Cooking with Heather Valentine on OWN

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A Little About Cinnamon

So now I'm on a spice kick or should I say all things that flavor. Herbs, butters, vanillas, spices.

This was in a "Ask Martha" news clip from Detroit



You might be surprised to learn that the reddish, woody, aromatic spice you sprinkle on toast and use to flavor dishes such as applesauce and pumpkin pie most likely isn't true cinnamon at all. In the United States, most products sold as cinnamon are actually cassia.
True cinnamon and cassia are cousins; both are made of the dried bark of species of Cinnamomum evergreen trees. Cassia originated in the country now called Myanmar. There are three distinct types available today: Indonesian cassia -- the familiar kind mass-produced as cinnamon for the North American market; Chinese cassia -- a rarer version that is both sweeter and more peppery and is ideal for baked goods; and Vietnamese cassia -- a type only recently available in North America, with an intense flavor and aroma (only about two-thirds the amount of cinnamon called for in recipes is necessary with this variety).
All cassia is a dark, reddish brown and has a stronger, somewhat harsher flavor than its cousin, true, or Ceylon, cinnamon. True cinnamon originated from Sri Lanka. It has a paler tan color, a softer, more crumbly texture and a more delicate flavor than cassia. It also contains a chemical compound called eugenol, the same one that gives cloves their distinctive aroma, which makes it more fragrant.


This reminded me of the movie "Chocolate"

Mexican Hot Chocolate
Mexican chocolate is flavored with Ceylon cinnamon, almonds and vanilla. It is available in Mexican markets and some supermarkets.
1 quart milk
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
10 ounces Ibarra or other Mexican chocolate, finely chopped
Whipped cream, for serving
Pinch of ground cinnamon, for serving
Place the milk and the cinnamon sticks in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat and add chocolate. Let the mixture stand until the chocolate melts, about 3 minutes. Whisk until combined.
Serve immediately, topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Makes 6-8 servings. 

Ms. Foodie

Vanilla is Not a Spice!

The other day I heard from this person whom claims to know more then most......I have never claimed that but I was happy to find out that I actually knew something he was clueless about.

To me Vanilla has never been a spice, it has been a flavoring. I started making my own vanilla a few years back and wanted to know what the vanilla tree or bush looked like.........it was a flower. That made sense to me but I was shocked to learn that not just any flower but that Vanilla was in the Orchid family. I thought for sure it would look more like an avocado tree with it's big flowers. I later found this little story on the www from the books of UCLA and I loved it, not to long but full of fun facts if you are a foodie like me!

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia)

ORCHIDACEAE, Orchid Family

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia) is a tropical, herbaceous vine, an orchid, that is native to the humid coastal rain forest of Central America and possibly to northern South America. Vanilla now occurs in the wild in the West Indies, where is may have been introduced. In the wild a plant is commonly 10-15 meters long, but in cultivation plants are kept shorter for easier handling. Adventitious roots produced along the stem permit the vine to cling to a tree.

Vanilla was first introduced to Europeans in 1520, when Diaz, an officer of Cortes, noted its use by the Aztecs in southern Mexico to flavor their chocolatl (Montezuma was served chocolatl in golden goblets!). By the end of the 16th century, the Spaniards had established factories to manufacture chocolate with vanilla flavoring, and for many years the Spaniards had control of vanilla production. A plant was successfully grown in England in 1807. From this, plant cuttings were given to botanical gardens in Paris and Antwerp. In 1819, two vanilla plants were sent to Java from Antwerp, and one survived but did not fruit. Finally in 1827, a plant from Paris was taken to Mauritius that did survive and fruit, giving rise to the vanilla industry centered around the Indian Ocean. Madagascar, which received a plant in 1840, now produces 90% of all the natural vanilla extract in the world. Vanilla can be cultivated around the world in the tropics wherever mean temperatures range between 21 and 32 degrees C.

Vanilla is typically planted with coffee, cashews, avocados, and other tropical tree crops. The relatively large, beautiful flowers later form long "beans" (capsular fruits), but this occurs naturally only in the New World. As it turns out, a special bee or hummingbird is needed to cross pollinate this orchid, so vanilla flowers in the Old World must be hand pollinated. This was first discovered by a Belgian botanist in 1836, and an effective production method was invented by a former slave on Madagascar in 1841 (Edmond Albius and his bamboo splinter), which was then introduced by Charles Morren. This is an expensive method; therefore, vanilla production requires inexpensive labor.

When the capsules are still immature and green, they are harvested in the early morning, spread on woolen blankets in the sun all morning, and then midday wrapped in the blankets for fermentation. They are stored overnight in metal-lined, air-tight boxes. This sweating process continues for weeks, until a substance in the bean, a glucoside, is changed into vanillin because the glucose is removed and replaced with a hydrogen. Alternative methods include the use of warm-water scalding and ovens. Vanilla is typically extracted in 35% ethanol, and sugar or glycerin is added to preserve flavor and aroma. A kilogram of beans produces about 1.5 gallons of extract. About 170 chemicals have been isolated from vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla (vanillin) is manufactured either from clove oil (eugenol) or as a breakdown product of lignin from a conifer (e.g., spruce, Picea). 

I hope you loved this as much as I did and I hope you now know....Vanilla is not a spice.

Ms. Foodie

Play Games.....Have Fun......Be Young!

So I have this rum left over from my drunken pineapple and I don't like it in drinks because it was cheap.

I thought how fun would it be to make JELLO Shots! My mother in law had to tell me that it is made from animal byproducts...yuk! The same reason why real chicken stock gels when cold verses stock in the box or can.

I thought this was the bst best way to explain it....

Wikipedia has this to say about where gelatin comes from:

Gelatin (spelled 'gelatine' in some Commonwealth countries from the French gélatine) is a translucent, colorless, brittle (when dry), nearly tasteless solid substance, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and bones. It is commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceuticals, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing. Substances containing gelatin or functioning in a similar way are called gelatinous. Gelatin is an irreversibly hydrolysed form of collagen, and is classified as a foodstuff, with E number E441. It is found in some gummy candies as well as other products such as marshmallows, gelatin dessert, and some low-fat yogurt. Household gelatin comes in the form of sheets, granules, or powder. Instant types can be added to the food as they are; others need to be soaked in water beforehand. Some dietary or religious customs forbid the use of gelatin from certain animal sources, and medical issues may limit or prevent its consumption by certain people.

If you not to grossed out to still make JELLO Shots, here is the basic

Strong:
 1/2 water (hot)

1/2 alcohol

box of JELLO

Less:

2 parts hot water one part alcohol

ideas:

Lime with Tequila
Rasepberry with rum or vodka
Cherry with Southern Comfort or Jack Daniles
Lemon with vodka
Pineapple with Spiced Rum
Plain with Kahlua & Cream or Bailys
Orange & Lime with Tequila
have fun.......and DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE Please!


Ms. Foodie