Monday, August 8, 2011

Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes

Expectation: That the bold color of beets would create a beautiful cupcake.

Lucky for me, one of my new friends here in Seattle is a big fan of cupcakes, and a skilled baker. I don't have much cupcake experience, so I turned to her for some help. Our first task was an all-time favorite: red velvet.

Red velvet cake has an interesting, somewhat debated history. The Wikipedia entry claims that cake bakers have always used food coloring to achieve that deep, blood-red color. But, it points out three other culprits for the color: the reaction of vinegar with buttermilk, natural (not processed with alkaline) cocoa, and boiled beets. Even if beets were never the true reason behind the red, I do think it's a fun way to use them, so we gave it a try!

Another debated characteristic of red velvet cake is the flavor. It can be found in either chocolate or vanilla. We tried both. I pulled together a couple beet cupcake recipes, and we came up with a plan for a chocolate version and a non-chocolate version.


Pictured above is our tasting set up once the cupcakes were completed. We had looked up the flavor affinities of beets in the amazing Flavor Bible, and found, among others; goat cheese, citrus, honey and maple. We then made up four versions of frosting based on these affinities. Then, we tasted each version cupcake with each version frosting.

I don't want to give away my secrets, but all I can say is that these cupcakes were good! We had no trouble finishing every last one, and we have come up with an AMAZING treat which is definitely going on my menu. Can't wait for you to taste it!

Vegetables in Bread?

Expectation: That vegetables make baked goods moist and delicious!

Each time we get a CSA delivery from New Roots Organics, I think about what tasty baked goods I can come up with using their delicious local produce. Therefore, one goal of my business is to partner with a local farm or CSA. One delivery, we got both carrots and summer squash. I wanted to see what sort of flavor I could get with each of these, so I decided to puree them and make them into simple breads. I also bought a can of pumpkin (it's not pumpkin season), and did the same.

Here are the purees (carrots left, squash center, pumpkin right):


And here are the resulting mini-loaves (squash left, carrot center, pumpkin right):


I was amazed at the flavor I got from the squash and carrot puree. The squash was creamy, thick and just plain "squashy". The carrot was intense and spicy. The pumpkin, however, did not have too much flavor. I'm guessing this is why it is typically heavily spiced; it provides moistness while up taking on the flavor of your favorite spices. I'm curious to see if I get more flavor from fresh pumpkin, once autumn rolls around.

Do any of these sound like breads you would try? The next step is to figure out what form (muffin, bread, scone) will best showcase these flavors, and what other tasty ingredients I can add to enhance the nutrition and taste!

Perfecting the Recipes

Expectation: That I won't be able to make money off of any old recipe.

I've always tried a lot of recipes that don't make it onto this blog, but now that I've made the decision to sell my baked goods, it's time to extremely picky.

Over the last month, I've spent a lot of time thinking about my vision, and how I can differentiate from the competition. According to my research, there are very few bakeries out there who use solely whole grains. Although this has been the focus of my blog, I think my business will go one step further with the addition of nuts, fruit and even veggies. I want to focus on local produce, and truly celebrate whole, real foods.

So, it's time to get baking!

My goal is to have at least ten recipes in which I feel really confident and go from there. These ten need to cover different taste preferences (chocolaty, fruity, grainy, light and fluffy), while showcasing the four ingredient groups that I'll be featuring (whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruits). Also, in the past I've posted other people's recipes word for word, but I don't feel great about putting a price tag on somebody else's concoction. Therefore, I'm going to create recipes that are all my own.

Needless to say, there's a lot of eating going on around here. I've sufficiently pawned off a ton of stuff on nearby friends, and have gotten some great feedback. But, once I've refined my top 10 recipes, it's diet time for me!

Perfecting the recipes is the fun part. The not-fun part is all of the paperwork, permits, applications and finances. As long as I keep my eyes on the prize, I think I'll stay motivated. Stay tuned for all of that!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Berries: Even healthier than you thought!

Expectation: That berries were like other fruits - tasty, but with a high GI.

My monthly GI Newsletter (published by the folks at www.glycemicindex.com) brought some good news this month: most berries have a low GI! To subscribe to the newsletter, click here.

Here is an excerpt of the article:


Get the Scoop with Emma Stirling

The scoop on berries

Emma Stirling
Emma Stirling APD

Strawberries and cream may be a perfect match, but there are so many better ways to reap the health benefits of berries. From delicate raspberries to tart cranberries, there’s a variety to please every meal, snack or drink, not just dessert.

Apart from strawberries (GI 40), most berries actually have so little carbohydrate content it’s difficult to test their GI. Their low carbohydrate content means their glycemic load will also be low, so you really can enjoy them by the bowlful without concerns about their blood glucose impact.

For the rest of the article, including some recipes, click here and scroll down.

BERRY PUDDING

Photo credit : 'Berry Pudding', Ian Hofstetter, The Low GI Vegetarian Cookbook

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