A World Without Vanilla

I can’t begin to imagine a world without the scent of vanilla. It would be like Spring without flowers or rain with no hope of eventual sunshine and the smell of fresh grass.

Where would peach pie, cupcakes, pudding and angel cake be without vanilla - that sensual aromatic that lures us into sugar consumption? If you have ever smelled crystallized sugar, you have noticed that by itself, it has very little scent. The alchemy of combined sugar and vanilla emerges via the baking process. Exposed to heat, these two elements exude the seductive scent of carmelization, enveloped in an irresistible floral perfume. Can we really be sure that it was the apple that tempted Adam and Eve?

As I have journeyed through this culinary world, I have noticed that with increased frequency, many of our foods are lacking in flavor. A combination of factors have played a role in this, the most prominent one being factory farming. It saddens me even more to realize that our children may be denied the precious experience of savoring the true flavors of real food. For example, my favorite variety of corn, “Silver Queen,” no longer exists, according to the Slow Food organization. Yet, its distinctive flavor continues to linger in my taste memory. Another of my vivid taste memories is of lobster in Bar Harbor, Maine, picked up amongst the seaweed washed ashore from a broken trap after a winter storm. In contrast to that vivid memory, there is hardly a shadow of such flavor in lifeless lobster that comes to us from a supermarket tank. I search in vain for the flavor and texture of a crisp McIntosh apple pulled right off the branch; or a Kathadan potato roasted in a wood fire. And now I worry about my beloved vanilla, the aromatic pleasure that floats out of a plump oily black Tahitian vanilla bean…ah, so fresh and happy in its perfume. But let me move on, for such talk is causing me to feel depressed.

Occasionally, I will explore local “trendy” bakeshops to taste what the bakers are producing. I often ask what type of vanilla is being used in the baking process. More often than not, I am shocked to learn that the baker has simply gone with the cheapest vanilla available. It saddens me that many bakers put cost ahead of quality.

I always try to obtain the very best ingredients for my baking projects. Regardless of a baker’s skill and talent, the end result will only be as good as the ingredients that are used. And, given the alchemy that takes place when vanilla and sugar merge together, why would anyone want to skimp on the vanilla? I am constantly reminded of the prescient words of Alan Watts, who warned us in his chapter, “Murder in the Kitchen,” that the integrity of our food ingredients was in danger – and that was some forty years ago!

As a private chef, I sometimes have had to struggle with clients, who balk at the cost of certain ingredients. The process of becoming blasé about flavor is an insidious one. Over time, our collective taste buds have become increasingly accustomed to flavorless cardboard that giant food factories manufacture. And when we can no longer appreciate the difference, cost has succeeded in a leverage buy-out of our taste sensation.

I suspect that few people know that vanilla was almost wiped off the face of the earth, due to a blight that was not unlike the phylloxera scare of 19th France, which almost wiped out Bordeaux’s wine grapes. In the case of vanilla, it appears to have been over-production (caused by factory-style farming) that almost caused its demise. The orchid seeds were planted too close together, creating an opportunity for a voracious fungus that destroyed nearly eighty percent of the Vanilla crops in Madagascar.

We can only hope that this blight has been successfully eradicated, because it is hard to imagine a world without vanilla.

To obtain the very highest quality vanilla – from a socially conscious and highly knowledgeable purveyor - visit the website of Patricia Rain (the “Vanilla Queen”): www.vanilla.com. Patricia Rain is THE authority on vanilla. At her website, you will find the finest vanilla available, as well as an excellent repository of trusted information.

Sugar – How to Cut Back Without Losing Out on Flavor

There is no doubt that refined sugars (and flours) of today, are the transfats of yesterday.

How can we wean ourselves and our families off excessive sugar without sacrificing our enjoyment of foods?

The answer: We can do so by 1) Gradually replacing refined sugars with healthier alternatives (such as honey and organic cane sugar in lesser amounts), over an extended period of time; and 2) Gradually reducing the total daily amount of sugar intake. Most of us have an emotional attachment to sweet flavors that goes back to infancy – really, it’s a type of addiction – that is primal. Those of us who are emotional eaters (and who also tend to crave refined carbs) could benefit by learning how to substitute healthier alternatives without sacrificing the satisfaction we all enjoy from sweet flavors.

Believe it or not, after a few weeks of reduced sugar intake, you will find that your palate is actually offended by overly sweetened foods. (By the way, the same rule applies to salt but we will write about that later.)

Let’s start with hydration and beverages. Aside from water, many of us drink flavored waters and “grab and go” items such boxed juice products. Many of these products claim to have switched from high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar. A close examination of the ingredient, however, will often reveal that the switch is actually to genetically modified beet sugar. Cane sugar is relatively expensive; therefore most producers will avoid using real cane sugar as the sweetening agent.

Let’s face it: The flavored beverage industry is BIG Business. Train yourself to look at the labels and become informed about the actual amounts of sugar being used. You are liable to be shocked at what you discover.

I recently picked up some beautiful tangelos (a cross between tangerine and grapefruit). I squeezed a cup of juice out of the two tangelos, sweetened it with a little simple syrup (made with organic cane sugar). It turns out that very little added sugar was needed, due to the inherent sweetness of the tangelo juice. I only had to add 2 tablespoons and 2 two tablespoons of water to make the simple syrup. After blending, I added 1 quart of filtered water to the mix and set it in the refrigerator. My 12-year-old son drank the “tangelo-aide,” finishing the entire quart in one evening. It felt good to know that he was consuming a clean beverage, with low sugar - and the right sugar. It also felt good to know that I was weaning him off of heavy sugar consumption without him being aware of any sacrifice. As an added benefit, he was increasing his intake of water. In a few weeks, his taste buds will fully adjust and he will actually prefer the subtle sweetness over the overly sweetened commercial products.

I have found that the same principle applies to the use of sugars and flours in baking. For example, I recently made a batch of chocolate chip banana muffins. I altered the ingredients just a little, to enrich the muffin with added nutrition - without significantly affecting the flavor profile. I added sweet whey and a little whole grain to the batter. I increased the banana component and boosted the flavor with just a little more vanilla than usual. I added 70% European mini-sized chocolate chips, which were dispersed throughout the muffin, providing an evenness of chocolate flavor. After all of this, I baked them off, being careful not to over-bake them, producing a moist result.

When the banana muffins came out of the oven, my son came running into the kitchen, to have a taste. The aroma of a freshly baked “sweet” had been beckoning him for over twenty minutes. He actually tore himself away from a videogame – a good sign indeed. He quickly grabbed a muffin and starting eating it, exclaiming, “Wow, mom, these are really good! I like these muffins; they are now my favorite muffins. Can I have another?”

After such a reception, I decided to taste one myself, in order to “store” the favor in my taste memory. (Did you know that flavor experiences can indeed be “stored” in the brain for a lifetime, and that you can actually experience taste memories? For example, how many of us can remember the experience of being in grandma’s kitchen while cookies are baking, if he happen to catch a whiff the same aroma, decades later.)

So, I bit into that banana chocolate chip muffin and quickly realized that I hadn’t added sugar to the mix, not even cane sugar! I sat and watched my son consume a second muffin and realized, at that moment my effort to wean him from excessive sugar consumption actually working – albeit in a subtle way. It brings me a good feeling, knowing that these efforts to reduce sugar intake will improve the quality of life for my clients, my family, and, of course - for me!



Recipe for Banana Bread

4 ripe bananas, mashed
½ cup (or less) cane sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose organic flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 cup European chocolate chips

Blend wet ingredients, then combine dry ingredients; each group separately. Then mix both groups together. Pour mixture into a loaf pan or cupcake mold. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 2 dozen cupcakes/one large loaf cake. Option: For additional nutritional value and enhanced flavor, consider adding raisins, chopped macadamia nuts, shredded coconut, or walnuts.

I am doing a special workshop to benefit Star Prep Academy

I have put together a special workshop for an upcoming auction to benefit Star Prep Academy. The Star Prep Academy is an extraordinary private middle & high school for students who seek an individualized approach to learning, based on their desired areas of specialization. It is located within the internationally award-winning STAR ECO Station, an environmental science museum and exotic wildlife rescue center. I am thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to participate in fundraising for this excellent school.

By the way, I have posted workshop excerpts on my Youtube page, which you will find here: www.youtube.com/junepagan

Secrets of Healthy Gourmet Cooking
Workshop by June Pagan, Private Chef

Small Class Size (6 students, face-to-face approach)
4 hours course
Price: $100.00
Hours: 2-6PM
Date: A Sunday afternoon, to be arranged
Location: Marina Del Rey, CA
Instructor: June Pagan, Los Angeles private chef since 1985

www.junepagan.com
310.823.0929 office
310.832.0509 cell
e-mail: junepagan@verizon.net

The purpose of this workshop is to teach the student how to deliver simple, healthy and flavorful meals to their family and friends. I will describe my work as a private chef, while demonstrating specialized dishes that I have prepared for my clients over the years. I have developed hundreds of specialty dishes that satisfy the most discerning palate, while promoting good health and weight control. You will enjoy tasting some of the dishes that I have prepared for Al Pacino, Elizabeth Taylor, Eddie Murphy, Prince, Aaron Spelling, and Pia Zadora. Some of the dishes that we will be preparing are:

Echoes of the Great Depression - Going Back to Basics

Even though little is written or portrayed on the Food Network, we are in the middle of a food crisis similar to that of the Great Depression. Whether directly affected by hunger or not, economic hardship is ever-present in most Americans’ minds. We are either experiencing it, fearing it, and concerned about loved ones who are dealing with it.

During times of hardship, those of us in the kitchen have to be very creative in order to provide wholesome sustenance. During the Great Depression, food costs (including sugar) were much lower than they are today. Americans began to consume a great deal more sugar, as it was a relatively inexpensive commodity and it satisfied their hunger cravings. I suspect that this trend has persisted and is a significant factor in our current problems with excessive food consumption and our current obesity epidemic. It during the Great Depression that foods began to become over-processed, and increasingly less nutritious. Back in those days, food was relatively inexpensive. A cost-conscious cook could therefore stretch the budget while still being able to serve a fairly well-balanced meal. Today, however, prices have risen to the point where “a chicken in every pot” is not even possible - at least not a healthy chicken.

Today, one egg costs roughly the same amount as a dozen eggs cost during the Great Depression. It is therefore not surprising that the relatively inexpensive ingredients (sugar, salt, and refined flour are ubiquitous elements in most processed foods.

Today, there is a silent revolution at the table. We are bombarded with advertising for “cheap food” that is full of GMO ingredients, preservatives, flavor enhancers, high sugar content, and refined carbohydrates. What I find disturbing is the wholesome looking packaging for these products – which is deceptive.

Not unlike the Great Depression, our present economy is forcing us to rethink what we are serving at the table. We are sometimes forced to make unhealthy choices because of our limited budgets. At the same time, we also are sometimes forced to engage in protein stretching, substitutions and making do with less. As was the case during the Great Depression, we find ourselves returning to the “take only what you need” paradigm, as we did during the Great Depression. Of course does have its plus side, since by being careful about our food intake, we can help ourselves gain control of medical conditions that are associated with excessive food intake – such as diabetes and heart disease.

This does not mean total sacrifice. What it DOES mean is that we need to “think outside the box” in developing menus for our families. Back in the 40’s creative cooks made sugarless cakes, eggless cakes and meatless meals. They planted “victory gardens” for their fresh fruit and vegetables. At that point in our history, convenience foods had not yet taken hold. Now, however, we find ourselves struggling to avoid the unhealthy (and often cheap) convenience foods, as we strive to return to the days of healthier “cooking from scratch.”

With the current trend toward emphasizing proteins and reducing carbs (especially refined carbs), we have the added challenge of considering the relatively higher cost this engenders. Ideally, we should be consuming things like grassfed beef, high-quality fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Furthermore, we are best served when we consume organically grown ingredients. Unfortunately, few of us can afford to take this type of approach. As a client once said to me, “We can’t all live in Brentwood.” In our current food crisis, only the very well-to-do – and some farmers – are able to do this. For the rest of us, the best we can hope for is to make well-informed choices based upon what our budgets allow. So, can we eat healthfully and enjoy satisfying meals while staying within our budgets? YES – WE CAN – with a little help. In my upcoming blogs, I will show you how to effectively purchase ingredients that are nutritious and flavorful but won’t break the bank. Look for detailed budget-recipes and tips for finding the right sources for purchasing the ingredients.

The “Zen Kitchen”

For six years, I collected an executive chef’s salary cooking for a high profile couple. My job was to create tasty but healthful cuisine for them, keeping their weight and cholesterol at a healthy level.

I prepared my style of cooking called “Clean Cuisine,” a discipline that I developed over a 25 year period of study and training. My employer referred to my kitchen as the “Zen Kitchen.” I was a little perplexed by this moniker at first. I knew that I wasn’t cooking Shojin Cuisine (the highest form of vegetarian cooking). I had to see my workspace through their eyes and stomachs to truly understand what she meant by that.

I knew that I was providing sustenance on many levels:

Physically: I was able to get their cholesterol levels down within two months by choosing the right foods to offer and using certain cooking techniques in the kitchen. I carefully selected the products with which to work with and paid careful attention to treat those products with a certain reverence by not destroying their nutritional integrity. This, combined with a strong culinary background, elevated my style of health cuisine to a different level - one for which the employer was willing to pay top dollar. This couple knew about food. They were among the original “foodies” and also knew when one ingredient was missing in a 15-ingredient dish.

Mentally: Since “Clean Cuisine” is virtually free of refined sugars, flours and processed foods, one notices a change almost immediately in their digestion, resulting in a pleasant feeling of lightness after dining. You walk away from the table knowing that you have treated your body well in addition to having satisfaction on the palate. If you are dining with family, you have the added satisfaction that you are providing this level of sustenance to your loved ones.

Spiritually: To a certain degree, dining this way, transforms you spiritually. Not unlike Transcendental Meditation, when you sit down to a meal prepared by a chef that is mindful, the message is translated and consumed by the person eating that meal. One tends to slow down and focus, if you will, on the pleasant experience of dining; the aromatic element of the meal comes in first through the olfactory sense and then reaches the taste buds. This is a relaxing experience free from anxiety. Savoring the experience of healthy dining engages us in mental and physical mindfulness which boosts positive thinking and decreases our overall stress.

I have come to realize that in referring to my kitchen as “Zen Kitchen,” my client was mindful of the above.

Not All Beans Are Created Equal

Vanilla Beans

It is no wonder that some of the most aromatic sources of satisfaction in the food world are derived from a simple bean, coffee beans, cacao beans and vanilla beans. Not all beans are equal when it comes to vanilla beans. When baking, often do we consider the origin of the vanilla that we are adding to our batch of batter?

Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla beans are long and slender with a rich flavor and aroma. With thick oily skin, strong vanilla notes & tiny seeds. Bourbon Vanilla beans are described as creamy, hay-like and sweet.

Mexican Vanilla beans, a favorite of mine, are similar to the Bourbon Vanilla bean but with a more mellow smooth quality and a spicy, woody fragrance. This is a favorite of mine because as we all know digestion starts with the olfactory sense. Be careful with Mexican Vanilla and buy from a reputable source. Mexican vanilla extract derived from the Tonka Bean is not a healthy alternative.

True Tahitian beans, another favorite of mine, are called True Beans because there are a lot of beans being passed as Tahitian that are not. True Tahitian beans are like rare Bordeaux wines, they have a fruity, floral aroma and are often described as smelling like licorice, cherries, prunes, or wine. The beans are shorter & plumper and have higher moisture content than Planifolia beans.

For the best vanilla products at the best price, go to www.vanilla.com a socially conscious educational site. The Vanilla Company, located in Santa Cruz, California, is headed by Patricia Rain, who is also known as “The Vanilla Queen.”

To contact the Vanilla Queen directly, send her an email: rain@vanilla.com.

The difference between my ingredients and and those found in commercial products

Tomorrow night, for a client, I am preparing Korean barbecued ribs. The client has a food allergy (to nuts) and this may include allergy to sesame oil. I therefore developed a special alternative recipe to bring forth the same flavor without causing an allergic reaction. While I was at it, I substituted honey for sugar, thus created a more healthful sauce.


Dynasty brand Hoisin sauce:

Water
Sugar
White vinegar
Soybeans
Rice
Garlic
Salt
Sesame oil
Caramel color
Onions
Red chili
Xanthan gum
Spice
Natural flavor
Citric acid
Star anise
Sodium benzoate
Autolyzed yeast
Ginger root
Licorice root


June’s clean cuisine version of Hoisin sauce:

Soy sauce
Organic white miso paste
Organic brown rice vinegar
Garlic powder
Raw honey
Molasses
Fresh ginger
Fresh garlic
Organic ketchup
Sesame oil
Chili oil