I was recently asked to bring muffins to a bridal shower. In the process of deciding which muffin recipe to make, I decided that my favorite is this pineapple-carrot muffin recipe. It was printed in Savoury Saskatchewan Selections, a College of Home Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 1979 cookbook. All the recipes were donated by the students of the college and this one was submitted by Cheryl Gidluck. The page is so used and spattered from making the muffins that the print is hard to read, a true sign of a favourite recipe.
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Pineapple-carrot muffins
11/2 cups flour 375 mL
1 cup sugar 250 mL
1 teaspoon cinnamon 5 mL
1 teaspoon baking 5 mL
soda
1 teaspoon baking 5 mL
powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
2/3 cup oil 160 mL
2 eggs
1 cup grated carrots 250 mL
1/2 cup crushed 125 mL
pineapple, drained
1 teaspoon vanilla 5 mL
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl; make a well and add oil, eggs, grated carrots, pineapple and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Fill baking cups 2/3 full. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350 F (180 C). Yield: 16 muffins (three times the recipe makes four dozen).
Harvesting quinces
Dear TEAM: When is the best time to pick quinces for jelly? – C.D., e-mail.
Dear C.D.: Quinces are a bitter, hard, yellowish, pear-shaped fruit of a small Asiatic tree of the rose family. Their primary use is for preserves and for cooked dishes. The jelly has a rich pink colour.
As quinces ripen they turn from green to yellow. As with other fruits, they have less pectin and acid when fully ripe. Therefore, for a higher pectin level for jelly making, it is best to pick quinces when they still have a little bit of green. Quinces are rich in pectin and compared to apples, contain a lot more pectin.
Leave the fruit on the tree as long as possible to achieve best flavour, but it must be picked before frosts. Even if the skin is hard they bruise easily, so harvest gently. Ripen green fruit at room temperature. They can be stored up to three months in a cool, dry room.
Sugar questions
Dear Team: Could you please tell me how white sugar is produced and what processes are used?
I understand products such as brown rice syrup and barley malt are healthier sweeteners. Is this true, or are their methods of processing also using chemicals? I am also interested in knowing the difference between white flour and unbleached flour, and what whole wheat flour actually contains. What processes are used to produce it, what additives, etc.? Thank you for any information you can send me. – S. P., e-mail.
Dear S.P.: The dietitians and nutritionists I contacted say refined sugars from various sources are basically the same in their nutritive content. Also, other nutritive sweeteners, such as honey and corn syrups are similar to sugar in sugar types, calorie and nutrient content.
Sucrose is a naturally occurring sugar in fruits and vegetables. All plants produce sucrose by photosynthesis, a natural process that turns sunlight into vital energy. Just as they play an essential role in the growth and life of plants, sucrose and other sugars are important sources of energy in our diet. Vitamins and minerals are sometimes present, but in trace amounts. Sugars play an important role in making foods taste better and have many uses in cooking.
The processes involved in making our white sugars have been used for years, are not complicated and are safe. Refined sugar contains refined sugar – pure sucrose. It contains no preservatives or additives of any kind.
Sugar manufacturing
Although all fruits and vegetables contain sucrose in various amounts, on a commercial level, the most practical sources of sucrose are sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar-rich juice they contain is extracted and purified using two slightly different processes.
Sugar cane
Sugar cane is cut into pieces, then crushed in order to extract its juice. The juice is clarified to separate the sugar solution from most of the impurities such as plant fibre.
This solution is then boiled down to a thick syrup from which sugar crystals are obtained. The golden crystals are collected by centrifugation and then shipped in bulk by sea to refinery warehouses across the world. In Canada, the major refineries are in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Saint John, N.B.
This raw sugar, transported by boat, is covered with a thin coat of molasses, plant residue and impurities from shipping and handling. It must undergo further refining before it is ready for human consumption. This process provides us with products we know well, including molasses, brown sugar and finally, white sugar.
Raw sugar crystals are dissolved in water and filtered to remove the molasses and residue. The result is a clear golden syrup.
Once part of the liquid is evaporated, the remaining sugar-rich syrup is placed in a centrifuge to separate the granulated white sugar, which is then dried and packaged. Granulated sugar is naturally white – no bleaching agent is added during the refining process.
The golden syrup extracted from the centrifuge is recrystallized to produce brown sugar. Some manufacturers produce brown sugar by mixing molasses and white sugar crystals.
As for icing sugar, it is simply finely pulverized granulated white sugar, to which a hint of cornstarch or wheat starch is added to prevent caking.
Sugar beet
A similar method is used to process sugar beet juice. Canada grows and processes its own sugar beets in factories in Taber, Alta., and Winnipeg.
Sugar beets are sliced into thin strips, called cassettes, from which raw juice is extracted.
The syrup obtained is purified, filtered, concentrated and dried, in the same way as for sugar cane.
Types of wheat flour
To answer your questions about flour, we need to review the three basic parts of a wheat kernel.
- Wheat germ or embryo is the inner part of the kernel which is rich in fat, protein and vitamins B and E. It may be added to batters and doughs of breads and quick breads or served as a topping on breakfast cereals, soups and other foods. Store in the refrigerator.
- Endosperm is the middle of the kernel and the source of flour. Mainly carbohydrate in content, it also contains protein, B vitamins and minerals, some of which are lost through refinement.
- Bran is the outer layers of the kernel, rich in B vitamins and dietary fibre.
White flour: This is the finely milled and sifted wheat flour, which consists mostly of the endosperm. The bran and germ have been removed along with their vitamins, minerals and most of the dietary fibre. To compensate, most white flour in Canada is enriched with B vitamins and minerals.
All-purpose flour: This is a white flour composed of a blend of hard wheat and soft wheat flour. Hard wheat varieties have a higher protein content essential for making yeast breads. Soft wheat is used for pastry and cake flours.
Whole wheat flour is a 95 percent extraction of the whole wheat kernel. It includes the bran, which gives the brown colour. It is higher in protein than all-purpose flour and so is often combined with all-purpose flour to give a lighter texture to baked goods.
Self-rising flour has baking powder added.
Bleached flour: Soft wheat flour intended for use in cake and cookie production is often chlorinated to enhance baking performance by improving the functional properties of flour components. In the chlorinating process, the flour is treated with chlorine gas.
During this treatment, the flour undergoes a pH reduction proportional to the level of chlorine applied. Manufacturers can then use pH as a specification for the purchase of chlorinated flours.
Unbleached flour has a pH range of 5.8 to 6.1 while optimum performing bleached flour has a pH range of 4.6 to 5.1.
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
