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7 Peculiarities for Making Desserts

A good dessert completes any meal with dignity, and this section contains recipes for treats that you will surely enjoy. Desserts are very diverse, including cakes, pies, soufflés and mousses; in turn, these dishes can have a wide variety of tastes – vanilla, caramel, cherry, peanut, apple, strawberry, chocolate.

  1. Features of baking. Measure all ingredients accurately and accurately. To get the required amount of flour, spoon it into a dry measuring cup and then smooth with a rectangular metal spatula. Do not shake the cup or bang it on a hard surface.
  2. Use a baking dish of the size indicated in the recipe. The wrong choice of shape will lead to the fact that the dessert burns at the edges or falls through in the middle.
  3. The temperature in the oven may vary depending on the model and manufacturer. Therefore, check the readiness of the dish in the ways indicated in the recipe.
  4. Features of the preparation of confectionery. Using a stirrer or two knives, grind the shortening, margarine (butter) and salt mixture, making sure the individual pieces are the size of a pea. Add the liquid (one tablespoon at a time), stir with a fork, so that the mass acquires the consistency of a dough.
  5. If the dough sticks to your hands, put it in the refrigerator for a while. The easiest way is to roll out the dough using a cloth-covered rolling pin and a piece of cloth. To do this, dust the rolling pin and cloth with flour, after which you can easily and quickly roll out the dough. A tough pie crust is often the result of using too much flour and too much effort in rolling the dough.
  6. Roll out the dough into a 3 mm thick circle; the diameter of the circle should be about 2.5 cm larger than the diameter of the mold at the edges. To shape the circle into shape, roll the dough lightly on a rolling pin. Then transfer the dough to the mold and unwind carefully. Gently press down on the dough with your fingers, being careful not to stretch it or leave scratches, otherwise the dough will shrink when baking.
  7. It is said that the crust of a pie is often “blind baked”; this means that the crust is cooked before the filler is placed. To prevent the crust from swelling during baking, you can place foil filled with beans or rice on top of the crust. Then bake until tender. Remove foil and weight; return crust to oven for finishing or chill before placing filler
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Jasmine Tea: Effect, Application and Peculiarities of The Fragrant Tea

Thanks to its incomparable scent, jasmine tea is a special kind of pleasure. But it also has many health benefits. Here you can find out what effect jasmine tea has and how it is used.

Jasmine tea: When flowers and tea “marry”

Jasmine tea is a blend of jasmine flowers with (mostly) green tea. The addition of jasmine gives the green tea a special aroma. Originally, jasmine was supposed to enhance less high-quality teas. In the meantime, however, jasmine tea is considered a particularly fine tea specialty.

The tea is made using different methods: either whole flowers are added to the green tea or the tea is flavored with the rising steam of a jasmine flower bath.

However, there are clear gradations in quality, depending on how the jasmine flowers are selected and how often they are mixed with tea. Incidentally, these mergings are called “weddings” and take place in late summer, when the jasmine blossoms are ripe and the green tea, picked in the spring, comes out of its storage. The more often blossoms and tea are “married” together, the more intense the jasmine blossom aroma.

Effect and ingredients of jasmine tea

Jasmine tea not only smells and tastes good, but also has positive effects on health. This is due to the many valuable ingredients in jasmine tea. Jasmine tea contains, among other things:
vitamin A, B12, and vitamin C,
minerals such as fluorine, magnesium, potassium, copper, and nickel,
Saponins, i.e. plant substances that serve as defensive substances for plants and therefore have anti-fungal and anti-microbial effects.
Tannins: These are also plant substances which, according to studies, have an anti-microbial effect.
Furthermore, jasmine tea has EGCG, i.e. epigallocatechin gallate, a substance that has been shown in a study to reduce the rise in blood sugar after starchy meals.
The essential oils contained are said to have a positive effect on mental and spiritual well-being.

Jasmine tea is used in so many different ways

You can use the tea to support your well-being in many areas:
Jasmine tea strengthens the immune system
Jasmine tea supports the immune system due to its antioxidant properties. Scientists have found that jasmine tea contains a wealth of antioxidant substances that support the immune system in the body’s protective function against free radicals. The immune system is the first “barrier” in the body that viruses and bacteria have to overcome.

Jasmine tea promotes weight loss
A study from Dalhousie University, Canada, showed that the many antioxidant properties of green tea (the most common base tea that jasmine flowers are mixed with) can also help with weight loss. The antioxidants boost the metabolism, which means that physical activities are more effective and the body can process food faster.

Of course, weight reduction results from the interaction of healthy nutrition and exercise. However, jasmine tea can help to optimize the metabolism and thus achieve the desired result more quickly.

Jasmine tea supports heart health
According to a study, the catechins found in jasmine tea play an important role in heart health. The catechins can help to prevent LDL oxidation. This is a process by which the “bad” LDL cholesterol in the arteries changes through oxidation, which can lead to inflammation in the body. This inflammation can lead to heart attacks or strokes. The catechins can inhibit this oxidation and thereby prevent high blood pressure [R] and reduce blood lipid levels.

Jasmine tea reduces stress
Jasmine tea can also have a positive effect on a psychological and emotional level: Many sensations are triggered via the sense of smell and, according to a study, the aroma of jasmine tea has a calming effect on the mind. Enjoying a cup of jasmine tea not only warms you from the inside, but also exudes a scent that makes you calm and relaxed.

Tea: a problematic indulgence?

A cup of tea exudes a lovely scent and provides inner warmth and a feeling of well-being for body and soul. For us, a cup of tea means a brief moment of pleasure, but for many others, the downsides outweigh the downsides when it comes to tea.

Tea production often cannot do without the exploitation of those who work on the tea plantations. Wages well below the living level, discrimination, and appalling living and working conditions for workers are the order of the day. In addition, there are ecological grievances in conventional tea cultivation, because large amounts of pesticides are used in most fields, which harm people and the environment.

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Red Pepper: Uses, Production and Peculiarities

Red pepper differs from other types of pepper not only in color. Here you will find all the important information about the spice.

Along with salt, pepper is one of the most important spices in every kitchen. It gives the food a spicy note and rounds off the taste. But pepper is not just pepper: A distinction is made between green, black, white and red varieties. The red pepper plays a special role in the kitchen – because the variety is very rare.

storage and use

Basically, you can use red pepper like any other type of pepper. But note:
You should not grind the red peppercorns in the conventional pepper mill. The grains are very soft – it is better to sprinkle them over the dish. Alternatively, you can gently crush the red pepper in a mortar and pestle before seasoning the food with it.
It is best to sprinkle your dishes at the end of the cooking time to preserve the full flavor of the peppercorns.
Due to its particularly intensive pepper aroma and its spiciness, the red pepper is particularly suitable for seasoning:
spicy sauces
vegetables
salads
Pan-fried meat (such as fillets and steaks; for the sake of the environment, however, the following applies to meat: less is more, and if so, then in organic quality)
Fish (but beware: most types of fish are overfished and therefore not recommended)
Because of its sweet note, red pepper is also suitable for refining desserts or chocolate – especially in combination with fruit.

In addition to its taste benefits, the red pepper can also score points visually. Due to their deep red colour, the peppercorns are very attractive and are ideal as a table decoration or topping for special dishes.

Tip: Red pepper can be stored for up to two years. However, you should store it in a dark and cool place and pack it as airtight as possible.

Red pepper: That’s what makes it so special

Taste: The red pepper is characterized above all by its special taste: During the long ripening period, a lot of sugar can be stored in the pepper fruit. As a result, the peppercorns not only taste hot, but also slightly sweet.

Ingredients: Red pepper also contains numerous vitamins: it is particularly rich in vitamins A, C and B6. It also contains minerals such as magnesium, calcium and iron. This makes red pepper a particularly healthy spice.

Traditionally, pepper was also used as a medicinal plant in India, as it is said to have the following effects. It is said to…:

Relieve upset stomach and sore throat
help against rashes and inflamed wounds
relieve itching
and help with weight loss.
Rarity: The sun gives the peppercorns their deep red colour. For this, however, the red pepper has to mature for a long time. In addition, field workers have to harvest it by hand.

These factors make red pepper unattractive to farmers. They tend to opt for green or black pepper, which can be harvested quickly. That is why the red pepper is very rare – and more expensive than the conventional varieties. You can find it in delicatessen shops, among other places.

Production of red pepper

Red pepper does not grow on a special pepper plant. All the different varieties come from the same plant: the so-called pepper bush is a climbing plant that originally comes from India. From there, pepper cultivation spread across Southeast Asia to Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, the main growing areas for pepper are in Vietnam, India, Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The pepper bush grows mainly on tree trunks and can reach a height of ten meters. The shrub forms panicles with stone fruits twice a year. These are harvested and processed into spices in further steps. The different colors of the peppercorns indicate the different degrees of ripeness of the fruit:

Green pepper is made from unripe peppercorns that farmers harvest particularly early. Most of the time, farmers soak the grains in brine or freeze-dry them. As a result, the peppercorns retain their original color. Green pepper is characterized by its particularly spicy taste with a sour note.
Shortly before maturity, the farmers harvest again. They use these fruits to make black pepper: they dry the grains and skin until they become wrinkled and black. This makes the black pepper much hotter.
White pepper is made from fully ripe fruits. Farmers soak the fruit until the skin peels off. They then bleach the grains in the sun, resulting in the light coloration. White pepper differs in a slightly milder taste.

Red pepper is the latecomer among the varieties. The farmers only harvest the fruits after they are fully ripe. You have to carefully pick the fruit by hand at just the right time. Often the farmers can only win a few red grains. They then dry the grains or soak them in brine.

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Purple Potatoes: Characteristics and Peculiarities of The Colorful Tuber

Purple potatoes bring variety to your plate and also help to preserve the diversity of varieties. The extraordinary potatoes are becoming increasingly popular. Here you can find out what makes the purple tubers so special.

Purple, blue or red: potatoes come in different colors and shapes. Nature offers an incredible variety of fruits and vegetables. Rare varieties such as purple potatoes can seem downright alien. At first glance, you might think they are artificially colored.

It’s just an old variety. In most cases, varieties are grown that are as productive and robust as possible. Other varieties, such as purple potatoes, are less common – with them, the variety in our supermarkets and on our plates is dwindling.

Incidentally, conventionally grown fruit and vegetables are often contaminated with harmful pesticides. Producers often exploit land and people so that they can offer their goods as cheaply as possible. As a consumer, you can counteract this by buying organic fruit and vegetables, growing them yourself and supporting small farmers in your region.

Purple potatoes: There are these different varieties

There is also a selection of different varieties of purple potatoes. They differ not only in their shapes and colors, but also vary in taste and consistency.

Some of the best-known purple potato varieties include:
The Vitelotte: It is characterized by its dark skin and strong, nutty taste.
Bleu de la Manche: The variety has a blue-violet skin and is very popular in France because of its fine taste.
Salad Blue: As the name suggests, the variety is particularly good for salads. Due to its intense dark violet color, it stands out visually.

How to prepare purple potatoes

Just like their yellow relatives, purple potatoes can be divided into floury and waxy varieties. Basically, you can use them in the kitchen just like conventional yellow potatoes.

Mealy purple potatoes are particularly good in mashed potatoes, potato soup, potato casseroles or baked potatoes. For potato salad, homemade fries or fried potatoes, on the other hand, you should rather use the waxy version.

Cook purple potatoes whole with their skins on to keep their intense color. Use as little water as possible to cook the potatoes: the coloring substances dissolve easily in the water. Mealy potatoes tend to lose more color than waxy ones. If you bought the potatoes in organic quality, you can easily eat the skin when they are cooked.

With purple potatoes you can not only bring a variety of tastes to your plate. Their unusual color turns even simple potato recipes into real eye-catchers.

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Wild Rice: Characteristics and Peculiarities of The Dark Rice Variety

Wild rice is also called “water rice” – and that is a first indication that it is not real rice. However, the sweet grass seeds, which are considered a delicacy, also have a downside. You can find out more here.

Wild rice: fruits instead of grains

Wild rice grains look like rice, they are cooked like rice, and the name suggests that they are a wild form of rice. But botanically, wild rice is not a “real” rice variety. In contrast to normal rice (Oryza genus), which is cultivated on fields and terraces, wild rice (Zizanie genus) grows on the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds. That is why it is also called “water rice”.

Wild rice is a genus of plants in the grass family. While rice plants produce cereal grains, with wild rice we eat the fruits of some sweet grasses, which can be prepared like conventional grain rice.

Demand from Europe is displacing tradition

Wild rice originally comes from North America and East China. Wild rice has played an important role in the diet of the Chippewa, a North American indigenous people, for thousands of years. They still harvest it in the traditional way: in late summer, canoes go into the shallow water where the wild rice grasses grow. The stalks are pulled into the boat with sticks and tapped lightly, causing the fruit to fall to the bottom of the canoe. If the stalks snap back again, more fruit will fall into the water. These ensure the existence of the grasses, because they provide the basis for the next harvest.

The paddy rice is now also exported to Europe, where it is marketed as a delicacy. Growing demand has led to higher-yielding hybrid varieties being grown extensively on aquatic plantations in North America. There are also efforts to achieve a higher crop yield with a wild rice variety where the fruit no longer falls out. These industrially bred varieties have little to do with the original wild rice. In addition, the traditional cultivation and harvesting methods of the Chippewa cannot keep up with these new methods, which is why the indigenous group has to fear a loss of income.

Taste and preparation of wild rice

Immediately after harvesting, wild rice still has a water content of 40 percent and the fruits are initially green-brown. They only get their typical dark color after they have been dried and roasted. The grains are then dehulled, i.e. freed from the outer shell. Wild rice is still whole grain rice because it is not husked or milled. Its dark appearance makes it visually easy to confuse with black rice, but the latter is a real rice variety.

In terms of taste, wild rice offers a smoky, nutty aroma that is significantly heartier than the relatively neutral taste of white rice.

Here are a few tips for preparation:
Wild rice swells a lot. To cook it, you need about three to four times the amount of liquid. Salt is added at the end.
Cooking time is up to 50 minutes, or until about half the seeds have popped open.
In mixtures with other types of rice, broken seeds are often used, reducing their cooking time to that of regular rice. It only takes about half an hour to prepare.

Nutritional values ​​of wild rice at a glance

The nutritional values ​​for 100 grams of wild rice are as follows:
Energy: 385 kcal
Egg white: 14.73 g
Fat: 1.08g
Carbohydrates: 74.90 g
A comparison with other types of rice shows that wild rice has slightly more calories than types of rice such as jasmine rice (350 kcal per 100 grams) or basmati rice (354 kcal per 100 grams), but also provides up to twice as much protein. Parboiled rice, for example, only has 7.3 grams of protein.

In addition, wild rice contains many antioxidants, as well as some minerals, including iron and phosphorus.

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Black Rice: Peculiarities and Nutritional Values of The “Forbidden” Type of Rice

Black rice is a rarity among rice varieties – not only because it is also called “forbidden rice”. Here you can learn more about black rice and what makes it so special.

Black rice has been cultivated in China for centuries. There it is also known as “Forbidden Rice”. In the past, its cultivation was so complex and delicate that for a long time only the emperor was allowed to enjoy it.

Black Rice: Origin and Cultivation

In addition to China, the main growing areas for black rice are Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. But black rice is now also being cultivated in Europe: Black Venere rice or Venus rice grows in the Italian Piedmont region. This is a cross between Chinese black rice and a native Italian variety adapted to the European climate. Black rice grows even closer in the Austrian Burgenland – even in organic quality.

Black rice is often confused with wild rice or paddy rice, which is also black. But wild rice is a different plant species. Botanically, wild rice is an aquatic grass species and belongs to the genus Zizania, while black rice belongs to the genus Oryza.

Taste and Appearance of Black Rice

There are slight color gradations among the black rice varieties:
Vietnamese black rice has a slightly red shimmer.
Indonesian black rice has a brown tinge.
Chinese black rice is the only one that is truly black.
Black rice is always whole grain rice. Because it gets its extraordinary color from a natural pigmentation of the outer grain layers. The plant pigments anthocyanins, which give plants an intensive red, violet or blue color, are responsible for this. If you peeled the rice, it would be white. It is usually commercially available as brown rice. That means it has been dehulled, but not sanded or peeled.

In terms of taste, the black rice offers a mixture of nut and cereal aromas. Black rice is quite aromatic in taste and still has a crunchy bite after cooking. In Asia it is often used in the sticky rice variant for desserts, for example for rice pudding made from black rice with mango. You can also use black rice as a side dish for stir-fries or as a filling for hollowed and baked butternut squash.

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Butter Mushroom: Peculiarities, Risks and Preparation Tips

It is one of our most popular edible mushrooms. Here we show you how to recognize it, how to prepare it and what risks it entails.

Anyone who likes to hunt mushrooms should have seen the butter mushroom (Suillus luteus) before. Because the butter mushroom is very common in German forests. It grows especially often near pine trees.

Its buttery yellow flesh is responsible for its name. This is surrounded by a slimy shiny cap that doesn’t make the mushroom look particularly appetizing at first glance. In Bavaria, the butter mushroom is therefore also colloquially known as “Rotzer”. The American naming is also based on the slimy appearance of the mushroom. Here the butter mushroom is called ‘Slippery Jack’.

Recognizing and distinguishing butter mushrooms

The main collecting time for the butter mushroom is between July and October. In contrast to many other mushrooms, it is relatively easy to identify the butter mushroom:

The butter mushroom has a slimy and chocolate brown cap.
The diameter of the hat is six to twelve centimeters.
The cap peels off easily to reveal the buttery yellow flesh underneath.
When you collect butter mushrooms, you should always cut them off about an inch above the ground so they can grow back. You should blot the slime layer around the mushroom with a cloth immediately after picking the mushroom. This will prevent bacteria and mold from settling on your mushroom. At home you can then wash your mushrooms thoroughly and remove the slime layer completely with a knife.

Why not everyone can tolerate butter mushrooms

The butter mushroom is not poisonous, but can cause intolerance reactions in allergy sufferers. If you suffer from a mushroom allergy, gastrointestinal problems with vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain can be the result. Some of the proteins contained in the butter mushroom are to blame for this. These are actually harmless to our body, but are sometimes mistakenly identified as pathogens by the immune system. The subsequent immune reaction of our body are then the mentioned disease symptoms.

Even if you are not allergic to the butter mushroom, you should not consume it excessively. The butter mushroom (like many other types of mushrooms) stores mercury from the environment. Even if the soil only has a low mercury content, there are increased mercury concentrations in the mushroom cap in particular. You should therefore not consume more than 300 grams of butter mushrooms per week.

Prepare butter mushrooms: Fry and serve with bread dumplings

The butter mushroom has a mild taste and a slightly bitter acid note. It tastes delicious if you sear it in hot olive oil with a little salt and pepper. You can also bread it with egg and flour and then fry it in hot oil. This gives you a nice contrast between the crispy crust and tender mushroom flesh. Herbs such as parsley, tarragon and coriander go particularly well with the mushroom.

A mushroom ragout made from various forest mushrooms, which is typically served with bread dumplings, is popular in Bavaria:
Fry the mushrooms in some oil.
Just before the mushrooms are done, add shallots and garlic.
Deglaze the mushrooms with some white wine and let the alcohol evaporate.
Now add a good dash of cream and let the sauce cook until it has a thick consistency.
Season your mushroom ragout with sugar, pepper, salt and parsley to taste.

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