Could My Event be a Warning to Those of Us Addicted to Sugar?

July 18, 2012 by 6 Comments

 

Have you ever had an experience in your life that caused you to redirect your goals, change your life style, or reassess your aspirations?

If so, I would like to”compare notes” with you.

Recently, I had just such an experience, and because of it,  this blog is in the process of being revamped.

Most of my life I was called the “the sweet tooth one”.  It was true then and it is still true today.

 

I love anything sweet that melt in my mouth, satisfy my cravings and creates that warm and fuzzy feeling with every bite (BTW it does not have to be pink).

Along with my “sweet tooth one” nickname, I am also known among friends as the “best baker.” I am the one whose refrigerator hides many “goodies,” or the one who can whip-up great desserts in minutes without a recipe.  So if people had a craving for sweets they would say to each other: “let’s see how Georgette is doing?”

 

 

 

So if people would be craving for sweets they would say to each other: “lets see how Georgette is doing?”

Unfortunately that behavior will need to be altered.  I am afraid, those days must change to weekend desserts only, and even then, the ingredients in those desserts will be selected very carefully and at times it may look a bit “strange” to some of us.

I guess by now I elicited your curiosity to an extent that you are ready to murder me if I do not reveal what is happening.  So let me end the suspense and disclose the event that is responsible for changing the theme of this blog.

While traveling from the West to the East, somewhere along the challenging roads, I found myself being driven by an ambulance to the nearest emergency room (ER) with what it appeared to be, a heart attack. In addition to being scared about what was  happening to me, I was also concerned about the place this event manifested itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a small town, where the ER is manned by a DO, the nurses had to complete five electrocardiograms (ECGs) in order to get at least one of them right, and the doctor was so elated when the nitroglycerin helped in alleviating my symptoms that he yelled across the hallway to his assistants: “80% percent better! Which, at the time, seemed to say it all.

The drive to the hospital was a whole other experience. The road to the hospital must have been some dirt road, because the stretcher that I was lying on was shaking really bad; I actually told the nurse that “I feel as if I will roll off this bed any minute.” She assured me that I was strapped in (as if that was supposed to make me feel better?)

While the ambulance was shaking, and I was thrown up and down on the stretcher (even with the limit of the belt) believe it or not, the nurse was trying to establish an open vein for the eventuality of the need for intravenous therapy upon our arrival to the ER.

Picture this: the car was shaking with me and the nurse’s hand is shaking with the car while she is trying to open a vein. OUCH!! I believe I screamed louder than the last push in giving birth.

I guess by now you would rather read about what is happening to he desserts you have come to like while visiting here and will there be recipes for re-creating?

So, because of the health related issue that landed me in the hospital that day, this is going to be the first day in the life of this blog. I will start to rebuild it by giving more selective thought to the ingredients.

Up to now, I just continued my childhood lifestyle; treating myself with “indulgences” and hoping that you like the same.

 

 

From this day on, however, we have become “grownups” hat understand that our health and life span, depends on two things: our genes and what we put into our body. As of today, we cannot change our genes, but we can certainly decide what goes into our mouth.

We will continue to make pies, tarts, pavlovas, and angel cakes, but may change the ice cream to ice milk or frozen yogurt, and our refrigerator will be filled with unsweetened fruit juices and Agave nectar.

 

 

 

 

I also love to make homemade applesauce, especially since my grandson is asking for it every time he sees me. In fact, I used to take apple-picking trips in the fall, just for that reason.  So, applesauce will become our saving grace to substituting ingredients, like butter, in many of our recipes.

Please do not get me wrong; there is nothing wrong with treating yourself with foods/ingredients you love, but the key word is: periodically. We will use ingredients that are on the “restricted” list, based on their glycemic index, less frequently, and will consume smaller portions of them.

If it still sounds as if we are going to deprive ourselves from foods we like and force ourselves to eat “stuff” we do not care for – it cannot be further from the truth.

Our secret weapon in this is going to be using more “functional” foods. If you are unsure about what functional foods are, some of the foods that belong to this group are berries, bananas, cherries, pomegranate, citrus, dark chocolate, nuts, etc.

Almost everyone can appreciate a blueberry orcherry pie, and what is wrong with a banana split with frozen yogurt substituting the ice cream or raspberry muffins where applesauce is used in place of butter? These functional foods will be my desirable ingredients and I will strive to seek out new functional foods as they are identified and/or created.

 

 

These will be my desirable ingredients and I will strive to seek out new functional foods as they will be identified, created or elevated.

What is functional food?

Functional foods are foods that may create positive effects on our health, beyond being nutritional. Of course, you could make a statement that “all foods” are functional, since they all produce some kind of health benefit and energy for growth.  However, functional foods offer additional benefits, such as reducing the development of diseases, or assisting in the cure of a disease.

I must add here that the reason(s) I do not need to change the name of this blog is because both chocolate (dark) and figs ar belonging to the functional foods group.

I will not need to give up my favorite desserts that use chocolate as the principal ingredient.  Dark chocolate was reported in multiple studies to reduce the risk of the development cardiovascular disease and stroke.  It is high in antioxidants therefore, you can consider it as a food that helps in the management of high blood pressure, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases and even certain cancers.

What about figs? Figs contain one of the highest concentrations of polyphenols among the commonly consumed foods and beverages. Polyphenols are also antioxidants that protect us from various chronic diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and more. Figs are a great source of fiber and we will use them as “fat-and sugar substitutes in many of our dessert recipes.

Figs also contain high concentrations of phytosterols, which inhibit the absorption of dietary cholesterol, thus decreasing the total levels of cholesterol in our blood.

So both, chocolate and figs are here to stay.

There are a lot of talk and discussions in the media about sugar addiction. I am not sure if it has any relations to one’s genes, because this issue is still under debate, or is it an acquired phenomenon due to environment of our upbringing?

In any case, my situation could definitely support the effects of the environment, including my upbringing.  Looking back at my life story, what I remember the most is how happy we were (my sister and I) when my father came home with a tray of the best small cakes from one of the top cafe houses in Budapest.

The best part of a meal in my home was the “finale”.  My mother was a great baker and always managed to surprise us even if she created something that we ate 200 times because she would ad some new twist to it.  So my sugar addiction comes from the food habits that I exhibited as a child that I just never really grew out of.

Does my story sound at all familiar to yours? I would love to hear about your relationship with sugar? Are you trying to get cured from it? Do you think we will be able to help each other overcome this addiction?

I will be working hard to continue to create desserts that we all love, (and the reason you kept coming back to us); but from time-to-time I will surprise you with the ingredients I will use to create them.

As always, I will make sure that you understand and learn everything about the ingredients that maybe unknown to you; or maybe the way we will use an “old standby” that may raise questions in your mind.

I am delighted to be back among old friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Four Steps for Ready-Made Desserts for the Entire Summer

June 30, 2011 by 2 Comments

 

A two-layers tart; usually not used with fruit fillings

Hi, I am back. I trust every body is doing fine and you all enjoyed some great fruit tarts for the weekend?

So lets continue with our tarts preparation.

I like desserts that are easy to prepare, but not if it is on the account of quality or taste. That is why I am spending more time than usual on tarts (and I will continue with this topic through a few more posts). I’d like you to understand and appreciate this form of desserts; it is the most misunderstood baked dessert.

There is no need to buy those ready-made, mud-tasting pie crusts from the freezer section of the supermarket, when all you need is maybe 4-5 ingredients, a food processor, bowls, rolling-pin, a saucepan, a strainer, foil and parchment papers and a radio to put on your favorite music so that you can roll the dough to the rhythm of the music.

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How to Bake a Golden Kugelhopf using Brioche Dough

May 18, 2011 by 2 Comments

The kugelhopf had a beautiful rise in the oven

I hope you read the post about the brioche in our May 12th post?  This is the second part of that post. Just to refresh your memory, the purpose of this post is to show how a minor difference in mixing method can deliver a totally different result. In the first report we showed you the method where the butter was added the last to the dough. The brioche dough (or kugelhopf) that is pictured above was prepared with the butter incorporated into the ingredients right at the beginning of the preparation of the dough.

All in all, both cakes are wonderful and both are best eaten fresh, right after taken out from the oven. If you would walk into my home while the brioche was in the oven, I guarantee you, you would not want to leave before tasting a slice.  The aroma of yeast dough baking in the oven is intoxicating, exhilarating and adrenaline stimulating.

Many of us shy away from baking yeast-leavened dough in our home, because we are frightened by people who rather buy ready-made stuff, then worry about how the cake will come out? Or how much work is involved? Etc. Let me assure you that once you will try to prepare your own home made, brioche, croissant, sticky buns, biegly, etc. you will never want to go back to store-bought ones. (Perhaps occasionally, if you are near to a top quality bakery, like Francoise Payard or the Levaine Bakery, both in  New York City). There is no substitute to the feeling of looking and tasting your own creations. It may take more time to prepare than a sponge cake, or a pound cake, but definitely not more work (the time is the rising time of the dough) and it is worth every minute of it.

Chocolate Kugelhopf Using Brioche Dough

Ingredients for the dough

  • 1 teaspoon (4g) and ¼ cup (1.75g) bakers’ sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (0.33 oz./9g) active dry yeast
  • 1 cup (237 ml) warm water (Temp: 110F/43C); it is advisable to measure the temperature of the water because too cold water kills the yeast
  • 4 cups (20 oz./500 g) bread flour
  • 2 cups (16 oz./454 g) unsalted butter, tempered
  • 5 large egg yolks (3.25 oz./9 g)
  • 3 large egg whites (3 oz./85g)
  • 1 3/4 teaspoon (10.5g/0.35 oz.) salt
  • 1 whole egg for egg wash (extra water cooking pray)

Ingredients for the filling

  • ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 cup bakers sugar
  • ½ cup golden raisins
  • 1 tablespoon butter

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Filed Under: Baking, Ingredients, Recipes, Science of Baking, Tips, Yeast-leavened Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Ten Most Important Rules to Follow for Successful Baking

March 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Here is the first five:

I am going to embark on an expedition of analyzing the good, the bad, the ugly (no such thing)  and the beauty in baking and sharing every step of the way with you. Actually, I am hoping for more than that; I would like you to actively participate in the process. It is fun, educational, and most of all we can all enjoy and compare the end results.

One of the reason I like baking more than cooking is the discipline and knowledge one needs for success. In cooking, you can gather things into one dish and depending on your artistic abilities, create a great dish. In baking that would be a no-no. As a scientist you never take anything for granted. You always look on the how’s, why’s, and from what and where to…

1. Measuring/Units of Measurement

In baking, precision is of paramount importance; that is why I like to offer choices of measuring units in as many ways as possible in a recipe. Weighing everything is still the best and most accurate method; however, you do need a good scale for that, so we will check the scales on the market in upcoming posts. Tablespoons and “cups” measuring units have the potential to ruin your work and you will not even know why. Bakers need to be scientist in the kitchen, but please do not get alarmed; you do not need a science degree, only a basic knowledge that most of it you already have, just need to apply it in practice. In addition, a good recipe and someone to explain what matters and why would be helpful – information that you will find when visiting with us, or we are just an e-mail away.

I am not sure if you paid attention that bakers and pastry chefs  in North America are more and more using the metric system in their recipes. Not because it is more accurate, but because it is easier to use. Liquids, like milk, cream, and even eggs, that weigh comparably to water, need to be measured as volumes for accuracy. However,  fluids that are denser than water, such as oil, sugar syrup, or honey, are weighed. I had discussed measuring issues in a earlier post (dated: February 17, 2011 ) but it is so important that we will need to expand on it in a future posts, as well; preferably in the context of baking.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment

When I first came to this country, and someone told me “tomorrow we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!” I just stared at her blankly.  I had no clue what she was talking about.

That day is long gone.  Today, I too feel “Irish for a day” on st. patrick’s day.  I think the turning point for me was when I was young and restless and owned a card shop. I was still not clear about the holiday itself but I knew that the color green and four-leaf clover was important.   This was our first St. Patrick’s Day since the store opened and except for some basic greeting cards I was not ready for it. It was a cold, rainy day in the city, but the parade was getting into high gear fast. I felt awful that I did not even have green flags to sell for the parade watchers. Suddenly, it came to me.  I had many greeting cards with the pictures of four leaf clover on them. Most of them were not going to sell by now.

So instead I cut these four leaf clovers out of the card and glued them onto mugs and placed the mugs into the window display. And you guessed it – the mugs flew off the shelves. This of course only energized me further. I had a large selection of Gund stuffed animals like dogs, bears, monkeys, etc., – they all got either a green scarf made from the ribbons I had for gift wrapping or a hat made from green tissue paper. Greenish wrapping papers ended up as shorts or skirts on other Gund push toys and we made a big sign on the window within a matter of minutes “St. Patrick’s toys here!”

It was one of the best sales days in the year for me.  My daughter could not stop laughing all the way home; she could not believe how a little thing like a green decoration could make such a difference in our day. She was doubly happy, because finally she got her own telephone, with a private line in her room and guess what—it was a very green Kermit phone.

And now I am going to complete the tart I baked for the occasion

Walnut Sour Cherry Tart (a slight variation of a recipe from Delicious magazine)

Ingredients
Filling
1 3/4 cups (175g/6 ounce) walnuts
2 eggs, plus 1 yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup (220g/7.7 ounce) caster sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
Orange zest from 1 orange
80 g dried sour cherry soaked in orange juice for 30 minutes, then drained prior to use
2 tablespoon Cherry liqueur
Creme fraiche, to serve

Pastry
1 2/3 cups (250g/8.8 ounce) all purpose flour
2 tbs (30 g) baking sugar,
6 ounce (175g or 12 tablespoon) cold unsalted butter, chopped
1 egg, plus 1 extra yolk
Orange zest from 1/2 orange
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoons salt

Method
Pastry: place flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Add butter and process to form fine crumbs (I did his by hand; I like to determine quality via touch and feel) Add egg and yolk, vanilla, and zest, then pulse until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball. Enclose in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180°C). Grease a tart pan (I used an 8 inch round pan with removable bottom).

Filling: Pulse nuts in a processor to coarse crumbs. Add eggs, sugar, vanilla, sour cherries, cherry liquor, zest and a pinch of salt then pulse to combine but don’t over-mix.
Remove dough from fridge and set one-third aside. Roll out the remaining dough to about 5mm-thick and use to line the pan. Do not worry if the dough tears; you are allowed to patch it up and it will not even show on the final product). Alternatively, if the dough becomes too soft, put it back to the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Brush the dough with the left over egg white to seal it (eliminates potential sogginess). Fill with walnut mixture. Roll out the reserved dough to 5mm-thick; brush edges of tart with water, then top with extra pastry, pressing edges to seal. Trim excess, then brush top with egg and cream mix and sprinkle some baking sugar on it. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden. Note: if using convection oven (as I did) check it for doneness at 25 minutes. Do not over bake.
Cool the tart in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and dust with powder sugar. Slice the tart and serve warm with creme fraiche. Today, we are serving it with pistachio ice cream for the occasion.

 

Walnut Sour Cherries Tart Served With Pistachio Ice Cream

 

 

 

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Do we really need that many “designer” sea salts?

March 10, 2011 by 1 Comment

I grew up without ever thinking about which salt shall I buy. I went to the store, picked up a blue box with that cute little girl with the umbrella on it and we had salt supply for months. Then suddenly food shows mushroomed on the TV and I was looking for nothing less than Kosher Salt (although I was asking myself how they made the salt kosher? just because the crystals are larger, is that makes it kosher?) Never mind that today.

Finally I understand the story my mother was telling me for years when we kids dismissed or trivialized something that she thought we shouldn’t have.
The Fairy Tale
This is an old fairy tale, originating from Chehoslovakia,  known as „Sůl nad zlato“ (Salt is more than Gold); A King, who had three daughters,  wanted to find out how much his daughters love him. The oldest one compared her love for the King to gold: “I love you more than gold”- she said. The king was delighted. The middle child jumped up and exclaimed: “Father, I love you more than diamond, emerald, ruby and all the other gems of the world.”  The King kissed her and thanked her for such a strong love and devotion. Then it was the youngest daughter’s turn and she said: “Father, I love you more than salt”. The King became all red and furious and threw her out of the palace. She left with nothing more than the clothing she wore and a box of salt. As time passed, there was a story circulating in the town where the King youngest daughter was living that the King depleted the salt supply of the entire kingdom and no new shipment of salt was available. People started to get sick and pretty soon there was a rumor that the King is dying.  When the King youngest daughter heard the story she went back to see her father for the last time. She took  along the box of salt that she kept for all these years. When she arrived to the palace, the first thing she did is prepared a piece of bread for him with butter with sprinkles of the salt she brought with her. Then she cooked broth and other light food, all with the salt from the box. Pretty soon the King became healthy; he felt as if he was never ill.  The King looked at her youngest daughter’s eyes with tears in his own and apologized for the way he treated her. Only now he understood that the strongest love for him came from his youngest daughter. (I still love this story). Basically, the story emphasizes the importance of salt’s role in human life.

Answer to the question
So, the answer to my question, is a weak yes. Weak, because I am not sure we need that many varieties, but there is no comparison between the so called “pedigreed” salts and even the Kosher salt.  Please continue to read, however, before you run out to get a bottle of that pretty pink Himalayan salt instead of the ocean front condo you were dreaming about for years.

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Standout Ingredients in Baking. Part I.

March 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Flavoring Agent: Vanilla

The most important thing you can do for assuring the high quality of your cakes, pastries, cookies, confections, etc., is buying high quality ingredients. The only way you can do that if you know the criteria for high quality for each and every ingredient you are planning to use in a specific product. It sounds easy, but it is far from it. Particularly in the times we are living, when you can purchase ingredients from anywhere in the world (the world became one huge single market), when imitators and crooks are looming in every corner of the world, when “organic” is not always equals to quality and when the same product can be great or mediocre, depending on its intended use.

We are starting a series here to assist you in this process. The first ingredient that I’d like to review is vanilla, which is a flavoring agent.

Vanilla (Vanilla Planifolia)

Vanilla is my favorite flavoring ingredient. I use it in everything I bake and in most of my chocolate creations. Vanilla’s aroma is intoxicating. In your bakery, place anything in your oven to bake, that contains vanilla and within minutes you’ll have people buying up everything from your display unit. The aroma of the vanilla travels quite a distance and people unconsciously or counsciously will follow it anywhere. Many entrepreneurs use this “trick” for their advantage.

Did you know that natural vanillin is also found in other foods such as asparagus to which it imparts its distinctive fragrance and taste?

Origin

Vanilla beans come from the only fruit-bearing orchid. Once the flowers are open and pollinated by hand (in Madagascar it happens in May/June), they stay on the vine throughout the growing season. The ovary, which is located between the flower and the vine’s stem, is the part of the flower that turns into the green seedpod. In July/August the following year the green pods are harvested by hand, then cured in the sun and aged for months until vanillin (not to be confused with the synthetic product) is released and the pod turns into the familiar black color. The flavor of a vanilla bean comes from enzymes that are activated by the repeated sweating and drying of the curing process.

The flowers are pollinated manually (and that is one the reason that they are so expensive) because the birds and the bees that used to pollinate the greenish/yellowish flowers are extinct. It was Edmund Albius, a former slave on the Indian Ocean Island of Reunion that discovered a practical method to polinate the flowers manually. Cultivation in Madagascar soared after the French colonized the island in 1896.

Properties

Vanilla was studied extensively and these studies reported about its aphrodisiacal, euphoriant, calming and sexual stimulant properties. Since we discussed these earlier during the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, I will skip this data and concentrate only on the different varieties.

Types

Most vanilla plants are originating in Madagascar; but it is also grown in the West Indies, Tahiti and Mexico.

Madagascar and Tahiti are the high quality producers but Tahitian vanilla is the most expensive one.

Madagascar and the Comoros are former French colonies; Vanilla bean from this region has a mellow, rich flavor, a sweet aroma and some spicy notes.

The Mexican beans are more robust looking, has a richer, deeper, earthier flavor as compared to the Madagascar one and its aroma has a touch of smokey tone with stronger spicy notes. You do have to be careful where you are buying the Mexican vanilla because it maybe adulterated with coumarin, which is a highly toxic substance.

The Tahitian vanilla are plump, provides a lovely sweet fruity taste to any product it is used with (it actually taste totally different than the other two vanillas) and it has a highly intoxicating floral aroma. Some botanists actually claim that it is from a different species and that is why it is more glossy and moist then the other two vanillas. In addition, their pods deliver significantly more seeds as compared to the other two varieties and scraped out easier. It is, however, the only product among the three varieties that resistant to other spices and herbs; therefore, it is not advisable to use in products where stronger spices are also needed.

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