Posts Tagged ‘spice’

Top Ten Kitchen Mishaps and How to Fix Them

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

We’ve all been there: you take your eye off the ball and you end up with a soupy, raw, oversalted mess.  Cheer up – there are ways to salvage the mishaps, though some things you just have to chalk up to a loss and move on.  Below are ten of the biggest kitchen mishaps and how to fix them: 

1. Too Much Salt 

First off, season your food along the way to avoid adding too much salt to begin with.  If you went overboard, try adding a few slices of raw potato, which should absorb some of the salt.  Also, a bit of sweetener, acid (like lemon juice) and extra liquid (like water) can cut the saltiness. 

 2. Too Much Sugar

Add a little salt and acid.  If all else fails, you can always run to the bakery.

3. Overcooked Veggies

 Throw them in the blender with a little cream, salt and pepper for a luscious soup.

 4.    Too Much Spice 

Sometimes, there can be too much of a good thing.  Try a few slices of raw potato or adding more water to dilute the spiciness.  

 5.    Soupy Sauces

 Flour and butter are great thickeners as is cornstarch mixed with a bit of water.  Also, boiling down the sauce can help.

 6. Undercooked Cookies and Cakes  

Combine with fresh fruit and whipped cream for a dessert parfait or use cookie crumbles for an ice cream topping.

 7. Too Sour

Add a little sweetener and salt to cut the acidity.

 8. Too Bland

Bring on the salt and spice.  As recipes often say, season to (your) taste, otherwise, you’ll end up with No. 1.  Also, try a splash of lemon or a sprinkle of fresh herbs.

 9. Stuck on Food

Pour a bit of water and a squirt of dish liquid into the bottom of your pots and pans and let simmer on the stove until boiling.  Let cool, then wash. 

 10.  Burnt Food

Order out for pizza.  Burnt food is burnt food and if you try to serve the part that’s not burned, all people will taste is…burnt food.

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The Regality of Cinnamon

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

by Marq Blanks, Food Tour Guide

Most people don’t realize that the cinnamon in their breakfast pastry is actually from the bark of a species of evergreen tree. Another little known fact is that this spice dates back to antiquity, mentioned in old Egyptian scrolls and Old Testament text. It was once so prized that it was often used as a gift for royalty. Most people probably don’t equate the aromatic sticks tied onto their holiday wreaths as the regal gifts of kings.

Of the common herbs and spices, cinnamon is the only regal offering that has been used for so many reasons, such as:

· a burial spice

· a perfume

· an aromatic as incense

· as a culinary flavoring

· as a medicinal remedy

This pungent and heated taste and scent is cherished in both culinary delights and perfume essences. Cinnamon sticks are bark from the tree that has been pounded, macerated in sea water and left to dry and age. It is sold in sticks, powdered and as oil. Portuguese traders brought the spice back with them from Ceylon. The Dutch East India Company is responsible for cinnamon cultivation and expanding its export all over the world. Currently, Sri Lanka is the world’s leading cinnamon producer, providing over 90% over the cinnamon sticks sold around the world.

Cinnamon versus cassia

Ceylon cinnamon is often confused with cassia, which is darker, denser and woodier in texture than true Ceylon cinnamon. Additionally, cassia contains a substance, coumarin, which is moderately toxic and dangerous if consumed in quantity. True Ceylon cinnamon sticks, due to their much lower concentration of essential oils, contain legible amounts of this toxic substance. Therefore deemed safer for repeated ingestion, there has never been a health advisory issued on Ceylon cinnamon.

Mexico is the leading importer of cinnamon in the world today. Commonly used in Mexico and the United States as a dessert spice, it is used to flavor lamb and poultry dishes in the Middle East. Many stew dishes and Persian culinary specialties require cinnamon for the pungent bite. Cinnamon sticks are also used in many pickling spice combinations, again to add a layer of pungency to the solution. Often added to both hot and cold beverages, cinnamon sticks add a spark to coffees, teas and hot chocolate.

Medicinal cinnamon

Due to its antimicrobial properties, cinnamon has often been sought after as a medicinal remedy for colds and to aid in digestion. Several studies have found a positive effect of cinnamon in treating type II diabetes and insulin resistance. For many years, cinnamon has been added to mouthwashes and breath mints to stave off oral odor. It has also been used as a poultice for minimizing toothache pain. The scent of cinnamon is a common additive in olfactory therapeutics such as candles, incense and aromatherapy oils.

Records dating back to 2000BC depict cinnamon as being prized for its aroma and pungent flavor. The regality of cinnamon as a gift of kings continues on in its continual use for adorning Christmas packages, gifts, wreaths and trees. The scent of cinnamon is pungent, heady and often alluring. It continues to be one of the most popular spices used by many cultures in many ways.

Continue on your journey through the world of common herbs and spices by joining us on one of our guided walking food tours or by visiting www.culinary-escapes.com to explore more culinary wonders.

 

Culinary Escapes Staff

Culinary Escapes, LLC - Unique Food Tours of Metro Detroit

www.culinary-escapes.com

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Vanilla the Comforting Bean

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

by Marq Blanks, Food Tour Guide

The valued vanilla bean originated in the Veracruz region of Mexicoand was introduced to the world by the Spanish explorers who brought it back with them from the new world. According to old Mexican mythology, the blood that was shed by the Princess Xanat and her lover caused the vanilla orchid to spring forth from the ground. Perhaps this myth is what led women in the 1930s to use a dab of vanilla behind their ears as a scent for attracting men. Undoubtedly, the calming scent of this world beloved aromatic is sought after for its soothing and smooth touch on the palette as well as for your olfactory senses.

What makes vanilla so endearing?

Of all the common herbs and spices available today, it is the reassuring scent of vanilla that speaks of homey kitchens and invites warm memories of oven baked cookies. The name of this wonderful flavoring comes from the Spanish word for “little pod”, which if you’ve ever seen the bean, the name is justified. When the pod is split with a sharp knife, the inner pulp and seeds hold the flavor that is sought. Many gourmet chefs will use nothing less than the actual insides of the whole vanilla bean. They disregard extract as an abomination of the true essence of the vanilla orchid. Those small, dark flecks seen in premium French vanilla ice cream are from the inside of the pod.

Healthy, good vanilla beans require an excessive amount of labor to produce, which is probably the basis for the actual beans being one of the most expensive flavorings, second only to saffron. The term “French vanilla” does not refer to a type of bean, but rather to a process using the insides of the pod. Currently, the tender vanilla orchid is cultivated in Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Caribbean, in South America and in Mexico. The most sought after strain is the planifolia strain produced in the Madagascar region. Also known as “Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla”, it is reputed to have a sweeter, more intense aroma and flavor than the other strains.

According to old medicinal writings, vanilla has long been considered an aphrodisiac and as a way to bring down fevers. Neither of these claims has ever been studied or proven to have any basis in fact. The aphrodisiac qualities may have stemmed from the Mexican mythological history discussed earlier.

Vanillin, the vanilla imposter

The culinary uses for the vanilla bean abound. Because of the expense, artificial vanilla products, such as vanillin have been used in everything from baked goods to custards. In a variety of taste tests, the only culinary delight where the two could be differentiated was in ice cream, where the natural vanilla was consistently selected as having the best flavor. Regardless of the tests, culinary purists wouldn’t dream of using an artificial vanilla product, especially in fine pastries, chocolates and other desserts. Besides the whole bean, vanilla comes in a powdered form (used for flavoring sugar and starches) and in extract (combined with alcohol).

To explore further into the world of common herbs and spices, revisit www.culinary-escapes.com often or join us on one of our culinary walking tours.

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Culinary Escapes Staff

Culinary Escapes, LLC - Unique Food Tours of Metro Detroit

www.culinary-escapes.com

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