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Sat, Sep. 27, 2003 - Kansas City Star

Some pertinent facts about whiskey

The Associated Press

The word "whiskey" is a mangled interpretation of the Latin phrase "aqua vitae," or "water of life."

There are two styles of whiskey -- sweet mash and sour mash.

Mash is the cooked milled cereal or "grist" and water.

In sweet mash, only the yeast is added before fermentation.

Most U.S. whiskeys are sour mash, in which fermented mash from a previous batch is added to the fresh mash. That doubles time of fermentation and ensures more sugars are consumed.

George Dickel and Jack Daniel's are Tennessee whiskeys.

Maker's Mark, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey and Evan Williams are Kentucky bourbon whiskeys.

To be called a bourbon, the whiskey must be made in Kentucky, even if it is not produced in Bourbon County, where the first such spirits were made in the 1700s purely from corn. It now is made with a mixture of not less than 51 percent corn and malted barley, like a blended Scotch, and some contains rye.

The main production difference is that Tennessee whiskey is filtered through layers of charcoal before being placed in the charred oak barrels for aging, while bourbon goes straight into the barrel after distillation.
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Source: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Wine, Beer, Spirits and Liqueurs.

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Whiskey recipes @ Google.com

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Whiskey candy recipes @ Google.com

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He stands the heat

Sun. Sep. 28, 2003 - Joplin Globe

From staff reports

Some might be daunted by the idea of stepping into the kitchen without a recipe.

For Martin Paine, executive corporate chef for General Mills, it's not just a challenge - it's part of what he does for a living.

Paine visited Joplin on Saturday to give a cooking demonstration at Grace Magazine's "A Day for Women," held at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center.

"We're taking items you can buy in a grocery store - such as mixes and frozen doughs - to give your menu a more upscale look for the holidays," he said.

That might include making cookies from a brownie mix and using coffee instead of water or using frozen dough to make biscuits over a pan glazed with caramel.

Paine said that he and his staff - two other chefs and two master bakers - spend much of their time traveling the country to give demonstrations and work with their corporate accounts. The national companies that General Mills works with include McDonald's, Wal-Mart and Applebee's.

"We do a lot of work with the chefs from those companies," Paine said. "We give them ideas and concepts that they can incorporate into their menus.

"They'll give us the ingredients to make a new product, like a blondie or a cappuccino. We'll make it and teach them to get it right."

Prototypes that the General Mills staff have been involved with creating include twirl biscuits for Wal-Mart, new seasonings for the breads at Subway and the brownie sundae at McDonald's.

Paine, who grew up in London and attended culinary school there, has worked with the Pillsbury company for 10 years. Two years ago, he said that Pillsbury was purchased by General Mills.

He said that neither the Pillsbury nor the General Mills name are ones that people would normally associate with national companies such as McDonald's.

"We're mostly known for mixes and cereals," he said. "But I'd say 50 percent of my job is traveling to work with other companies."

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Curry paste a Thai seasoning staple

Wed. 10/8/03 - Joplin Globe

The Associated Press

HYDE PARK, N.Y. - As bold and exotic flavors continue to become more mainstream, Thai cuisine has experienced a surge in popularity. The unique flavor profiles of Thai cuisine include a number of ingredients that recur throughout its recipes, with one of the most common being curry paste.

Curry pastes, found in the cuisines of the Near and Far East, are combinations of spices processed together to form smooth pastes with varying degrees of spiciness.

Thai red curry paste is a staple of Thai cookery. It consists of dried red chili peppers, whole cloves of garlic, sea salt, fresh lemon grass, shrimp paste and fresh turmeric. Many variations of this paste exist, but all include these basic ingredients.

Curry pastes are used to marinate meats before cooking, as well as being added to meat or vegetable dishes while they cook. They play an important role in a wide range of soups, stews, sauces, salads and side dishes.

Because these Thai red curry pastes vary in strength and intensity of flavor, it is best to begin by experimenting.

Specialty food stores and Asian food markets often carry a selection of curry pastes that range in spiciness, and Thai-style curry pastes are now available in most supermarkets. Begin with one or two pastes and add them in increments to your dishes to help determine a combination that meets your personal taste.

Thai red curry chicken is among the 200 recipes in the new "Cooking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America" (Wiley). "In this recipe, the red curry paste marries well with the more mellow chicken and potato textures. Finish the dish with basil, mint, and cilantro to create an Asian-influenced perfume," Brash says.


Thai red curry chicken

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup diced yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon prepared Thai red curry paste

Salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (7 to 8 ounces each), cut into large cubes

6 small red potatoes, scrubbed, each cut into 6 pieces

11/2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon cornstarch blended with 1 tablespoon cold water

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint

4 cups steamed white rice

1/2 cup green onion, white and green parts, sliced on the bias

1/4 cup toasted shredded dried coconut

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the red curry paste, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir to coat the onions and garlic evenly with the curry paste. Add the chicken and potatoes to the pan and stir to coat evenly with the curry paste. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a heated platter and cover to keep warm while completing the sauce. Add the coconut milk, brown sugar, and lemon zest to the pan, and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Add the cornstarch gradually, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the basil and the mint. Add the chicken and the potatoes back to the pan and stir to coat them thoroughly with the sauce.

Serve the curry on heated plates over a bed of steamed rice. Garnish each plate with 2 tablespoons of green onion and 1 tablespoon of toasted coconut.

Makes 4 servings (about 3 cups each).

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'La Mam' of mameys

Thu, Oct. 09, 2003 - The Miami Herald

Cocina by Maricel E. Presilla
COCINA

A gigantic old tree stands in Donald Pantn's lush, one-acre backyard in Pinecrest. From massive branches that shoot straight out looking for the sun grow football-shaped fruits with leathery skin the texture and color of sandpaper.

Nothing about the stark exterior of the fruit prepares you for what is revealed when you cut one open: a long black seed, shiny as onyx, nestled in a vivid, custardy pulp the color of wild salmon.

Miraculously, the tree has withstood the ravages of time, seasonal storms and even Hurricane Andrew. The family calls it ''La Mam,'' for this is, literally, the mother of the sweet and aromatic Pantn mamey, one of the tastiest tropical fruits found today in Florida markets.

''La Mam'' is a relic of the time when Donald's father, Eugenio Pantn, born in la Corua in the Spanish region of Galicia, began experimenting with tropical fruits on his five-acre farm in the Redland. Donald recalls how his father, a retired electrician newly arrived from Chicago, became a Florida gentleman farmer with a passion for New World fruit trees of the sapotaceae family -- mamey, sapodilla, canistel and caimito. Through trial and error, Eugenio mastered the technique of grafting, the only way to breed most fruit trees true.

In the early 1950s, a Cuban migr named Josefina Jimnez gave Eugenio three mamey seeds she had smuggled into the U.S. in her brassiere. He was no stranger to the fruit, having lived in Havana and then in Key West, where he worked in a Cuban cigar factory. He planted the seeds and used the unknown seedlings as rootstock to graft budwood from an old, proven mamey tree that grew near a fire station in Key West. (That tree had Cuban roots, too, by way of the 19th century exodus of dissidents from the island.)

The one survivor from Eugenio's experiment is the 60-foot tree that towers over Donald Pantn's sprawling ranch house. It was planted in 1953, the same year as Fidel Castro's attack on the Moncada barracks in Santiago de Cuba, the symbolic beginning of the revolution that would ultimately create an insatiable desire for mamey among Cubans who had fled to South Florida.

Because of the outstanding quality of its fruit -- a sweet, aromatic pulp with a bright, salmon-red color and little fiber -- the tree became the parent stock for Eugenio's mamey grove. Soon, news of his superior fruit spread among connoisseurs, who came to know it as the ``Key West mamey.''

Donald Pantn took charge of the family mamey business in 1963 after his father's death. At around that time, the respected nurseryman Lawrence Zill, who had investigated the commercial potential of Eugenio's prized cultivar, christened it the Pantn mamey.

The timing could not have been better for the Pantn's future.

''Of all tropical fruits, mamey is the one that represents the nostalgia for Cuba,'' says Carlos Balerdi, a horticulturist at the University of Florida's Cooperative Extension Service in Miami-Dade County.

Exiled Cubans longed for a steady supply of mamey and were willing to buy it at any price. (I remember paying $5 a pound in the 1980s.) Recognizing this eager market, Redland farmers rushed to grow the fruit. The intense demand led to such frequent thefts that many groves were protected with barbed wire and watchdogs, as if the trees held golden nuggets.

It was at the height of mamey fever 15 years ago that I first met Donald Pantn and his wife, Sara. Of course, I was shown the majestic parent tree.

''She is the mother of every single Pantn mamey grown in Florida,'' Donald said proudly.

Today, Balerdi says, 95 percent of the mamey grown on the 350 acres devoted to its cultivation in South Florida is the Pantn cultivar, in season from July through October. The rest is planted in such varieties as Pace, El Viejo and the large Salvadoran Magaa, which come in season at different times of year, creating an almost uninterrupted supply.

''They all have merit,'' says Balerdi. ``But none compares in flavor and aroma with Pantn mamey.''

Culinary historian and author Maricel E. Presilla is the chef/co-owner of Zafra in Hoboken, N.J. Her latest book is The New Taste of Chocolate.

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RELATED LINKS
Grow your own mamey sapotes
Recipe | Zafra's Pantin Mamey Flan

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Thu, Oct. 09, 2003 - Miami Herald

Maricel E. Presilla's Cocina: Recipe

DESSERT

ZAFRA'S PANTN MAMEY FLAN

(El Flan de Mamey Pantn de Zafra)

A single slice of perfectly ripe Pantn mamey is a luxury that I don't hesitate to serve as dessert at any elegant dinner. This delicate flan is another wonderful way to showcase the fruit's custardy pulp and musky aroma. I created it years ago and serve it at my restaurant, Zafra, when mamey is in season. The Pantn is ideal because it has little fiber, but I still strain the custard to ensure the flan is totally smooth.

The key to this flan is subtlety -- even the caramel needs to be light. Vanilla (preferable fresh), soft-quill Ceylon cinnamon (canela) and grated mamey seed enhance the aromatic quality of the fruit. (Crack open the hard outer shell of the seed with a mallet and grate the fleshy interior, which tastes like bitter almonds.)

Mamey usually comes to market solid as a rock. To speed ripening, place it in a brown bag with bananas or apples at room temperature for a few days. When ripe, the mamey will yield to the touch. If using half a mamey, cover the rest with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator.

1 cup whole milk

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks, preferable Ceylon (sold as Mexican canela in Hispanic markets)

1 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

mamey seed, grated, or teaspoon almond extract (see headnote)

4 large eggs

4 egg yolks

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

About 3 cups fresh mamey pulp (from a 2- to 2 -pound ripe mamey, preferably Pantn) or 2 (14-ounce) packages frozen pulp, thawed

1 cup sugar

Place the whole and evaporated milks in a 3-quart saucepan. Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the pan (or add the extract). Add the vanilla bean, cinnamon and grated mamey seed. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Strain through an extra-fine mesh sieve and set aside. If using fresh pulp, place it in a blender with 1 cup of the cooked mixture and process to a smooth pure.

Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cooked mixture and mamey pulp. With a wooden spoon, push this mixture through an extra-fine mesh sieve. Set aside. (Makes about 7 cups.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Have ready a 9-inch round cake pan (see note) plus a baking dish at least 3 inches deep that is large enough to hold the pan comfortably.

Place the sugar and cup water in a small saucepan. Without stirring, bring to a boil over high heat. Cook to a light golden caramel, about 12 minutes. Working quickly, pour the caramel into the pan, tilting it to coat the interior evenly.

Pour the flan mixture into the caramelized pan and place it in the baking dish. Add enough hot water to come not quite halfway up the outside of the pan.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 1 hours. When done, the flan should feel a bit wiggly and soft to the touch, never dry or firm. Let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 4 hours before unmolding. To serve, cut in wedges. Makes 14 servings.

Note: To make individual flans, use 14 (4-ounce) ramekins or (6-ounce) custard cups and reduce the baking time to 45 to 50 minutes.

Per serving: 302 calories (27 percent from fat), 9.2 g fat (4.6 g saturated, 2.8 g monounsaturated), 144.7 g cholesterol, 8.9 g protein, 47.5 g carbohydrates, 3.3 g fiber, 106 mg sodium.

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Fritters a seasonal favorite

Wed. 10/29/03 - Joplin Globe

The Associated Press

HYDE PARK, N.Y. - Deep frying is often used in pastry favorites such as fritters, fry cakes, funnel cakes, and cannolis. Autumn is an ideal time to enjoy fruit fritters, which showcase the bountiful fruits that are now available.

"Successful deep-fat frying requires careful attention to safety, quick action, and precise timing," says chef Ryan Baxter, associate professor in culinary arts at The Culinary Institute of America.

"The reward for your efforts is delicious food that is crisp, flavorful, and not fatty tasting."

Deep frying at home can be made easy by using the right tools and following these guidelines:

Electric deep fryers with baskets are often used for deep frying at home, although it is also possible to fry foods using a large pot set on a stove top. The sides should be high enough to prevent fat from bubbling or splashing over and wide enough to add and remove foods easily.

Use a deep-fat frying thermometer to check the fat's temperature. Become familiar with "recovery time," which is the time needed for the fat to regain the proper temperature after foods are added.

Line a pan with absorbent towels to blot fried foods before they are served.

Utensils such as a pair of tongs, a skimmer, a heat-resistant slotted spoon or fitted basket should be used to add foods to the fryer and remove them after cooking.

To deep fry:

Heat the cooking fat to the proper temperature (generally 325 F to 375 F). The cooking fat should reach and maintain a steady temperature throughout frying time to produce crisp, flavorful, non-greasy fried foods.

Proper maintenance of oil will help extend its life. Strain or filter the oil after each use. Replenish the fryer's oil to the appropriate level as necessary. Discard fats and oils when their color begins to darken, and the oils' aroma becomes more pronounced.

Place the food directly into the fat and cook until appropriate doneness. Two methods are used to deep fry foods. The choice depends on the food, the coating, and the intended result.

The "swimming method" is generally used for foods that make use of a batter such as fruit fritters. The battered item is carefully lowered into the hot oil. The food will first fall to the bottom of the fryer, but as it cooks, it "swims" to the surface. It may be necessary to turn foods once they reach the surface, for them to brown evenly.

A second method, known as the "basket method," is generally used for breaded items such as breaded shrimp or oysters. Breaded foods are placed in a frying basket and then both are lowered into the hot fat. Once the food is cooked, the basket is used to lift out the food.

Evaluate the quality of the finished deep-fried food. Deep-fried foods should taste like the item itself, not like the fat or food that may have been fried previously in that fat. Foods served very hot directly from the frying kettle should have a light, crispy texture.

If the food tastes greasy or of another food, the fat was not hot enough, the fat was too old, or a strongly flavored food was fried previously in the same fat.

The texture of well-prepared, deep-fried food is moist and tender, yet fully cooked through on the interior with a crisp, delicate crust. If the crust has become soggy, the food may have been held too long after cooking or the oil was below the correct temperature.

Vary the taste of your fried foods by using a flavorful oil for frying such as olive, or peanut oil. Or, when frying dessert items, consider adding a clove, star-anise pod or cinnamon stick to the fat as it heats.

The following recipe for apple fritters is among the 200 recipes in the new "Cooking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America" (Wiley).

Apple fritters

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup apple juice

1 pinch of salt

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

2 pounds tart apples, such as Granny Smith or McIntosh, peeled, cored and cut into eighths

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for garnish

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks, for garnish

Whisk the eggs and the sugar in a mixing bowl until foamy and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, apple juice, salt, lemon and orange zests and mix thoroughly. Add the flour and blend until the batter is smooth. Allow the batter to rest, covered, for 1 hour.

Combine the apple wedges and the batter. Coat the fruit gently but thoroughly with batter.

Pour oil to a depth of 5 inches in a deep pot. Heat over medium heat until it registers to 350 F on a deep-frying thermometer.

To make the fritters, use a large spoon to scoop up about 4 apple wedges and use another spoon to push the mixture gently into the oil. Continue adding fritters to the hot oil, but do not overcrowd.

Deep fry until light golden-brown, about 5 minutes. Drain the fritters on absorbent towels. Repeat with the remaining fruit and batter. It is best to serve fritters immediately, but, if necessary, they may be kept warm in a 200 F oven while finishing the remaining fritters; leave uncovered to keep fritters crisp.

Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve with whipped cream.

Makes 8 servings.

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I like Jonathan apples and I'd substitute something for the white wine. I don't like a winesap apple because of the wine taste so I don't imagine I'd like regular wine either.

I actually prefer Cherry fritters to apple.

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Old-Fashion Mince Cookies

Makes 8 1/2 dozen (2 1/2" diam.)

1 cup butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs, well beaten (Jumbo size)

1 1/3 cups Borden's None Such Mince Meat (1/2 jar) or for really fruity, (1 jar)

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt

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If you don't want a half a jar of Mince Meat left and you didn't go for the extra fruity entire jar.

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Old-Fashion Mince Cookies

Makes 17 dozen (2 1/2" diam.)

2 cups butter
4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 Jumbo eggs, well beaten
1 Jar Borden's None Such Mince Meat
2 teaspoons grated Lemon rind
8 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons soda
2 teaspoons salt

Cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar gradually; beat until light. Stir in eggs. Add mince meat and lemon rind; blend. Sift flour, soda and salt. Blend into the mince meat mixture. Drop teaspoons on a buttered baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees F.) until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove and cool on rack, immediately.

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Borden, Inc. N.Y. N.Y. 10017 Copyright Borden, Inc. 1963, 1968.

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When I first started making these I didn't have an electric mixer.
Now baking cookies was never something I enjoyed... it takes so long until it's all finished ... so I always ended up with big cookies which of course meant the time given was never correct. So bake them until they are done and use as many cookie sheets as you can handle. If I remember correctly you need a really big bowl for that double size batch also. I also don't believe I was able to use my electric portable mixer all the way through.

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Holiday Fruitcake

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 eggs, lightly beaten (Jumbo size)
1 (28-ounce) jar None Such Ready to Use Mincemeat (Regular)

1 1/3 cups (15-ounce) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
After can size changed to 14-ounce I made these often enough that I'd use 1 can + 1/4 cup of another.

2 1/4 cups mixed candied fruit
I usually bought the regular candied fruit then the candied pineapple and cherries in the different colors that enhanced the look of the cake before and after slicing.

4 oz. candied cherries, always the red ones.
1/2 cup Raisins (Regular &/or Golden)

2 cup nuts (Pecans &/or Black Walnuts, I like large pieces including whole pecans ) I sometimes used English Walnuts in with the Pecans and Black Walnuts. I had a friend made this and went to the expense of using all candied cherries and pineapple because she didn't like the citron in regular candied fruit. That worked out fine, except she used all English Walnuts. This was back when they almost always has a slightly bitter taste to me. I don't think she ever made it again. I certainly wouldn't use all English Walnuts but I wouldn't hesitate to experiment adding other types nuts, if I could still eat it after I baked it.

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This I never did : Butter 9-inch tube pan or spring form. Line with waxed paper. Butter again.

I used 10" large Angel food or 10" Bundt cake pan usually. I have made them in all sizes of pans. : Butter and lightly flour the pan even if it's teflon coated.

Sift flour and baking soda. Combine eggs, Mince Meat, Condensed Milk, fruit, raisins and nuts. Fold in dry ingredients. Pour into pan. Bake in slow (300 degree F.) oven 2 hours. until center springs back and top is golden. Cool. Turn out; remove paper (which I didn't use).

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Borden, Inc. N.Y. N.Y. 10017 Copyright Borden, Inc. 1963, 1968.

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Now since I had changed the amount of ingredients etc. I couldn't go by time given. I baked the cake with a cake pan of water on the shelf under it and if it started browning more than I liked, I'd lay a piece of brown grocery bag over it and keep a close eye on it. I actually had a stove with a double oven (regular and small, side by side) so I was able to bake more than one at a time of various sizes. If fact, before the medium size bundt pan came out, I'd take a club aluminum saucepan I had, remove the wooden handle, place a small tall can with top and bottom removed into the center of the pan, carefully fill it to the amount I wanted. When it was finished it looked like I'd baked it in a small angel food type cake pan.

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The many benefits of flaxseed

Saturday, November 15, 2003 - Morning Sun

Flax, long known for its use in linen clothing, now is gaining attention as a health food. Flaxseed is an ancient, blueflowering crop cultivated extensively in Canada. The flax plant produces a fiber from which linen is woven and an edible seed from which oil can be extracted. Over the past several years, it has been discovered that the edible form of the oil and the seed contain a wealth of healthful substances, including fiber, heart healthy omega3 fatty acids and plant chemicals called lignans, which may help reduce the risk for certain types of cancer.

* Full of fiber: The seed of the flax plant contains significant amounts of soluble fiber, mainly in the form of mucilage gum. Similar to the fiber found in oat bran and pectin, research has shown mucilage gum helps lower blood levels of cholesterol.

* Contains heart-healthy fats: As excellent sources of alphalinolenic acid, an omega3 fatty acid, flaxseed and flaxseed oil currently are being investigated for possible heart health benefits. Research has suggested that the omega3 fatty acids found in fish oil are beneficial in reducing total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the so-called bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels. Decreased levels of these three lipids have been associated with decreased risk for cardiovascular disease. Although the alphalinolenic acid found in flaxseed oil is not identical to the omega3 fatty acids found in fish oil, the body does convert alphalinolenic acid from flaxseed oil to the same type of omega3 fatty acids found in fish oil.

* Lowers cancer risk: In animal studies, diets rich in flaxseed have been associated with reducing the size and aggressiveness of both mammary and prostate cancerous tumors. In addition, a 2001 study conducted by Duke University found a low-fat diet containing 30 grams of flaxseed per day to be associated with slower tumor growth in 25 men with prostate cancer. The plant chemicals called lignans found in flaxseed are believed to be responsible. Lignans are plant estrogens thought to work against estrogen and testosterone produced by the body, which in some cases can stimulate certain cancers to grow.

If you are interested in including flaxseed or flaxseed oil in your diet, keep the following in mind:

* Because it is high in fiber, add flaxseed to your diet gradually and drink plenty of water.

* Flax seeds, as well as flaxseed flour and oil, can turn rancid quickly if stored at warm room temperatures. It's best to buy them in quantities that you will use within a few months and to store flaxseed flour and oil in the refrigerator once opened.

* The seeds of the flax plant have a hard outer coating and, unless ground or thoroughly chewed, they pass through the body undigested. Also, the raw seeds do contain small amounts of cyanogenic glucosides, which can be toxic if consumed in large quantities. Cooking seems to break down the toxic components.

* Pregnant women should be careful to not eat too much flaxseed; in animal studies, flaxseed given to pregnant rats lowered the birth weight of their male offspring.

* Potential SPAM: breast cancer patients taking the drug tamoxifen should consult their doctor before eating flaxseed.

For other nutrition and food safety questions, contact me at 620-232-1930 or
e-mail me at mmurphy@oznet.ksu.edu or check out the K-State Research and Extension website: www.oznet.ksu.edu/humannutrition/

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Flax Recipes
More Recipes

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Cookie Recipes and Tips

Wed. 11/19/03 - Joplin Globe

Q: The official state cookie of Massachusetts is the chocolate chip cookie. What other state is considering using the chocolate chip cookie as their official cookie?

Answer: Page 2B

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Peanut butter and candy cookies

Wrap honey-sweetened, peanut butter cookie dough around bite-size candy bars to create two treats in one. If miniature candy bars aren't available, cut regular-size bars into 1-inch squares.

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon milk

24 miniature chocolate-coated caramel-topped nougat bars with peanuts

In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and peanut butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Using a wooden spoon, beat in honey and milk until well-combined. For each cookie, pat one tablespoon of the dough into a 2-inch circle. Place one piece of candy in the center of the circle. Shape the dough around candy to form 11/2-inch ball. Place the balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 350- degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are light brown. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.

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Spiced pumpkin bars

One of these moist, cake-like bars and a tall glass of apple cider make a satisfying snack, especially on a crisp autumn afternoon.

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 15-ounce can pumpkin

1-2/3 cups granulated sugar

1 cup cooking oil

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Pecan halves (optional)

1 11-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

In a medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat together eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and oil with an electric mixer on medium speed. Add the flour mixture; beat until well- combined. If desired, stir in chopped pecans. Spread batter into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in a 350- degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. In a medium mixing bowl beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth. Frost pumpkin bars. If desired, top with pecan halves. Cut into squares. Store covered, in refrigerator, up to three days.

Source: www.houseandhome.msn.com

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How to get cookies to be soft and not crunchy

Keep cookies soft by following these steps:

First, do not over-bake them. Bake the cookies just until they are golden brown, not dark brown.

Next, don't leave them on the cookie sheets for more than a minute or two. The cookies will continue baking on the hot sheet even after you have removed them from the oven.

And finally, store them in an air-tight container as soon as they are cooled. If you leave cookies out in the open for too long even soft baked cookies will turn into crunchy ones.

Source: www.allhomemadecookies.com

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Compiled by Jackie Ward

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Fruitcake made of legend

Wed. 12/10/03 - Joplin Globe

Family ships holiday treats around the world

By Mike Pound
Globe Staff Writer

COLUMBUS, Kan. - If you don't like fruitcake, you'll probably love a Jinks Traditional Fruitcake.

Cheryl Jinks said she always gets a kick out of watching someone try her family's holiday treat for the first time. The reaction, she said, is almost always the same.

"They say it doesn't taste like a fruitcake that they're used to. We've talked about renaming it because it doesn't fit the stereotype of a fruitcake," she said.

The Jinks' fruitcake was born nearly 50 years ago in Oswego, Kan.

Gerald and Violet Jinks created the recipe still used today in their family bakery. Gerald Jinks passed away on March 15 of this year but his wife, Violet ("Vi"), and her daughter-in-law, Cheryl, are continuing the family tradition. This year, working from October until just before Christmas in their small bakery located about 2 miles west of Hallowell, Kan., the women, will produce "several thousand" fruitcakes that will be shipped around the world.

As far as Vi Jinks is concerned, the secret to the popularity of their fruitcakes is easy to explain.

"We use all fresh ingredients. We use real butter, fresh eggs, fresh pecans and there is no filler," she said.

Vi said the fruitcake recipe, which she and Cheryl both politely decline to reveal, was developed over a six-month period in 1954.

"People came into the bakery wanting fruitcake and we experimented for a while until we came up with something we liked," she said.

Vi and her husband sold the fruitcakes out of their bakery until they retired in the mid-1980s and moved to their home west of Hallowell. But the couple kept getting calls from customers wanting fruitcakes so they opened a small bakery in front of their home.

"People tell us it wouldn't be Christmas without a Jinks fruitcake," Vi said.

Vi and Cheryl work side-by-side in the small kitchen preparing, by hand, 50 to 60 fruitcakes a day. The women normally work from about 9 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. seven days a week to keep up with the demand.

Cheryl Jinks, who retired from her job as a professor of education at Illinois State University in Normal Ill., travels to the bakery each year from her home in Normal and spends three months with her mother-in-law making fruitcakes. Cheryl's husband, Jerry Jinks, who is still employed at Illinois State, makes it down most weekends to help out, she said.

"When he retires we'll probably move out here full time," she said.

Cheryl said the Jinks fruitcake has found fans around the world almost entirely by word of mouth.

"We received a call from a man from Staten Island, N.Y. He got one as a gift last year and this year he ordered eight for his family," she said.

Vi Jinks said one of her favorite converts to the family fruitcake was one of her brothers-in-law. The man was not a fruitcake fan, she said, and absolutely refused to try a Jinks cake.

"He wouldn't try it for six years," she said.

But one day a portion of a cake that had come apart was sitting on a plate and her brother-in-law popped it in his mouth.

"And he said, 'What's this? It's good.' And I said, 'That's that fruitcake I've been trying to get you to try," she said.

Terry Hicklin is selling Jinks Traditional Fruitcakes in his Richardson Candy locations in Joplin, Carthage and Springfield this year. Hicklin said he had been looking for a fruitcake to sell during in the holiday season.

"But I really couldn't get too excited about the idea because I've never been a fan of fruitcakes. But this one is really good. We have samples in the store and people just love it," he said.

Hicklin said one customer, who worked in an area bank, came in and sampled a Jinks cake and wound up ordering 50 two-pound cakes for work.

Hicklin suspects that it's the quality of the ingredients the Jinks use and the method they use to produce the fruitcakes.

"So many companies mass produce and are worrying about price points and let quality suffer. If you buy a fruit cake at a dollar a pound you're going to get a dollar-a-pound fruitcake," he said.

In addition to butter, eggs, and pecans, the Jinks admit to using red and green cherries, white grapes and pineapple. But that's about they'll say. An innocent query about additional information is met with a smile and a quip from Cheryl Jinks.

"I could tell you but then I couldn't let you leave the store," she said. "And this time of year we could really use the help."

In addition to the Richardson Candy locations, Jinks Fruitcakes are available in a number of outlets throughout Southeast Kansas and by mail. For more information, visit the Jinks' Web site at www.traditionalfruitcake.com or call (620) 597-2603.


Fruitcake crumb cookie

Although Vi and Cheryl Jinks will not disclose their fruitcake recipe Cheryl did agree to provide a recipe for fruitcake crumb cookies.

1 cup Crisco

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla

21/4 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/2 to 2-pounds crumbled fruitcake.

Combine Crisco, sugars, eggs and vanilla.
Then combine flour, salt, soda, cinnamon,
and nutmeg and add to mixture.

Stir in crumbled fruitcake.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased
cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for
10 to 12 minutes.
Makes approximately four dozen.


Easy fruitcake

1 package spice cake mix (2 layer size)

1 package (33/4 ounces) instant lemon pudding

2/3 cup apricot nectar

1/4 cup apricot brandy

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped candied cherries

1/2 cup candied pineapple

1 cup chopped walnuts

Glaze (optional)

1 cup shifted powdered sugar

2 to 3 tablespoons apricot brandy

In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, apricot nectar, brandy and vegetable oil. Beat on medium speed until batter is smooth, about two minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in the chopped fruits and nuts. Turn batter into a generously greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool thoroughly. For best flavor, wrap and store in refrigerator for 24 hours before serving.

For the glaze, combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of apricot brandy with 1 cup confectioners sugar; drizzle over fruitcake before serving, if desired.

Source: southernfood.about.com.


Fruitcake-making tips

To prevent over-browning, line the bottom and sides of pan with foil. If you leave extra foil overlapping the sides, it will be easier to remove the cake.

When baking, set the fruitcake pan in a baking pan (13x9-inch) half filled with water to prevent burning around the edges.

Let the fruitcake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.

Source: southernfood.about.com.

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