A (clean) apple a day

Honey Crisp (and... Sweet Tango!)

Kitchen Bliss shares recipes with short preambles, as well as longer reflective blog posts like this. I maintain a list of ideas I plan to blog about, then run afoul of plans when I experience convergences that become irresistible diversions. So it was with CBC’s recent re-run of “New Green Giants” (originally aired in 2013). It forced me to re-visit my thoughts and habits on food choices – including the world of “organics”. 

Warning: this blog post is filled with questions, reflections and dilemmas – and no definitive answers or personal advice. Comments are welcome if you wish to clarify, correct or enhance this content.

I do not routinely purchase organic foods partly because it is my understanding that there is not (yet) enough regulation or rigour attached to the use of the term. Yes it is also more costly, but perhaps worth it if there was a clearer guarantee re what I’d be purchasing – the CFIA’s label “certified organic” is aiming for that standard. The documentary turned up the heat a bit on my inner debate – organics – yes or no? And what does “organic” actually mean?

Here's the Wikipedia definition - “organic farming in general features cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. Synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers are not allowed, although certain approved pesticides may be used. In general, organic foods are also not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or synthetic food additives”. In brief – chemical-free food, produced in a manner that nourishes and sustains Mother Nature.

At one point, the documentary refers to the “Dirty Dozen” – a list of foods that have the highest levels of pesticides. I’ll pause here while you click on the link and look at the list. A fruit that always makes the “dirty” list is one that I eat every day – thinking there might be some truth to the maxim that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Is there? A 2015 Harvard study found that “evidence does not support that an apple a day keeps the doctor away; however, the small fraction of US adults who eat an apple a day do appear to use fewer prescription medications.”

My favourite apple is Honey Crisp and whether buying them at the market or the grocery store I close my eyes when paying because they are so expensive. Relatively speaking, they are a newer strain of apple linked to research at the University of Minnesota which copyrighted the name in 2007. The high price is linked to the mismatch between popularity and availability. The race is on to grow more of these pricey apples - even Nova Scotia is busy replacing older Macintosh trees with Honey Crisp. 

So how can I ensure that my favourite, healthy and expensive apple is not "dirty" - is free from chemicals, pesticides and other nasty stuff? To be safe, I have to clean it myself – and the solution involves water – running water. 

The goal is to optimally remove pesticides and chemicals – but let’s not forget about all the surfaces it might have come into contact with, as well as all the hands that touched that apple before I bought it. (Remember those scares when grocery produce was handled by an employee with Hepatitis A?) So, add germs, bacteria and nasty organisms to the list of what needs to be removed. A water bath or soak may only re-distribute all the nastiness – hence it has to be running water. So, I am trying to “be good” – I am eating healthy food and cleaning it – at the cost of seeing that valuable commodity called water go down the drain – and my water bill go up, because - don’t forget - this does not apply only to apples. Look back at the list – there’s celery, lettuce, sweet peppers and more… 

Is running water enough? The team at ATK’s Cook’s Illustrated did the test for us (removing pesticides and bacteria), and concluded that superior results were attained when fruits/vegetables were first sprayed with a vinegar solution.

If memorizing the Dirty Dozen is not enough, I am left wondering if the Clean 15 is really clean. Clean from pesticides, maybe… but I recall a warning some years ago about melons transmitting e-coli and salmonella. Seems this is more likely with imported melons, and since the organisms are on the exterior, we are advised to wash them before cutting. Symptoms from related illnesses may not appear until up to 72 hours later – so how do we identify culprits?

Perplexing? Troubling?

My aim here is not to be alarmist – I am simply reflecting back the information that pops up in everyday media. I have not (yet) developed food phobias, but sorting it all out makes my brain hurt and this does not even address the conflicting research results linked to the goodness or badness of chocolate or caffeine or red wine. What seems clear is the need to clean certain fruits and vegetables in order to avoid ingesting toxic chemicals. Clean is good, right?

Or maybe “clean” can also be bad!? We are now being routinely reminded that we may have “overdone clean”; that there seems to be a link between asthma/allergies and our little antibacterial worlds; that dirt is good. 

Dirt, as in soil - rich in good bacteria, microbes and organisms. Our use of words complicates things. There does seem to be an imperative to “clean” the Dirty Dozen foods contaminated with toxins. But “dirt” is good when it refers to soil that is rich with beneficial organisms and microbes. And bacteria is not always bad.

We are now hearing a lot about:

• Microbiomes. “Microbes are not only around us, they live on and in us. Although some cause maladies ranging from food poisoning to smallpox, there are many we couldn't live without. Beneficial microbes break down food and produce vitamins in our guts. They coat our skin, protecting us from attacks by harmful microbes. Outside our bodies, they decompose organic waste, fix nitrogen and produce half the world's oxygen.” [Source: Suzuki]

• Gut microbiomes. Scientists refer to the microbial communities on and in our bodies as "microbiomes". Every one of us hosts as many as 100 trillion microbes — our guts alone are home to 500 to 1,000 different bacteria species! And those gut microbiomes are being linked to more and more wellness topics - such as inflammation, obesity. Check out The Nature of Things' "It Takes Guts".

• Farm Effect. How kids living on farms have lower incidences of allergic sensitization.

• Dirt. That we should get outside and get dirty – and while we’re at it we need to pay attention to the soil crisis - the danger of it becoming seriously diminished by mid-century.

Crikey! When and why did growing, eating and digesting food become so complicated?

All in all, this has not been an upbeat blog entry. Maybe I'll think about it tomorrow, but “facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” (Huxley). My brain-hurting struggle with all this information may in part be due to the fact that I am not a science major. I have nonetheless aimed at reading and referring to reliable sources. 

I ponder as I reach for today’s apple. I still become easily excited about food and have noticed that “Honey Crisp 2.0” is in the works – it will arrive under the name(s) Sweet Tango and Cosmic Crisp! 

Footnote – I just got my hands on my first Sweet Tango. “Tango”… step, step, step, long pause – kind of describes the dance of trying to figure all this out. P.S. Not a fan of Sweet Tango…

Every blog post links to a recipe and this one calls for a healthy apple recipe – click here for easy Apple Clusters! Better yet - try the Legacy Tart from Jacques Pépin.

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Palacsinta - Hungarian "Pancakes"

Though I have posted various recipes over the past weeks, this is my first blog post since July!!! Part of the long gap can be accounted for by a sudden encounter with Baker’s Cyst – which has nothing to do with baking. I like to think of it as a “sports injury” since, as someone recently suggested – you don’t get it from being a couch potato. It did, however, turn me into a couch potato for several weeks. When you can’t stand or walk you are not blissfully in the kitchen.

Just before I met Baker C, we had made palacsinta [puh’ - luh - cheen - tuh] - which I usually describe as the Hungarian version of French crepes.  As I prepped the recipe for this site, I decided there was so much to say about this classic food that it deserved a blog post. So what follows are a lot of words – but here’s how I am framing it…

I recently sent my NYC tips to a friend. Told her if she was going to check out the High Line she should take time to watch this documentary. Why? Because in the words of Henry David Thoreau “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” Surely it’s the same with food. The more we know about what we eat, the more we are “nourished” – in every way.

So, palacsinta… In my 1954 Art of Hungarian Cooking there is an entire chapter devoted to these delicate creations that came/come out of every single Hungarian kitchen - rich or poor. Wikipedia categorizes them as a pancake, which I suppose they are, but they are nothing like the thicker flapjacks North Americans are accustomed to. 

So are they a crepe? In truth, I have never eaten a bona fide crepe in France, but "crepe" does bring to mind a thin “pancake”. Crepes I have eaten in Quebec, while paper thin, have tended to be nutty brown and somewhat dry – and often immense in size. The Wikipedia entry for crepes claims Brittany / France as the origin and stresses they are made with wheat flour or buckwheat. That, for sure, accounts for the nutty brown look of Quebec crepes, and the first photo at Wikipedia offers an accurate image of these light brown papery creations.

That left me reconsidering my habit of calling palacsinta - crepes. Yes, they are thin, but never dry. They are pale with golden highlights, soft and moist, and almost transparent. The only things I have ever seen or eaten that resemble palacsinta are blintzes - which, it seems, have Russian origins, but are popular in Jewish cuisine.

If they are not really “crepes”, do they have links to France? My old Hungarian cookbook refers to their appearance in Rome and even Egypt. Given the expanse and influence of the large Austro-Hungarian Empire (1867 to 1918) it is not surprising that there are versions of palacsinta in many Eastern European cuisines - mind you... who influenced who? Much to my surprise, even Turkey has a version called krep. Hungarians familiar with their history know that the Ottoman Turks did get as far as Hungary in the 1500s (1541 to 1699). Did they bring the “krep” tradition or was it the other way around? Recently, flipping through a Food and Wine magazine, I also stumbled across a story about the Philippines where it seems Hungarian-type crepes are a big hit – filled with almost anything imaginable – think mango... Sure enough, the cuisine of Portugal and Spain also have a version of these delicate “pancakes” and must have “exported” it during their years of colonization.

[I am adding this after first publishing this blog post - just came across an ATK recipe for Swedish "pancakes" which appear to be like palacsinta - and as mentioned as an option in the recipe I share, they add soda water to the batter. Check out the descriptions of pancakes all over the world.]

My research has left me astonished about the global popularity of palacsinta-type "pancakes" – yet here it appears rarely on a menu. There was a time when one could get an authentic Hungarian palacsinta at the Coffee Mill in Yorkville (which, sadly, closed in 2014). Bloor Street’s Country Style is a last bastion of Hungarian cuisine in Toronto.

Whereas pancakes are breakfast (brunch) food, palacsinta is never a breakfast – unless you are inclined to eat leftovers for breakfast. They can be an appetizer or main dish – and are often dessert. How is it that a full chapter is devoted to palacsinta in my 1954 book? They offer one basic recipe (the one I use) and say it is common to eat it with a ham filling (though I have never seen or experienced that). Other options described are mushroom or cabbage fillings. Dessert options can also include ground walnut or almond filling. Some recipes suggest cutting the palacsinta into long broad “noodles” and mixing / serving them with whatever – even chicken paprikas. A dessert suggestion is to create a pile of palacsinta with cocoa between each and then slicing and serving this like a cake of many, many layers. In the KB kitchen palacsinta filled with ricotta, apricot jam or chocolate were/are the main event – they are supper – period. 

Hungarian cooks are under no pressure to serve meat at every meal, and when they do it is most often pork or chicken. Imagine the fantastic flavour combo in the Hungarian dish called “Hortobágyi Palacsinta” - shredded delectable, soft, pork or veal paprikas porkolt (stew), enfolded in a palacsinta and drowning in a paprika sauce – so yummy. 

The most famous dessert palacsinta is called “Gundel Palacsinta” – named for the iconic restaurant that lays claim to its creation. The Gundel first opened in 1910 and survived two wars and communism, continuing to operate today serving classic unadulterated Hungarian cuisine. Their signature palacsinta is presented not rolled, but folded twice into a triangle that is filled with a mixture of rum, raisins, ground walnuts, candied orange peel and whipping cream. This is all topped with a delicate chocolate syrup. I dusted off  Károly Gundel's cookbook, originally published in 1934. His book was apparently a huge success, translated into many languages including Japanese. He may well have been a celebrity chef of his times. He notes that in his own research of Hungarian cuisine he finds no reference to paprika – the national spice – until the 19th century. He suspects that it was the Turks who introduced paprika to Hungary and so it may well be that they deserve credit for palacsinta as well. I will have to stop comparing them to “French crepes”.

Here's the recipe. Will you make ever this? Some friends are waiting for me to post the recipe, so I suppose we shall see. Part of my blog goal is “legacy/archive” and so the recipe is now here as a torch for family and friends to pick up and carry on.

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Whose recipe is it anyway?

Almost all of the recipes I share are not my own invention. I begin with a recipe from a book, magazine, blog, family recipe card or other source and add my tips and variations. Before I began blogging, I wondered if that was going to be ok. There are many trendy bloggers whose writing has been collected into books. Could their recipes – or, for that matter, those of any cookbook author – all be “from scratch” inventions? 

Many classic cookbooks are (fully or in part) like ethnographies – capturing some aspect of cooking culture that their authors felt had never been recorded, or recorded well.

• In the well-known “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” (1961), Julia Child worked with Simone Beck (aka Simca) and Louisette Bertholle (who was eventually dropped from the writing team). Julia Child’s goal was to share with Americans doable recipes from her beloved French cuisine. Simone Beck may also have been motivated by concerns about the loss of cultural memory. “Simca was… determined to preserve the family recipes she inherited…. they pushed and pulled at those recipes, challeng(ing) long-standing methods.” (Dearie p.236)
  

• Edna Staebler, who I have previously mentioned in this blog, was clear that she herself was not an expert cook. She described herself as a “collector” compelled to record the wonderful recipes of her friends – many from the local Mennonite Community. Her second “Schmecking” book was unavoidable, since after the first, people kept sending her contributions for a next book. In the second volume she noted that “the uncollected recipes in Waterloo County are boundless” – and clearly the contributors were happy to share their recipes and see them in print. Staebler prefaces many entries with remarks like “Norm and Eva gave me this recipe.” Acknowledgments like that abound even in contemporary cookbooks, such as Ina Garten’s.

Staebler's Date Orange Muffins

• In the introduction to the more recent Ovenly cookbook, Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin outline how inherited recipes and recipe cards spawned their thriving business and cookbook. Yet, who is to say if those faded and smudged recipe cards contained “original” recipes? Many of us have inherited such index cards. I plan to make “Ann’s Cookies” one day – but where did Auntie Ann get that recipe? Respectfully, I doubt that she invented it.
  

• In their “Eat, Shrink, Be Merry” book and TV show, the Podleski Sisters create “skinny” versions of signature dishes from popular restaurants. Obviously the restaurant owner gave them their "secret" recipe and then the sisters (one of whom is a nutritionist) created a lower calorie, but equally tasty, version.

Are all cookbooks recordings of oral traditions, polished versions of faded recipe cards or low calorie / gluten-free updates? Did / does anyone invent / create unique / original recipes? 

Clearly there are always innovators. They deconstruct classics or are truly inventive. (I hate to begin a list of examples, for fear of leaving out someone important.) Innovators know about food properties, cooking techniques and ratios – the basic rules of combining ingredients. Apart from the classic 3:1 vinaigrette ratio (3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar), I know nothing about ratios. Coming to the rescue of those who want or need to know are books such as Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking, by Michael Ruhlman. He now has a ratio app to accompany the book. In her upcoming (October 2015) book, The Baker in Me, Daphna Rabinovitch promises to share classic baking ratios that open the door to understanding and innovation for the home cook.
 
Finally, back to blogging... In blogs, attribution is (not surprisingly) critical to sharing recipes that might not otherwise be published, except in hard copy. (Interestingly, I have found that many recipes I first find in hard copy, can be found on the internet as well/already.) Up to a point, it seems that authors are ok with the free promotion that comes from a blog-share. I have no idea if blogging recipes supports or diminishes book sales. Bloggers themselves are usually hooked on buying cookbooks. I have not counted mine, though it is well over 100 even after a recent major purge. Another blogger I follow recently noted that she has 450 and counting.

Now for the recipe linked to this thinking / reading journey. So as to not be buried under magazines, I eventually tear out pages/recipes I want to keep and then toss the zine. Once sorted and filed I sometimes end up with various versions of a fav recipe. One of these is Date Orange Muffins which are nutritious, tasty and have a “cool” factor since the batter, which is made quickly in a food processor, includes a whole, unpeeled orange. The dates on my collection vary (2003, 2006) and there are slight variations on the ingredients or method, but none make any reference to the same recipe in Staebler’s 1979 “More Schmecking” book. She says the recipe "comes from Ruby" – so who knows how long that recipe has been around? One 2006 source (that shall remain nameless) had the cheek to claim copyright to the Date Orange Muffin recipe which was exactly the same as Edna’s - with the exception of adding an extra ¼ cup sugar. Even the method was only a slightly massaged version of Edna’s. 

If I search for a recipe for orecchiette with sausage and there are over 300, 000 search results - who owns that recipe/idea? Can a recipe be owned or copyrighted? How much do you need to change to make it yours? Can it ever be yours?

"According to the Recipe Writer’s Handbook, Ostmann and Baker, legal ownership of recipes is somewhat 'murky'. The authors assert making 3 MAJOR changes to the recipe can make it your own… but that you should still credit where credit is due if your inspiration came from a specific recipe. Standard recipes for standards (such as mayonnaise) are exempt for that rule... The handbook goes on to say that copyright protects the particular manner and form — not the idea itself, so perhaps the ingredients in a recipe aren’t necessarily copyrightable, but the technique and directions may be.” [Source]

Reading about recipe ownership has led me to surprising stories about Internet thieving that I hope to never encounter personally. Meanwhile, I share and adapt others’ recipes, crediting sources. The closest I have come to being innovative was in trying to recreate a layered raspberry / rice pudding parfait – which I will share sometime soon. Meanwhile, toss that orange into the food processor and – with a nod to Edna (and Ruby) - whiz up a batch of these terrific Date Orange Muffins!

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Let Them Eat Cake!

In my home, it’s a season of birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations and special events – and that spells C.A.K.E. I have many signature cake recipes and have not had a chance to share them all. So far, you can check out Carrot Cake, Red Velvet Cake, Hurry Up Chocolate. (The promised "never before published" Grandma Cake – is now here.) 

The documentary “Sugar Coated” aptly noted that sugar, especially in the form of cake, appears at every one of our celebrations. Recently, there have been a LOT of sugar documentaries (just Google it) all beating the same drum. Oh dear…

Me, Jani bácsi and grandparents

As I tackle the challenge of trying to eat less and less sugar, I visit memory lane. My first clear "cake memory" was linked to Ontario tobacco country – the Delhi, Leamington area - where members of the Hungarian community travelled to visit friends - and where many found seasonal jobs before the trend to use temporary foreign workers.

Were the people we visited family or friends? That distinction is blurred. Everyone was “Auntie / Uncle”, or in Hungarian - “néni, bácsi” (naynee, bawtchi). Some of the aunts/uncles were also referred to as "falubeli (s)" – meaning, "people from my village back home". Far from the “homeland”, bonds among the “New Canadians” were important.

We once dropped in to see one of these families in tobacco country – and yes – people really did just "drop in" unannounced – and usually were greeted with a warm welcome (and for the men, a shot glass of palinka – a "knock your socks off" fruit brandy.)  To me, these people seemed rich and modern – a large, new house, lots of land, and they were the only people I knew who had a chest freezer. Out of it, the hostess grabbed some frozen home-made cake and within an hour it was served, covered with whipped cream. It was a confetti angel cake – and I was in heaven – with a lasting memory. I don’t recall ever trying to replicate that cake, though I notice that one can buy cake mixes for confetti angel cake. 

Source

Somewhere along the line, I stopped using cake mixes, as I began to make most things from scratch. From time to time, I come across articles debating whether it’s Ok to use cake mixes, how to make a cake mix taste like a scratch cake – geesh! The big name cake mix sites offer lots of fun ideas for decorating – though that's not my "thing". (It's my brother who, over the years, has turned out amazingly decorated cakes.)

My cakes are simply iced, and I know nothing about fancy decorating. I feel tickled that I am two degrees of separation from the talent at Cake and Loaf Bakery on Dundurn St, Hamilton. I follow them on Instagram and there is never a day when my jaw does’t drop at the sight of their creations.

Wikipedia claims the word "cake" has Viking / Old Norse origins - from the word "kaka.". (I always though that meant something else - wink.) Could that also be linked to the word "fika"? This is a just published book - "Fika: An introduction to the Swedish coffee break". Don't forget that a lovely coffee break awaits at Kensington Market's Fika Coffee Shop.

Grandma Cake

I come by my love of cakes honestly, since it is a big part of Hungarian culture. Google - Hungarian coffee houses – and the Image results of these (still existing) coffee houses (called cukrászda) are a thing to behold. The cukrászda culture was famous, and survived 40 years of Communism. The pastries and spaces are "eye candy". The history of cakes points out that they are most popular in Europe and North America. Not surprisingly, there are cake variations across Europe. The charming Great British Bake Off is airing again just now on PBS.  I was surprised to see the number of cakes the contestants had to make that I never heard of!

Though I don’t get fancy with cakes or decorating, my idea of a fun outing is to check out all the baking supplies at Bulk Food stores, or even better – Golda’s Kitchen - and when the drive seems too far, one can order online.

So, "Let them eat cake!" I know... turns out Marie Antoinette never said that. Reading about cakes has fewer calories than eating them, but let's all eat cake anyhow!

It would be fun to hear your cake memories and loves.  Use Comments below to share (you can post anonymously or just leave a first name) - and if you enjoyed this read, please take a second to click on "Like"!