A clementine is a delightful little citrus fruit that is (probably) a cross between a tangerine and a Seville orange. First discovered in 1902, in a mandarin grove in Algeria, clementines are mainly grown in Spain, Italy, Morocco and Algeria.
Most of the time, clementines are packed and sold in colorful, 5-pound balsam crates. Easy to peel, sweeter than tart, with few if any seeds, clementines provide needed vitamin C throughout the winter, when they are in season and readily available. They make a nice finish to a meal, and can also be used as the basis for cooked dishes, like a moist flourless cake made with poached clementines and ground almonds.
Clementines tend to be less acidic (and sweeter tasting) than other citrus fruits. So while they can be used in place of oranges in most any recipe -- vinaigrettes, marinades, salads -- be prepared for a more syrupy, less tart flavor.
Related: Root Source: Clementine (Cookthink)
Recipe: Parsnip And Orange Purée (Cookthink)
Vanilla extract is a vanilla-flavored liquid made from vanillin, one of the organic components that creates the aroma in vanilla beans. A century ago, vanilla extract was produced in apothecary shops and taken to soothe upset stomachs. Today, it's used to flavor desserts (and has become a popular flavoring for savory dishes as well).
Pure vanilla extract is made by extracting the vanilla flavor by macerating the bean in alcohol and water. The FDA requires at least 13.35 ounces of vanilla beans per gallon of at least 35 percent alcohol (and 65 percent water). But the quality of the beans is not regulated and can vary accordingly. And even though vanilla is naturally sweet, the extract may contain added sugar, corn syrup, caramel, colorings or stabilizers.
Vanilla extract deepens with age and will hang out until you need it in a cool, dry place.
You really get what you pay for when it comes to vanilla. Beware of imitation vanilla flavoring, which is harsh-tasting and no match for the real thing.
You can make your own vanilla extract by soaking split vanilla beans in vodka or rum in a sterilized bottle and allowing it to steep in a cool, dark place for about 8 weeks, shaking it every few days.
Pure vanilla is the fruit of an edible orchid, which opens once a year for a few hours in order to be pollinated.
The long, thin vanilla bean is harvested while green, cured and dried in the sun for several months until it becomes dark brown and sprouts edible vanillin crystals. Vanilla beans are primarily harvested in Madagascar, Mexico and Tahiti.
The vanilla bean is used to make vanilla extract, vanilla powder from the dried pod and vanilla sugar. Beware of imitation vanilla flavoring.
When cooking with vanilla beans, split the bean lengthwise using a sharp knife and scrape the pod to extract the seeds. If you are using the vanilla bean to flavor milk or cream for a pudding or sauce made on the stovetop, you can also add the split bean to the mixture; the seeds will be released as the mixture heats (remove the bean before serving).
Otherwise, add your dry, de-seeded vanilla beans to a jar of sugar -- they will perfume it with a subtle vanilla essence.
Once a prize kept under lock and key in wealthy households, sugar is now ubiquitous and comes in many forms. Most commercial sugar is made from cane or beet root. Here's a look at the most common types of sugar used in the kitchen.
Granulated white sugar: White sugar is highly refined and made from sugarcane or beets. This all-purpose refined white sugar has small but fairly coarse crystals and is used to sprinkle on food, sweeten beverages, or add to dishes during cooking. Golden granulated sugar is a brown sugar made from sugar cane molasses that is similar but has a light brown color.
Castor (caster) or superfine sugar: This refined white sugar has fine crystals that dissolve more quickly than regular granulated sugar, making it a good choice for baking meringues. Golden castor sugar is made from unrefined cane sugar.
Brown sugar: Brown sugar is nothing more than white sugar that has been mixed with molasses to color it and give it a moist texture. Light brown sugar has less molasses than dark brown sugar. Brown sugar should not be confused with raw sugar, which has a similar color and taste but is actually the residue from processed sugarcane.
Turbinado sugar: A sugar cane extract that is made by steaming unrefined raw sugar. It has large crystals and a slight molasses flavor. It's a shade paler than brown sugar and can be substituted for brown sugar in recipes. We like to use turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of muffins, cookies and scones. It holds its texture well and, when cooked, has a nice sweet crunch.
Demerara Sugar: True Demerara sugar is raw or partly refined sugar with large crystals, but some impostors are nothing more than white sugar stained with molasses.
Muscovado Sugar: This raw cane sugar comes in light and dark varieties and is used to make cakes and desserts.
Powdered, icing or confectioner's sugar: This sugar is made by reducing granulated sugar to a powder and mixing it with starch to prevent it from lumping up. It's used to decorate cakes and can also be used in making sweet dishes and baked goods.
what you should know
On this last day of 2007, we're looking back to the early 1900s. Algeria. An orphanage near Oran. While walking through his mandarin grove, a French monk finds a hybrid fruit. It's small, sweet and seedless, with a loose fitting peel that's easy to remove.
The monk's name is Père Clément, and as his discovery spreads across northern Africa and up into Spain, it becomes known as the clementino.
farewell and adieu, you fruits of spain Spain's clementine industry started in 1925 and is still the world's leading producer. For last year's season, Spain exported more than 145 million pounds of clementines to the U.S. alone.
a crate notion Most of those clementines are packed and sold in colorful, 5-pound balsam crates. Look over the fruits to make sure they're the same bright orange. If you can wrestle a sample out of the crate, smell it to make sure there's no mustiness. Is it heavy for its size? Firm but with a little give? Now, peel and eat it. Is it sweet and juicy? You're good to go.
orange sub? Clementines are less acidic (and sweeter tasting) than other citrus fruits. So while they can be used in place of oranges in most any recipe -- vinaigrettes, marinades, salads -- be prepared for a more syrupy, less tart flavor.
what you need
If you're going to make any of the recipes in this special drinks-only root source, you'll need a juice extractor. (Based on our in-house testing, it takes roughly six clementines to get 1 cup of juice.)
You'll also need a good set of lowball glasses. We like these Bodum double-wall glasses.
Need a cocktail shaker? We've been warming up to this Metrokane VIP shaker.
what you do
For this special New Year's Eve edition of the root source, we're going all drinks with some variations of classic cocktails.
We prefer the orange blossom (gin) to the screwdriver (vodka), and we like to make it with a blend of orange and clementines juices. (For the simple syrup, try 101 Cookbook's clementine citrus version.)
Sweet clementine juice makes a traditional mimosa slightly more celebratory.
If you're into screwdrivers, try the clementine martini (aka the clementini), a hybrid of a clementine screw driver and a clementine mimosa.
If you've got some white wine that's been open for a while, try a clementine spritzer: a shot of clementine juice, a half cup of wine and a splash (or more) of soda water.
A reminder: if you'd like to wander through cookthink.com, we now have an index of all our recipes.
Golden, fragrant and naturally sweet, honey is the fruit of a long-standing arrangement between men and bees. Worker bees buzz around snatching nectar from the flowers, returning to the hive to concentrate the nectar and stash it in the viscous form of honey. Then the beekeeper snatches the honey from the bees.
Honey can be drizzled in its liquid form, whipped to prevent crystallization or creamed and spread like butter. Finding crystals in your honey is actually a testament to its high quality. To smooth it out, set the honey jar in a pan of freshly boiled water, until the honey turns liquid again.
Honey has longstanding connections to love and sensuality. In the fifth century B.C., Hippocrates prescribed it for "sexual vigor." And Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with honey and honey desserts, to help ensure a sweet coming year.
Recipe: Honey Cake (Cookthink)
Recipe: Breakfast Quinoa With Dried Cranberries, Toasted Walnuts, And Honey (Cookthink)
Recipe: Greek-Inspired Honey-Roasted Shallots (hogwash)
what you should know
Golden, fragrant and naturally sweet, honey is the fruit of a long-standing arrangement between men and bees.
Worker bees buzz around snatching nectar from the flowers, returning to the hive to concentrate the nectar and stash it in the viscous form of honey. Then the beekeeper snatches the honey from the bees.
crystal clear Finding crystals in your honey is actually a testament to its high quality. To smooth it out, set the honey jar in a pan of freshly boiled water, until the honey turns liquid again.
the buzz Colony Collapse Disorder has been killing off honey bees in the last several years. Since honey flavors so many food products, some companies are rallying to help the bees.
honey bunch According to Martha Hopkins of The New The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook, honey has longstanding connections to love and sensuality. In the fifth century B.C., Hippocrates prescribed it for "sexual vigor."
more than bears Honey can be drizzled in its liquid form, whipped to prevent crystallization or creamed and spread like butter.
sweet wishes Rosh Hashanah is celebrated with honey and honey desserts, to help ensure a sweet coming year.
what you need
Searching for some fine literature about bees and honey? Start with Sue Hubbell's A Book of Bees or Holley Bishop's Robbing the Bees.
If your table setting calls for something more elegant than a plastic bear, you might want a honey dispenser.
Instead of a spoon, try using a honey wand to coax the golden liquid from the jar without spilling a drop.
And while you're whipping up some of our honey recipes, Sweet Honey In The Rock makes the ideal background music.
what you do
Jaden's fantastic pecan-crusted tilapia is sweetened with a honey glaze.
hogwash roasts shallots with honey and feta for a Greek-inspired twist on the French classic.
Before winter spoils the mood, freeze a batch of honey ice cream with ginger-spiced pecans.
Easier than baklava, these flaky honey and almond triangles are a delight.
Glaze your carrots with honey for a smooth, golden sweetness.
Featured: Satisfy your sweet tooth with Honey, Pistachio And Chocolate Chip Biscotti -- this week's Root Source Challenge featured recipe. Congratulations to Dishing Up Delights!
Find more honey recipes at Cookthink.com. And if you haven't yet signed up for a free account at Cookthink, do it now!
