Easter, Passover, Eggs, and Rabbit

Nary to say one would be hard pressed to for another time of the year that has more of a solid relationship with food than Easter and Passover. 

What is the first thing you might think of when you think of Easter?  Eggs!  Why are eggs so associated to Easter?  Easter occurs in the Spring time of each year. Spring time is known as a season of rebirth after a cold, dreary winter.   Eggs have traditionally been associated with rebirth of life.  In addition, Christian view Easter as a rebirth of the religious philosphy and the rebirth of Christ.  There is no other food that is more symbolized with rebirth than that of the egg.

Passover also occurs around Easter time.  While the Jewish religion does not hold the same philosphical premises as Christians, Passover celebrates a rebirth - indirectly.  Passover celebrates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - the end of slavery of the Jews by the Egyptians - a rebirth of their freedom.  This can be another symbolism of why eggs are so traditional during this time of the year.

The next item that is closely associated with Easter is the rabbit.  The relationship of the rabbit to Easter is as much of a pagan symbol of Easter as the Christmas treee is to Christmas.  The rabbit is a extraordinarily fertile animal.  This is yet another symbolism of the season of Spring whereas the environment sees a fertile rebirth - leaves are sprouting from the trees, flowers are growing, the brown grass is growing beautifully green. The Pennsylvania Dutch imported the Easter Hare who delivered colored eggs to the good children, effectively combining the rabbit with eggs, creating the Easter Rabbit.

As a connoisseur of food history and a person who always looks for patterns and symbolism, I found it very intriguing of the relationship of Easter, Passover, Eggs, and Rabbit.  As a person who was raised a Christian I very much enjoy participating in a Passover Seder.  If you have not participated in a Passover Seder, at least once, I encourage you to put it on your bucket list - you will learn so very much.

Glazed Ham

Ham has a documented history in the United States to our first president, George Washington.  Mrs. Washington meticulously supervised the preparation of the hams that were prepared to be serviced to many different guests at Mount Vernon.  Of all the food produced at Mount Vernon it is said that Martha was “especially proud of her hams.  President Washington's slaves were involved in the slaughtering, butchering, and smoking hogs.  The time table for their efforts was December and January.  The pork meat was cooked over a fire pit in the smokehouse to preserve it for eating during the coming year. After smoking, the meat was aged and stored in the smokehouse.

There is minimal published in the history books of how glazing ham began.  Glazing a ham gives it an attractive brown color, enhances the flavor, and keeps it from drying out during baking. Recipes for ham glazes can be found in cookbooks, online or even in the packaging along with the ham. However, many cooks choose to mix glazes from ingredients at hand or to invent their own unique recipes.

Glazing ham has been done for many years. Recipes for basting ham loafs with glaze appeared in publications like local newspapers in the 1940s. Ham is one of the traditional dishes served at holidays like Easter and Christmas.Slow cooking the meat and adding a glaze provides flavoring to the ham.

A little bit of Ham Trivia

Country Ham or Country-Style Ham - This is a dry-cured ham. The ham is hand rubbed with salt, sugar and nitrate; packed in the curing ingredients and usually smoked. A country ham is much drier than injected-cured hams and has a sharper flavored due to its high salt content.

Picnic Ham is a cut of pork from the upper part of the foreleg and includes a portion of the shoulder. By definition, it is not a true ham (Ham is cut from the hind leg). However, the Picnic Ham is cured in the same manner as ham, giving it a ham-like flavor.

Some ham fanatics, excuse me, epicures, look for the ham made from the left leg of a pig, as it is more tender than the right leg. Why, you ask? Well, a pig scratches himself with his right leg, which uses the muscles more often, so the meat will be tougher. (Really strange ham lovers would have to observe the pig before slaughter to be sure it isn't left footed!)

The Hormel Company of Austin, Minnesota sold the first canned ham in 1926.

Chicago artist Dwight Kalb made a statue of Madonna from 180 pounds of ham.

A ham is the rear leg of a hog, usually preserved by salting, smoking or drying, or a combination of these methods. Fresh hams are also available.  In the U.S. pork shoulders are frequently processed into hams and marketed as picnic hams, shoulder hams, etc.

Ham is one of the oldest meats of civilized man, although Larousse Gastronomique claims that the salting and smoking of pork to produce ham is a French invention.

Hams are produced by almost every country in the world. Here are the names of some of the better known hams of the world: Smithfield, prosciutto, Westphalian, Parma, Virginia, Kentucky, Country, Canned, Bayonne, York, Mainz, Prague, Asturias, Toulouse, Dijon, Black Forest, Bohemian, Serrano, presunto, Bradenham, Estremadura, Prazska sunks, and szynka.

Mainz ham is a German ham that is brined, soaked in brandy or wine lees (or a mixture of both) and then smoked for a long period.

National Vanilla Ice Cream Day

Whether enjoyed on its own or smothered in hot fudge, vanilla remains the nation's most popular flavor of ice cream, according to the International Dairy Foods Association. So if you love vanilla, today is your day to celebrate  National Vanilla Ice Cream Day.  You can read more about ice cream history here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_cream
Although no one has been credited with the invention of ice cream, we do know that its origins date as far back as the second century B.C. Today, ice cream is a more than $21 billion industry in the U.S.

Want the "scoop" on vanilla ice cream? Here are five fun facts:

1. 12 pounds of milk is needed to make one gallon of ice cream.
2. Vanilla ice cream was served to immigrants arriving at Ellis Island as part of their "Welcome to America" meal.
3. Madagascar grows 80 percent of the vanilla beans used in ice cream production around the world.
4. The difference between French vanilla and traditional vanilla ice cream? French vanilla contains egg yolks, which is why it has a more yellow appearance than traditional vanilla.

National Penuche Day

What is Penuche?

Penuche is basically a fudge flavor made from brown sugar, butter, and milk. A fudge is homemade candy, and very simple to make.  Penuche fudge contains no chocolated, but instead has a golden brown color and a caramel flavor (as it is made with brown sugar). It is known as one of the three distinct varieties of fudge, with the other 2 being chocolate and white fudge (also known as "blond" fudge). Anyone can make fudge. It uses only flavor of vanilla. Penuche color is lighter than regular fudge. It is made by the caramelization of brown sugar and so its taste is similar to the reminiscent of caramel. Variety of nuts can be added as per the taste especially pecans. It is a chief regional food of New England and some places United States also. But it is more difficult to prepare the traditional chocolate fudge.

History of Penuche

The exact origins of National Penuche Day are not known. However, penuche itself is said to date back to the turn of the 20th centure. It was most widespread in the early to mid 1900's and its popularity has waned along with the decline of home candy-making.  The exact origins of National Penuche Day are not known. However, penuche itself is said to date back to the turn of the 20th century. It was most widespread in the early to mid 1900's and its popularity has waned along with the decloine of home candy maiking.

Recipe of Penuche

Tales of recipe
Nowadays, it has become common in some places to add maple syrup to the recipe for penuche fudge. Some confectioners name this as "maple syrup penuche fudge." This new recipe is gaining popularity. Penuche is also liked as a boiled icing flavor. It used to be very popular in Hawaii where the name was given as “Panocha.” It was commonly used as topping for prune cake. Other names for Penuche are Noochie and creamy praline fudge.

Ingredients required

Ingredients to cook a penuche are:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup water (or milk, cream, or evaporated milk if desired)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup nutmeats
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Procedure
•Slowly stir the brown sugar until it is dissolved.
•Add water and salt to the dissolved sugar.
•Boil brown sugar, water, and salt without stirring to form soft balls Add butter.
•Place saucepan containing the candy mixture in cold water.
•When saucepan is cooled, beat the candy until smoothens.
•Add vanilla and nutmeats.
•Pour candy on wax paper or oiled pan and cut into squares.
•It is good in taste and lighter tan regular fudge.

National Junk Food Day

Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value (i.e. containing “empty calories” – which means the food is loaded with calories and provide little or no other nutrients); to products with nutritional value, but also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all. The term was coined by Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in 1972.


Junk foods are typically ready-to-eat convenience foods containing high levels of saturated fats, salt, or sugar, and little or no fruit, vegetables, or dietary fiber; and are considered to have little or no health benefits. Common junk foods include salted snack foods like chips (crisps), candy, gum, most sweet desserts, fried fast food and carbonated beverages (sodas) as well as alcoholic beverages. High-sugar cereals are also classified as junk food.

"Only in recent years have taste receptors been identified. One of the first breakthroughs in taste research came in 1974 with the realization that the tongue map was essentially a century-old misunderstanding that no one challenged. Wine glasses are said to cater to this arrangement. The tongue map is easy enough to prove wrong at home. Place salt on the tip of your tongue. You'll taste salt. For reasons unknown, scientists never bothered to dispute this inconvenient truth," wrote Christopher Wanjek in LiveScience.com.

Did you know that the average American eats about 25 pounds of candy per year? What’s more, each American will consume about 45 slices of pizza annually. Now that’s a lot of sweet and salty goodness!

A report published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology suggests that babies of mothers with a high-sugar and high-fat diet while pregnant are more prone to junk food themselves. The study was conducted on rats and suggests that "infants whose mothers eat excessive amounts of high-fat, high-sugar junk foods when pregnant or breastfeeding are likely to have a greater preference for these foods later in life."

A 2008 report suggests that mothers who eat junk food while pregnant or breast-feeding have children who are more prone to obesity. The children are also more prone to diabetes, raised cholesterol, and high blood fat.

A study by Paul Johnson and Paul Kenny at The Scripps Research Institute suggested that junk food consumption alters brain activity in a manner similar to addictive drugs like cocaine or heroin. After many weeks on a junk food diet, the pleasure centers of rat brains became desensitized, requiring more food for pleasure. After the junk food was taken away and replaced with a healthy diet, the rats starved for two weeks instead of eating nutritious fare. A 2007 British Journal of Nutrition study found that mothers who eat junk food during pregnancy increased the likelihood of unhealthy eating habits in their children.

National Creme Brulee Day

Crème brûlée also known as burnt cream, crema catalana, or Trinity cream is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. It is normally served cold. The custard base is traditionally flavored with vanilla, but is also sometimes flavored with lemon or orange (zest), rosemary, chocolate, coffee, liqueurs, or other fruit.

The exact origins are uncertain. The origins of crème brûlée (pronounced krehm broo-LAY) are very much in contention, with the English, Spanish, and French all staking claim. The Spanish have taken credit for this sensuous custard as "crema catalana" since the eighteenth century, while the English claim it originated in seventeenth-century Britain, where it was known as "burnt cream" and the English school boys at Cambridge demanded it. It apparently wasn't until the end of the nineteenth century that common usage of the French translation came into vogue, putting it on the map from Paris to Le Cirque in New York City. Its wide recognition today seems to have given the French credit for inventing crème brûlée. 

The earliest known reference of crème brûlée as we know it today appears in François Massialot's 1691 cookbook,and the French name was used in the English translation of this book, but the 1731 edition of Massialot's Cuisinier roial et bourgeois changed the name of the same recipe from "crème brûlée" to "crème anglaise". In the early eighteenth century, the dessert was called "burnt cream" in English.

Crème Brûlée is a French term for what the English refer to as Burnt Cream. The word brulee refers to dishes, such as custards, finished with a sugar glaze.

This simple custard is cooked and cooled. A small amount of sugar is sprinkled on the top of the cooled custard and the sugar is caramelized using a small torch or beneath a broiler.

This classic custard inherits its' delicate flavor from the simple mixture of cream and eggs. Traditional creme brulee does not use any additional flavorings such as vanilla.

The recipe here is an old creme brulee recipe that dates back to 1909. It was taken from The Ocklye Cookery Book by Eleanor L. Jenkinson.

In Britain, a version of crème brûlée (known locally as 'Trinity Cream' or 'Cambridge burnt cream') was introduced at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1879 with the college arms "impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron". The story goes that the recipe was from an Aberdeenshire country house and was offered by an undergraduate to the college cook, who turned it down. However, when the student became a Fellow, he managed to convince the cook.

Crema catalana (Catalan 'Catalan cream'), crema cremada (Catalan 'Burnt cream') or crema de Sant Josep, is a Catalan dish similar to crème brûlée. It is traditionally served on Saint Joseph's Day, March 19, although nowadays it is consumed at all times of year. The custard is flavored with lemon or orange zest, and cinnamon. The sugar in crema catalana is traditionally caramelized under an iron broiler, never with a flame.

Crema catalana has inspired some other Catalan dishes, including Torró de crema,consumed during Christmas time, and crema catalana liqueur.

Crème brûlée flambée

Crème brûlée is usually served in individual ramekins. Discs of caramel may be prepared separately and put on top just before serving, or the caramel may be formed directly on top of the custard, immediately before serving. To do this, sugar is sprinkled onto the custard, then caramelized under a broiler/salamander, with a butane torch (or similar), or by flambéing a hard liquor on it.

Traditional Creme Brulee Recipe

I N G R E D I E N T S
2 1/2 cups heavy cream or 1 1/4 cups heavy cream and 1 1/4 cups light cream
4 large egg yolks, well beaten
1/4 to 1/3 cup superfine sugar*

I N S T R U C T I O N S
Bring cream to a boil, and boil about 30 seconds. Pour it immediately into the egg yolks and whisk them together. Return the mixture to the pan and continue cooking without allowing it to boil. Stir the mixture until it thickens and coats the spoon. Pour the mixture into a shallow baking dish. Refrigerate overnight.

Two hours before the meal, sprinkle the chilled cream with the sugar in an even layer and place it under a broiler preheated to the maximum temperature. The sugar will caramelize to a sheet of brown smoothness. You may need to turn the dish in the grill to achieve an even effect. It is important that this step be done very quickly in order to keep the custard cold and firm and the top crisp and brown.

*The custard in this recipe does not call for sugar. The sweetness is derived from the burnt sugar crust.
Serving size - 4 to 6

The Best Caramelizing Sugar
We tested several types of sugar including superfine, brown sugar, as well as granulated sugar.  Each type worked well but  we liked the flavor of the brown sugar the best. 

You can also purchased flavored caramelizing sugar  which add a delicate hint of flavor to the topping.

July is Lasagna Awareness Month

“Lasagna” is derived from the Greek lasanon, which means “chamber pot.” The Romans borrowed the word to refer to cooking pots of a similar shape, and eventually the word came to be used to refer to the noodles which were traditionally layered in a lasanum, a Roman lasagna dish. Many people are unaware of the humble origins of the name for this popular Italian food, which means that you can trot it out at your next dinner party and look impressive.

There are three theories on the origin of lasagna, two of which denote an ancient Greek dish. The main theory is that lasagna comes from Greek laganon, a flat sheet of pasta dough cut into strips. The word agana is still used in Greek to mean a flat thin type of unleavened bread.


The other theory is that the word lasagna comes from the Greek lasana or lasanon meaning "trivet or stand for a pot", "chamber pot". The Romans borrowed the word as "lasanum", meaning "cooking pot" in Latin.[9] The Italians used the word to refer to the dish in which lasagna is made. Later the name of the food took on the name of the serving dish.

A third theory has been suggested that the dish is a development of the 14th century English recipe "Loseyn" as described in The Forme of Cury, a cook book in use during the reign of Richard II. This claim has been made due to the similarities in both the method described in building the dish and the two names. However this theory remains contentious as it can be argued that tomatoes are a fundamental ingredient of Lasagna. These did not arrive in Europe until after Columbus reached America in 1492 (The earliest discussion of the tomato in European literature appeared in an herbal written in 1544 by Pietro Andrea Mattioli, while the earliest discovered cookbook with tomato recipes was published in Naples in 1692, though the author had apparently obtained these recipes from Spanish sources.

Lasagna, one of the most celebrated of the Italian food staples, has a long and luxorious history. The term "lasagna" comes from the Greek word, "lasagnum," meaning dish or bowl. The ancient Greeks used baking dishes of that name, which they eventually transferred to the Romans. The Romans, who ended up using the same style of dish, also developed a type of food which they used the term "lasagnum" for: it was served in said dish, with layers of a pasta-like food with other fillings in-between. With the extent of the Roman empire, this new "lasagnum" dish spread all across Europe, eventually reaching Britain, where it was published in the very first cookbook.

After remaining dormant for many decades, the early form of lasagna once again surfaced. The early Italians changed the name from "lasagnum," to "lasagna," which is the current form. Over the years, the word "lasagna" began to change definitions; the word previously referred to the serving dish it was baked in, but began to simply mean the delicious pasta meal in the dish itself. In modern cooking terms, it now means layers of thin pasta, with meat, cheese, and tomato sauce squeezed in between. Lasagna sure has come a long way.   Now Lasagna has become a staple comfort food globally.

references
http://hershey.kucdweb.com/lasagna/html/history.html
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-lasagne.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lasagna