Encypost Archive

candied citrus peel

candied citrus peel (kan-deed si-truhs peel) noun

candied citrus peel

Candied citrus peel, usually from orange, lemon or grapefruit, is commonly found in baked goods such as fruitcakes. Orange and grapefruit in particular are also served as confections to eat on their own and are especially popular around the winter holidays. Lime peel can be candied, but you will usually find the three aforementioned. You can make your own candied peel or you can also purchase it. In upscale candy stores you might find elegant, long slivers of peel similar to our homemade recipe. When purchasing for use within recipes, you will most commonly find diced candied lemon or orange peels as seen in the image above.

Image: Dédé Wilson

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poppy seeds

poppy seeds (pop-ee seeds) noun

poppy-seeds

Papaver somniferum. The seed of the opium poppy plant, Poppy seeds are very small seeds harvested from the dried seed pods of the plant. The seeds can be found in black, gray, blue and white. They are used both whole and ground in savory and sweet cooking (sometimes as a garnish, such as on the exterior of a bagel, other times as an integral part of a recipe, like when they are made into a paste and featured in pastries or incorporated into a cake as in our Poppy Seed Cake with Orange Marmalade Buttercream).

It is true that ingesting poppy seeds can alter drug tests with results showing positive for opiates. Some say as little as one or two bagels heavily coated with poppy seeds could produce a positive urine test. 1

 

References

  1. New York Times article: The Claim: Eating Poppy Seeds Can Make You Fail a Drug Test

 

Image: Peter Muka

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Microplane zester

Microplane zester (mahy-kroh pleyn zest-er) noun

microplane zesters

Image: Dédé Wilson

While the name Microplane® is trademarked, it has become a term used generically within the culinary world to describe a grater that looks like a traditional woodworker’s rasp, and rightfully so because that is where the design originated.

The story goes like this: A Canadian housewife took one of her husband’s woodworking tools into the kitchen and discovered that it produced light fluffy orange zest with minimal effort. By the mid-1990s, Grace Manufacturing, located in Arkansas, had created a business of turning this traditional woodworking device into a must-have kitchen tool. The line started with one zester/grater, which had a specific pattern of holes. The brand has since branched out and makes Microplane® tools of varying shapes and sizes in spice, fine, coarse, extra coarse and ultra coarse versions as well as one with a star-shaped hole, one that creates ribbons and another that they call a large shaver (which can make Parmesan curls). The company still makes woodworking tools as well.

Made from surgical stainless steel, the razor-sharp holes allow for very precise grating. The holes are so sharp that it is easy to remove just the colored zest of citrus without touching the white pith beneath, as so many classic box graters do. As Microplane® describes it, their holes are created chemically; ferric chloride etches the holes, while most graters have teeth that are stamped out and are not nearly as sharp. The sharpness of Microplane® graters allows for use with very hard as well as soft foods.

Other companies have come out with similar tools, specifically Cuisipro, which calls theirs Surface Glide Technology™ and has a patent pending. They have their own shapes and styles and the holes and grating surface areas do, indeed, look and act similarly to Microplane®.

microplane-zesters

Image: Peter Muka

While the name Microplane® is trademarked, it has become a term used generically within the culinary world to describe a grater that looks like a traditional woodworker’s rasp, and rightfully so because that is where the design originated.

The story goes like this: A Canadian housewife took one of her husband’s woodworking tools into the kitchen and discovered that it produced light fluffy orange zest with minimal effort. By the mid-1990s, Grace Manufacturing, located in Arkansas, had created a business of turning this traditional woodworking device into a must-have kitchen tool. The line started with one zester/grater, which had a specific pattern of holes. The brand has since branched out and makes Microplane® tools of varying shapes and sizes in spice, fine, coarse, extra coarse and ultra coarse versions as well as one with a star-shaped hole, one that creates ribbons and another that they call a large shaver (which can make Parmesan curls). The company still makes woodworking tools as well.

Made from surgical stainless steel, the razor-sharp holes allow for very precise grating. The holes are so sharp that it is easy to remove just the colored zest of citrus without touching the white pith beneath, as so many classic box graters do. As Microplane® describes it, their holes are created chemically; ferric chloride etches the holes, while most graters have teeth that are stamped out and are not nearly as sharp. The sharpness of Microplane® graters allows for use with very hard as well as soft foods.

Other companies have come out with similar tools, specifically Cuisipro, which calls theirs Surface Glide Technology™ and has a patent pending. They have their own shapes and styles and the holes and grating surface areas do, indeed, look and act similarly to Microplane®.

In the top image, you can see several styles. Top to bottom: a Microplane® nutmeg grater that also contains storage for the whole spice; a Cuisipro grater with an orange top; the original Microplane®; a small red-handled Microplane® spice grater; a mini Microplane® zester. Below you can see the light, fluffy orange zest created by the original Microplane® tool. Note how the orange has not been grated down to the white pith.

microplane-orange-zest

Image: Peter Muka

Bakepedia Tips

  • These tools are very sharp and should be used with care.
  • Because Microplane® tools create such light, fluffy citrus zest, the zest measures differently from zest that has been created with a traditional box grater. Some recipes will tell you what kind of grater they have used. We use Microplane® zester/graters in the Test Kitchen all the time and will state in the ingredients that we are calling for “finely grated orange zest.” Zest created with a box grater is usually coarse.

 

References

  1. http://us.microplane.com/
  2. http://cooking.cuisipro.com/
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sheet cake

sheet cake (sheet keyk) noun

Sheet-Cake

Traditionally, a large, rectangular, single-layer cake baked in a sheet pan. Sheet pans come in many sizes. The home baker would most likely use a quarter- or half-sheet pan, while a commercial bakery could use a half- or whole-sheet pan. (Whole-sheet pans will not fit in a home oven.)

  • Whole sheet pan = 26 x 18 x 1-inch
  • Half sheet pan = 18 x 13 x 1-inch
  • Quarter sheet pan = 13 x 9 ½ x 1-inch

Sheet cakes are meant to be a convenient way to serve a crowd. Once the cake is baked, it isn’t filled. It is simply topped with icing or frosting, making it easy to prepare and serve many guests.

The term sheet cake has come into colloquial usage to refer to rectangular cakes made in 13-inch x 9-inch pans (like a brownie pan, not to be confused with the 1-inch high quarter sheet pan) and also to refer to just about any large rectangular cake, sometimes even ones that are 2–layered and feature a filling. See our sheet-style Buttercream Roses Sheet Cake.

Bakepedia Tip

  • One thing that can be a challenge for the home baker is finding a platter large enough to hold the cake. An alternative is to use sturdy cardboards made for the task, which are available at craft stores or where cake decorating equipment is sold.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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molten chocolate cake

molten chocolate cake (mohl-tn chaw-kuh-lit, chokuh-, chawk-lit, chok– keyk) noun

molten-chocolate-cake

Also Lava Cake. A single-serving cake featuring an outer shell of warm, tender, dark-chocolate cake surrounding a melted, semi-liquid chocolate center. They are often unmolded, which makes cutting into the molten center more dramatic, but they are also sometimes served in the ramekins in which they are baked.

The recipe appeared in Jean-George Vongerichten’s 1998 book Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef (Broadway Books) and, indeed, he claims to have invented the recipe and his version helped popularize the dessert. (This origin seems unlikely, however, as a similar dessert called “chocolate fondant” had been made for years in Europe). The version with “molten” in the title was very popular in the 1980s in upscale restaurants, eventually spreading throughout the U.S. in many different versions as well as presented in other cookbooks. The dessert can now even be found in chain restaurants and in the freezer section of some supermarkets. Some versions are flourless and more soufflé-like; some are eggless. Others use a cake batter that naturally produces the molten center with a bit of under-baking, and some recipes add a ganache center to ensure the textural contrast. They can even be made in the microwave, as with our Microwave Molten Chocolate Cake.

Vongerichten’s original recipe contained butter, high cacao and high cocoa-butter content dark chocolate, eggs, extra yolks and a bit of sugar. The only flour used was to coat the ramekins.

Image: Flickr

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cinnamon

cinnamon ([sinuh-muhn) noun

cinnamon

Spice made from the bark of trees in the Lauraceae family. There are several types of trees in this family that yield a cinnamon spice; the most commonly found in supermarkets in the U.S. is Cinnamomum cassia, also known as Chinese cinnamon. There are, however, several cassia types:

  • Cinnomum cassia or Cinnamomum aromaticum – Strongly aromatic, but also sweet and warm; slightly bitter and astringent compared to Ceylon cinnamon (below). Often the mildest of the cassia.
  • Cinnamomum verum or zeylanicum – Ceylon Cinnamon, also called “true “ cinnamon and often used for medicinal purposes. The flavor is complex, sweet, but mild with no bitterness or astringency. Some detect a hint of citrus. These quills are very soft and grind very readily in a home spice mill.
  • Cinnamomum burmanii – Indonesian Cinnamon, also referred to as KorintjeThe most aromatic, with only marginal bitterness or astringency. Not as complex as Ceylon. This type of cassia is what is most often ground and sold commercially to home bakers. It would be considered the “standard” used in most Western baking applications. This variation has strong, stiff quills and is often used in stick form in cooking as well as in crafts. Perfect as a stirrer in mulled cider.
  • Cinnamomum loureiroi or loureirii  – Vietnamese or Saigon cinnamon. Strongest of the different types – intensely sweet and hot. This is due to the high concentrations of essential oil, up to 7%, which is the highest of all the cinnamons.

Cinnamomum verum or zeylanicum is ”true” cinnamon. Any type that is not verum/zelanocum is a cassia. Although cassia and cinnamon are not the same, they are usually both referred to as “cinnamon” and are somewhat interchangeable.

cinnamon sticks

Image: Wikimedia Commons

This spice is most commonly sold ground and in stick (or quill) form, but can also be found in chunks. The sticks are actually the inner bark of the tree that has been rolled, pressed and dried. Ceylon cinnamon on the left shows the soft, layered quills. Cassia cinnamon on the right shows the hard, stiff quills.

The spice does contain coumarin, which is toxic in high doses, mostly affecting the liver. Cassia contain up to 5% while Ceylon or “true” cinnamon contains only trace amounts, typically less than 0.5%. Neither is considered a risk when used for typical culinary purposes. Norwegian researchers established a new Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for coumarin of 0.07 mg per kg of bodyweight per day.

Read more about safety at DigitalJournal.

Another source states that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) established (TDI) of 0.1 mg/kg body weight according to this University of Mississippi study of April 2013.

 

References

1. Frontier Coop

2. The Spice House

3. Gernot-Katzers

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7-minute frosting

7-minute frosting (sevuhmin-it fraw-sting, fros-ting) noun

7-minute-frosting

Also seven-minute frosting or icing. Cooked, egg-white-based frosting that is bright white with a marshmallow quality. It can be found in many old cookbooks – it is a classic American recipe – and the name references the approximate amount of time it takes to beat the frosting over a water bath until stiff and spreadable. The recipe typically includes egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar and vanilla. 7-minute frosting is essentially a cooked meringue.

 

Bakepedia Tips

  • If you only have a hand-held mixer, then making 7-minute frosting as it is classically presented – beating while standing at the stove – is a fine option. We prefer to make a version using cooked sugar syrup, and to take advantage of a stand mixer to do most of the work. See our Fluffy White Frosting recipe.

Image: Dédé Wilson

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fluted baking cups

fluted baking cups (floo-tid beyk-ing kuhps) noun

fluted-baking-cups

Also fluted paper wrappers. Paper wrappers for baked goods. These baking cups come in standard and mini sizes to fit within standard and mini muffin/cupcake tins. You can use them to bake items inside or to place baked items within for serving. They also come in extra-small sizes that are used for truffles and candies. While all sizes have vertical flutes or grooves along the edges, most baking cups have a flat, straight top edge, while others are gently scalloped, which can be seen in the image.  While they are referred to as paper, they also come in foil. Colors can be solid or patterned. It is easy to find holiday-themed patterns as well.

In the image you can see that some cups are fluted more tightly and the sides are quite vertical, while others splay out a bit. Once they are placed inside tins for baking, this doesn’t make a difference. If, however, you are using them to present baked goods, there is a definite aesthetic difference and you should take this into account. The one with the blue stripes is an example of a mini size, while the red cup to the right of it on the same row is an example of a smaller candy cup. The larger ones towards the back of the image are all standard size.

 

Bakepedia Tips

  • We have noticed that when using foil baking cups that they conduct heat more than the paper ones and can dry out your muffins or cupcakes. Check your baking times, as they might need to be shortened. Also note that a typical golf ball/ping pong ball sized cake ball fits in the mini size for a decorative serving embellishment.

Image: Dédé Wilson

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tulip baking cups

tulip baking cups (too-lip, tyoobeyk-ing kuhps) noun

tulip baking cups empty

Also tulip paper wrappers. Decorative paper wrappers for baked goods. Tulip baking cups are an attractive, alternative to the more traditional fluted paper wrappers for your muffins and cupcakes and are used the same way – you place them in your muffin/cupcake tins prior to pouring in the batter; they are not meant to be used freestanding. They are extra deep compared to fluted baking cups and tend to come in solid colors. Fluted wrappers are about 1¼-inches in depth, while tulip baking cups are about 2½-inches measured for area within which you place your batter (which should be about three-quarters full). The tulips, with their uneven top, reach to 4-inches, but that isn’t usable space).

Tulip wrappers were first seen and became popular in bakeries and other commercial applications, but are now readily available to the home baker, although mostly online such as from King Arthur Flour.

 

Bakepedia Tips

  • We love tulip cups for the aesthetic they bring. Note that they allow you to fill each paper with more batter than a more traditional fluted paper wrapper, so you might end up with a lower yield of muffins or cupcakes and your baking times might be a few minutes longer. You can see them in use in our Gingerbread Muffins.

Image: Dédé Wilson

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pecan

pecan (pi-kahn, –kan, pee-kan) noun

different types of pecan

Image: Peter Muka

Carya illinoinensis. A tall hickory tree, typically 70 to 100 feet, cultivated for its deep-brown, oval, smooth-shelled edible nuts, known as pecans. The pecan tree is native to the U.S., grows in over a dozen states and can also be found in Australia, Israel, Mexico, South America and South Africa. Over 80 percent of the crop is produced in the U.S. and American commercial propagation of pecans dates back to the 1880s.1

The word “pecan” is an Algonquin Native American word that was used to describe “all nuts requiring a stone to crack.”  Indeed, pecans are not easy to shell and most for culinary uses are purchased ready-to-use. They most often come in halves or pieces. When buying halves, they are graded into sizes: mammoth, extra large, large, medium, small and midget. 1

The image above shows pecan halves on the left. In the center are chopped pecans and on the right are finely chopped pecans. Below is an image of pecans in their shell.

Pecans in shell

Image: California Pecan Growers

Pecans are used in many classic baked goods, such as pecan pie, pralines, spiced pecans, butter pecan ice cream and pecan sandie cookies.

 

References

1.  ILovePecans.org

 

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frangipane

frangipane (fran-juh-peyn) noun

frangipane

Also frangipani. A blend of almonds (usually blanched), sugar, butter and egg, all of which are sometimes further enhanced with almond extract, flour or other ingredients. It resembles thick almond custard.

Frangipane is named after 16th century Italian nobleman Marquis Muzio Frangipani, who invented a bitter almond-scented fragrance that was used to perfume gloveswhile he was living in Paris. French pastry chefs were inspired and invented the recipe, which became a classic.1 Some sources claim that the actual perfume he invented was added to the culinary mixture, further enhancing the aromas and flavors.2

Some recipes begin with finely ground almonds and in this case, the texture of the nuts often remains identifiable. Other times, the recipe uses smooth almond paste for a smooth result.

Frangipane can be used in a variety of ways. It is the classic filling for the French Pithivier and can be found in croissants or as a base for tarts (see it used in our Pear Frangipane Tart. It is very easy to make frangipane from scratch.

 

References

  1. The Pastry Chef’s Companion, by Glenn and Laura Rinsky (Wiley, 2009).
  2. Food.com
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poach

poach (pohch) verb

poach pears

A technique used to cook ingredients in hot liquid (water, stock, wine or a flavored stock, either sweet or savory). The ingredient to be cooked, whether it is a fruit, vegetable or a protein, is cooked in barely simmering water until done.

Poaching is considered a fairly gentle cooking technique. Poaching liquid, which retains some of the flavor from the cooked food item, can be discarded or is sometimes used in other parts of a recipe to take advantage of the residual flavors (see Pear Frangipane Tart).

Obviously, water will not lend any flavor to the cooking item; flavored liquids will, and you can use this to your advantage by adding spices, for instance.

Image: Dédé Wilson

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plantain

plantain (plan-tin, -tn) noun

Plantain

Also cooking bananas or cooking plantains. A fruit similar to a dessert banana that is larger in size with firmer flesh. Plantains are commonly used as a starchy vegetable in cooking and are frequently found in African and West Indian recipes in soups, stews, side dishes or desserts. They peel like a banana and have a similar creamy, yellow flesh, although plantains will often show a hint of pink as well.

When plantain skin is green, the flesh is very firm and suitable for frying either as is or as part of a fritter. When the skin blackens, the flesh is ripe and best used as a dessert – grilled, baked or fried. Plantains are eaten cooked more often than raw; if you want to sample one raw, make sure the skin is completely black.

Image: Melissa’s

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Poire William liqueur

Poire William liqueur (pwar William li-kur or, esp. British, –kyoor; French lee-kœr)

Poire William liqueur

 

A pear-flavored eau de vie (colorless brandy) made with Bartlett pears, which are also referred to as Williams pears in Europe. Some bottles contain a whole pear inside, which is accomplished by placing the empty bottle over the pear at the beginning of its growth cycle while it is very small, and allowing it mature inside the bottle. It is typically high in alcohol at 40% or 80 proof. Here is a video of how the pear grows in the bottle.
massenez-william-pear-40-700ml

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tart ring

tart ring (tahrt ring) noun

tart-rings

Also flan ring. A ring usually made from tinned steel or stainless steel used to form a tart on a sheet pan. Tart rings are typically 5/8-inch to 1 inch in height with rolled edges. They do not have a bottom, as some tart pans do, so they must be used in combination with a flat pan, upon which the bottom of your tart crust will rest. They can be round or other shapes, but are still referred to as rings. They come in all sizes, including small 3- to 4-inch individual sizes, as seen in bottom image. Immediately below you can see what a fruit tart looks like unmolded.

custard-fruit-tart

4-inch-tart-rings

Images: Dédé Wilson

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trifle

trifle (trahy-fuhl; try-full) noun

trifle

An English dessert typically comprised of layers of cake sprinkled with alcohol (often sherry, white wine, brandy or a liqueur), pastry cream (or custard), whipped cream and jam, jelly or fresh fruit. The individual ingredients are layered separately on top of one another in a trifle bowl so that you can see each item. The image above is of our Gingerbread Trifle.

Italian cuisine has a similar dessert called zuppa Inglese (English soup), and the English trifle is also somewhat related to the Spanish bizcocho boracho. In England, this dessert is sometimes called tipsy cake, tipsy pudding, tipsy parson or a few other derivations.The dessert has remained popular due to its decadent flavor, but also because it is a great way to use cake that might be stale. Some recipes suggest even using older cake, biscuits or some other base along with the alcohol, custard and fruit.2

Bakepedia Tips

It is easy to create a trifle without a recipe. Review our Tip, How to Make a Trifle.

References

  1. What’sCookinginAmerica.net
  2. Fare of the Country: English Trifle – Serious Dessert 
  3. Paston-Williams, Sara. Traditional Puddings, The National Trust 2002.

Image: Sam Jackson

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eau de vie

eau de vie (ohduh vee; English oh duh vee) noun

eau-de-vie

Also eau-de-vie or eaux-de-vie. The French term literally meaning “water of life,” referring to a clear fruit brandy made from fruit other than grapes. The term eau-de-vie was coined in the 1200s by alchemist Arnaud de Ville-Neuve. 1

You can easily find eau de vie made from apples, berries and other stone fruits. 2 It is occasionally made from grapes, however, then referred to as eaux-de-vie de vin.

The fruit is fermented and distilled, sometimes double-distilled, and is typically not aged in wooden casks, leaving the beverage clear. Some distillers do age their formula, however. The flavor is highly alcoholic with a dry fruit essence; they are typically 40% or 80 proof and imbibed as a digestif.

Some famous eau de vie are Hungarian Barack Palinka, made from apricots; Kirsh or kirshwasser from Switzerland, based on cherries and used in the famous Zuger Kirschtorte as well as in classic cheese fondue; poire Williams is pear-flavored and made in Germany, Switzerland and Alsace, France.

 

References

  1. Exposition Universelle des Vins & Spiritueux
  2. The Drink Shop

Image: Dédé Wilson

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gold leaf

gold leaf (gohld leef) noun

gold leaf-1

Gold that is .3- to .5-microns thin and sold in sheets. In order for gold to be safe enough for ingestion, it must be at least 23 karats. Twenty-four-karat gold is pure, but very soft in this state. (This is also why most jewelry is 14k or 18k and rarely 24k.) When gold is less than 24k, it has been combined with other alloys, such as silver, copper or other alloys (which is fine for jewelry), but for food it must only be mixed with silver leaf, which is also edible.

Gold leaf is not digested, per se. It is inert and passes through your digestive system without being absorbed and is considered safe at 23k. Both Europeans and the Japanese have century-old traditions of using gold with food as an embellishment.1 Goldschläger (cinnamon schnapps) is a commonly available alcohol that has gold leaf suspended within.

Image: Peter Muka

Bakepedia Tips

  • Gold leaf is sold in packages of usually 20 to 25 sheets that are just under 4-inches square and can be found through artist-supply stores. It can also be found in flakes, which can be shaken onto drinks or desserts. Try little specks of gold on chocolate truffles or in our Champagne Gelée.

References

  1. Ediblegold.com

 

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