Monday, June 29, 2009

Alternative sweetener that rival refined sugar


Many people simply don’t care about the value of their food and what's in it. There are absolutely alternatives to refined sugar that provide just as much sweetness in life and do not cause the same reaction. The most popular syrups include:
Agave - Agave nectar is a natural liquid sweetener prepared from the juice of the agave cactus. It is 1.4 times sweeter than refined sugar, but does not make a sugar rush, and is much less disturbing to the body’s blood sugar levels than white sugar.
SteviaThis leafy herb has been used for centuries by resident South Americans. The extract from stevia is 100 to 300 times sweeter than clear sugar. It can be used in baking and beverages, cooking, do not affect blood sugar levels and has zero calories.
Brown rice syrup a delicious alternative that can be used to make healthier desserts such as brown rice krispie treats. In recipes, you may have to use up to 50% extra brown rice syrup than sugar and reduce the amount of other liquids.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Flavored Cooking Oil is easier than it sounds


FLAVORED oils are precious summer ingredients, at home over salads, grilled vegetables, meat, fish or almost anything else for that matter. They’re also among the simplest exotic kitchen creations possible.
You can pay $15 or even $30 for a half-liter bottle of flavored oil, or you can pay for oil plus herbs plus bottle, more probable to be around $10 a liter, and wind up with something considerably better.
Start with polite extra virgin olive oil (other cold-pressed oils can be interesting, but olive oil is the default) and any herbs or aromatics that you like.
Garlic or ginger oil, for example, creates super last-minute additions to non-sautéed dishes, like mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables. Rosemary oil is incredible brushed on grilled lamb, chicken or full-flavored fish. Two flavors can work together if they’re complimentary: think rosemary-thyme, ginger-garlic, or bay leaf-peppercorn.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Annual flavors contest at Izzy’s ice cream café this Sunday


Every year, Izzy’s Ice Cream Café on Marshall Ave. in St. Paul hosts its People’s Flavor Awards. This year’s event, the 8th annual, is this Sunday, June 28, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Izzy’s has taken submissions from customers for new ice cream flavors and has chosen four finalists in six categories: Kids, Chocolate, Mix-Ins, Fruits, Specialties and a new category, “So Local” featuring Minnesota ingredients. Izzy’s turn the finalist flavors into ice cream and this Sunday customers can try the flavors and vote for their favorite. At the end of the event, ballots are counted and winner is announced. Tickets are $6 for kids 12 and under, $10 in advance for adults and $12 at the door on event day. You can try as a lot of the 24 finalist flavors as you wish.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Recipe for Citrus flavored iced tea


Place the washed and sliced oranges/limes /lemon in the bottom of a 2-quart pitcher. Brew tea and allow steeping about five minutes. Using a tea strainer to take away the tea leaves, pour the hot tea over the citrus fruit and allow sitting for half an hour. Add ice to a second jug and pour the tea through a strainer over the ice.

To server pour into tall glasses with extra ice. Garnish every glass with a slice of orange. Include lengthy straw and an iced tea spoon. If you’re serving guests, offer a option of simple syrup or sugar-free sweetener, though many people prefer to drink their iced tea unsweetened. You can also use chunks of frozen fruit in the glasses instead of ice to stay the drinks cold. The fruit will thaw without diluting the tea and you can eat it with the iced tea spoon when the drink is over.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Seven Tiki Fijian Rum with Spices And other Natural Flavors

Seven Tiki has introduced spiced Rum, Fijian rum with spices and other natural flavors which have been rolled out in California and Florida, in the US.
This spiced rum is supposedly made from the molasses of Polynesian sugar cane, spices and virgin water drawn from deep beneath the Fiji's volcanic highlands.
The result is a 35% alcohol by volume rum that is smoother with the flavors of Polynesian fruit, fresh sugar cane, coffee and hints of cherry and chocolate accompanied by an aroma of vanilla and light creme caramel.
Seven TikiI has great flavor and smoothness derived from superior ingredients: molasses from fine Polynesian sugar cane, sun baked Indonesian nutmeg, Madagascar vanilla beans and untouched Fijian water.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Known about strawberry lime granita


A granita is a poor people’s sorbet; as a combination of fruit puree and simple syrup freezes in a flat pan, the developing ice crystals are broken up with a fork. If you want a smoother texture, procedure the berry mixture in an ice cream freezer per the manufacturer’s directions, and you’ll have a sorbet.

The simple syrup can be complete at least 1 week in advance. The granita can be made several days ahead of time, but it is actually best when made 3 or 4 hours before you plan to serve it, when the berry flavor is at its peak and the texture is less granular. If the granita is frozen solid, let it sit out for a few minutes before serving, then use a fork or the sides of a large spoon to break it up/scrape it.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Best 10 Innovative Ice Cream Flavors

Candied Bacon Ice Cream
Curry Carrot Ice Cream
Bourbon and Cornflake Ice Cream
Caviar Ice Cream

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Shallot Ice
Fig & Goat Cheese Swirl Ice Cream

Sweet Corn Ice Cream


Sweet Corn Ice Cream



Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Mixing essential oils for specific health

Essential oils regularly are mixed and diluted with carrier oils also known as base oils such as sweet almond oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, sesame seed oil, flax oil, or walnut oil. Mix oils and essential oil spices together such as cinnamon and sage essential oils with lavender and tea tree oils. Lavender goes well with all the further oils.
Lavender also is mixed with aloe Vera and is a curative moisturizer for chapped hands. Lavender is a flavor added to oils, and also to ice cream, chocolate candy, and to jams. Lavender is said to go well with any other oils, tastes, or scents. Think of lavender-hibiscus flavored chocolates or ice cream.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Make easier buttermilk at home


Butter was the easiest product to make, require not even a thermometer. Initial with 600ml of pure cream at room temperature, it is whirred in the processor until it starts to "slop". Then it is drained, and this water can also be saved, but the next procedure is to knock it about a bit under cold running water, until the water runs clear. Then it is kneaded to expel additional water and/or slapped between butter pats. It is significant to get rid of all the liquid, because left in it would gradually give the butter a "cheesy" flavor.

Buttermilk is what drains off when butter is made, which, left alone, begins to ferment. Nowadays, it is made with skim milk in the same way as yoghurt - by adding bought buttermilk to heated milk. It really takes longer than yoghurt to set. Buttermilk has a flavorful taste and is good used in muffins, soda bread, pancakes and other baking. To make it at home, buttermilk is added to pure cream and it begins to thicken over 24 hours.

Incredibly healthiest ice cream

How is healthiest one to know which is the best to purchase and consume? There are three varieties that are vigorous.
Haagen-Dazs is the best varieties contain real ingredients and are moderately pure, their line of Haagen-Dazs Five are incredibly healthy with mostly pure ingredients, this exacting version is probably the purest on the market today. Each variety has only five real and pure ingredients including, skim milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, and flavor. The current flavors include mint, coffee, passion fruit, ginger, brown sugar, and milk chocolate.

Ben and Jerry’s ranks second and although some varieties contain quite a few ingredients, they are typically real with nothing artificial.
Breyers All-Natural Ice Cream ranks third on the record. If cost is a concern, Bryeers is an outstanding choice as you can get more than twice as much for the same cost as the other two. Some varieties are better, containing only six pure ingredients, while others include natural gums, corn syrup, and emulsifiers.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Tips and tricks to make vinaigrette sing


-Add interest with vinegars: tangy red wine or apple cider, mild rice or sweet balsamic.

- Oils range from soft vegetable to olive; go simple with intensely flavored seed (sesame) or nut (walnut, hazelnut) oils.

- Match the dressing to the flavors and texture of greens - a delicate taste with tender greens (Boston, Bibb, etc.), more strong tastes with powerfully flavored greens (romaine, arugula, radicchio, etc.).

- If a salad has strong acid elements (i.e., pickled vegetables).

- When a salad is served after an entree such as roast beef or chicken, add a bit of the pan juices to the vinaigrette.

- Use a fork, a blender, a whisk - or a clean screw-top jar.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

How to choose, store and prepare the berries

How to choose: Look for berries that are brightly colored, taut and shiny. Dull or wrinkly skin can be a sign that berries are over the hill. Check the bottom of the baskets as well to ensure there isn't leakage from damaged berries that may be hidden.

How to store: Berries are very delicates and should be refrigerated strongly sealed.

How to prepare: With good berries, keep it easy: Sugar them lightly and set them aside to exude a little syrup, and then fold them into lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Blueberries used to be almost exclusively the product of cool, wet areas like Maine and the Michigan peninsula. In recent years, new varieties that don't need as much cold have been introduced, and now blueberries are being grown even in Southern California.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Coconut milk is healthy way to add flavor


What’s to love about coconut? It’s wealthy and creamy, an addictive staple in Thai, Indian and Caribbean cuisine. Coconut is high in immunity-boosting lauric acid, which is touting (though not proven) to lower cholesterol and rev metabolism.
What’s not to love? Coconut is high in soaked fat. However, your bodies digest it more readily than animal fats, so don’t shun the coconut.
Spectrum organic coconut oil and further brands are extracted from copra, the dried coconut kernel. It has a long shelf time and neutral flavor, and can withstand high heat, so it’s saute-friendly. Like all oil, it has 120 calories per tablespoon, with 12 grams saturated compare with olive oil’s 2.
Coconut milk makes it wildly creamy but with no coconut flavor. It comes in nine flavors including a deliciously true-blue blueberry. One container has nearly 140 calories and 6 grams fat (all soaked).

Monday, June 1, 2009

Tongue map for Coffees

In fact, we can perceive flavors all over our tongue and each people tongue is different. Some of the more successful cupping programs have trained people to use their knowledge of the regions outlined by tongue maps to help them recognize unknown flavors based upon the position of the stimulus. In addition, the interaction of flavors will enhance and make entirely new flavors. Therefore, it is important to train your tongue to find out your own tongue map and study the relationship between different stimuli.
The tip of the tongue will be the most sensitive area, but you may be able to perceive aspects of sugar in other places.
If you know you are a super taster and you experience a really bitter taste in a coffee, you must realize that 75% of people will not agree with you.
By using the maps you create for your tongue, understanding your perception ability, and understanding how flavors interact you are more appropriate to describe coffee accurately.