and let steep for a few weeks or forever. Store in a cool, dark closet.