Archives for January 2009

Homemade Vanilla Extract

January 14, 2009 by Charles 3 Comments

The expression “plain vanilla” strikes me as a bit of a misnomer.

The vanilla bean is the fruit of an orchid, and not just any orchid. Of the hundred or so species of vanilla-producing orchids, only two species produce a vanilla suitable for cooking. One species, vanilla planifolia, produces Bourbon vanilla, while the other species, vanilla tahitensis, produces Tahitian vanilla.

Bourbon vanilla and Tahitian vanilla are as exotic as they sound. That is, the varieties derive their names from their respective locales. Bourbon vanilla is produced from planifolia orchids grown on islands in the Indian Ocean, namely Madagascar, Comoros, and Réunion. Some three hundred years ago, Réunion was named Bourbon Island (Île Bourbon), in honor of the French royal family. Tahitian vanilla is produced from tahitensis orchids in French Polynesia (which includes Tahiti).

The different climates of each locale …

Banana Bread

January 11, 2009 by Charles 4 Comments

The modern banana may be a dying breed.

Unlike apples and oranges, supermarkets only carry a single variety of banana – the Vietnamese Cavendish. And unlike other fruits, domestic production of bananas is virtually nonexistent. Instead, the vast majority of our bananas come from Latin America; Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Colombia represent three of the four largest banana-exporting nations.

The concentration of a single banana variety in a single area helped popularize the banana by creating large economies of scale with respect to harvest periods, and shipping and distribution routes. These economies of scale made the banana the cheapest fruit in the produce section – a modern miracle considering that the banana has traveled thousands of miles, in cooled containers, and has a shelf life of but a few weeks.

This concentration and homogenization may, unfortunately, also lead to the banana’s demise. In the early 1900s, the banana of choice was the Gros Michel – a banana superior in taste, size, and texture to today’s Cavendish. Sadly, the Gros Michel was all but wiped out by Panama disease, a resistant fungus.

Today, the Cavendish is threatened …

Gingersnaps

January 4, 2009 by Charles 1 Comment

Sometimes you just need a warm cookie. Yesterday was one of those days.

Looking through my Cooking Light cookbook, I found a recipe with all the ingredients already on hand. This recipe does require an hour or two of down-time, so be prepared…

Sweet Almond Milk Couscous

January 2, 2009 by Charles 1 Comment

Not every couscous recipe has to be served with dinner. Seffa, a couscous sweetened with cinnamon, sugar, and rosewater, is one of the more common couscous-based desserts. This recipe …

Moroccan Couscous

January 1, 2009 by Charles Leave a Comment

Couscous is not a grain, as you might think, but a semolina paste. In fact, couscous is made from the same wheat semolina flour used to make commercial spaghetti.

Couscous originated in the Maghreb, today’s North Africa, and owes its origins to the Berbers, an indigenous people of the region. The Saracen conquest of Europe in the 7th and 8th Centuries is believed to have introduced the dish to the Western world.

Owing to its origins, couscous is often served …