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Friday, February 2, 2007
Life with a grain of sugar is a whole lot sweeter
I am going to get straight to the point because what I am about to say is incredibly serious business: sink into moist, chewy, chocolatestudded blondie bars. Before you raise an eyebrow at me, I’ll admit these delightful treats may not be at the top of everyone’s priority list, but they sure are wonderful comfort food. So why deny such a mood uplifting companion? Speaking of friends, we all are familiar with the expression, “the more the merrier,” so why not top your blondie bar(s) with a large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, and while you’re sifting through your fridge, you shouldn’t neglect your fudge sauce. The bottom right corner of the fridge door shelf is my “red roped” area. It’s where my pecan caramel sauce (thank you Tennessee purveyors for this glorious creation) and bittersweet chocolate fudge reside. Naturally, no one is more pleased than myself with such sweet tenants. Ahhh… indulgence, isn’t it grand? While we’re on the topic of sugars, you ought to be thinking: there are many varieties of sweeteners — so from me to you, here is a guide to all that is sweet. Sugar was once considered a luxury reserved only for the elite upper-class who could afford it, but today it is inexpensive and plentiful. Sources of sugar varieties come from sugar canes and sugar beets. It is offered in many forms: granulated white, brown and confectioner’s. Sugar not only adds sweetness, but also tenderness and stability to doughs and mixes. It also helps develop the golden-brown colour you see in baked goods. Granulated (white) sugar: As the workhorse of the kitchen, it is the most common, all-purpose sugar. It contains 99 per cent sucrose. It has been refined and stripped of most of its original flavour and colour while being processed. Confectioner’s/powdered/icing sugar: Whatever you decide to call it, this fine powdery sugar is actually granulated sugar crushed to a fine consistency. In addition, cornstarch is added to confectioner’s sugar to keep the powder flowing and prevent clumps. This sugar readily blends with liquids to a smooth, silky consistency, which is why it is preferred for making icings and decorations. Brown sugar: It’s produced by crystallizing evaporated cane juice then purifying it slightly. Light and dark brown sugars bring a rich, distinctive taste with a hint of caramel flavour, and contain 85-98 per cent sucrose. If you substitute brown for white sugar, your baked goods will be moister. You may have noticed other strands of brown sugar at the supermarket: Demerara: Medium brown in colour, this sugar is coarsely ground and provides a crunchy texture with a mild molasses flavour. It is great to decorate cookies with, add to coffee or use as a crunchy topping to pies and fruit crumbles or crisps. Dark Muscovado (or Barbados): This type of sugar contains a lot of molasses. It has a
Navigate yourself to a grocery store, become one with the ingredients and create this scrumptious dish. If you only try one recipe this term — let this be it! rich, naturally dark colour. The moist texture of the sugar works well in gingerbread, cookies or chocolate cake recipes. Turbinado: Light/golden brown, this distinctive sugar is large-grained. It has a honey-like flavour and can be used for general baking or used as a crunchy topping for desserts like crème brulee, for breakfast on oatmeal or in coffee. Unrefined dehydrated cane sugar: Made by extracting and then dehydrating (or crystallizing) cane juice, thereby preserving most of the original flavour, colour and nutrients. It contains about 85-95 per cent sucrose. In terms of ranks in healthier sugars, this one is near the top because it has gone through the least amount of processing. This full-flavoured sweetener can be substituted equally with granulated sugar. Molassses: When sugar is refined, the syrup that remains after the sucrose has been crystallized from cane juice is molasses. Sixtyfive per cent as sweet as sugar, this thick, dark, full-flavoured syrup comes in several forms. Light molasses is created from the first boiling of the cane, dark molasses from the second and blackstrap from the third. As you would have guessed, each time the cane is boiled, the resulting product becomes richer, darker in colour and less sweet. While lacking sweetness, molasses makes up for it with high quantities of minerals like iron and calcium. Maple syrup and maple sugar: One of the food hallmarks of Canada, this pure natural sweetener is simply boiled down tree sap of the sugar maple, and it has an aromatic smell and sweet flavour. It contains about 62 per cent sucrose, about 60 per cent as sweet as granulated sugar. Because it is created by boiling the sap until the liquid has evaporated, it is more concentrated and tastes twice as sweet as refined granulated sugar. Honey: It is regarded as the oldest known, unrefined and natural sweetener. Honey is a sweet, golden-coloured substance, which has been concentrated by bees from flower nectar. Honey’s prominence in history reveals that it was frequently used in sweet and savoury dishes, during religious ceremonies and even consumed as an alcoholic beverage when fermented. Honey is naturally 25-50 per cent sweeter than granulated sugar. The flavour and colour of honey depend on the flower nectar and time of year it was collected by the bees. Dark shaded honey
Tiffany Li
varieties (such as buckwheat) have stronger flavours than their light counterparts (such as orange blossom). Barley malt and rice syrup: These syrups have a mild and gentle sweetness. They come from grains and undergo a special form of processing. Sprouted barley is soaked, then dried and cooked down to a thick syrup. This form of sugar does not cause blood sugar levels to spike drastically, as other sugars are notorious
for, because it is slowly digested by the body. Rice syrup is made in a similar fashion, usually from a combination of rice and barley grains. The robust, earthy flavoured syrup is used to complement Chai teas. Now take your sugar-coated knowledge to the kitchen and whip up these chocolate chunk blondies! tli@imprint.uwaterloo.ca
Chocolate chunk blondies 2/3 cup unsalted butter, melted 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, light or dark 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vinegar, white or cider 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 3/4 cups chocolate chunks or 2 cups chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet, milk or a combination of your choice) 2 cups (about 8 ounces) coarsely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or almonds) Preheat the oven to 350°F (if you are using a dark pan decrease oven temperature to 325°F). Lightly grease a 9” x 13” pan. 1. Stir to combine the butter, sugars, salt and vinegar. Add the eggs, vanilla and baking powder, beating well. Stir in the flour, mixing thoroughly, then the chocolate chunks and nuts. 2. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, using your wet fingers to smooth the top. Bake the bars for 35-38 minutes, or until the top becomes golden and shiny, and the centre is just barely baked through. Use the sharp tip of a knife to peek into the centre; it should be very damp, but not unbaked. Remove bars from the oven. 3. A plastic knife will glide right through the bars without tearing them — make sure your bars have cooled to lukewarm, or you could end up with a disfigured knife as I once did! Serve with vanilla ice cream. Makes 24 scrumptious bars.