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Stevia in the Raw: Cup for Cup Bakers’ Bag

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

From the makers of the ever-popular Sugar in the Raw (above right) comes a new product: Stevia in the Raw.   Stevia is a sweetening agent that is not an artificial sweetener but also not sugar.  More specifically,

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is an herb in the compositae family that grows as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. The glycosides in its leaves make it incredibly sweet, a property that is unique among the nearly 300 species of stevia plants. Stevia has been used to sweeten beverages and medicines for over 400 years.

In addition to single-serving packets (above left), Stevia in the Raw is available in Cup for Cup Bakers’ Bags.  Terri was kind enough to send me a Bakers’ Bag to try.  It’s in a large, plastic bag with a resealable zip top.  Looking at it, you’d think it weighed five pounds (which is its sweetening power equivalent to sugar).  But, it only weighs 9.7 ounces.  The powder feels nearly weightless and it quite dusty.

I tried it in several different foods and drinks and it seems that experimentation according to your own likes and dislikes is key.  I did not enjoy it in hot coffee while I did enjoy it in hot tea.  I did not enjoy it in plain yogurt but I did enjoy it in baked cornbread and refrigerator pickles.  I am still planning to try the cheesecake recipe from the back of the bag which sounds promising.

Stevia in the Raw’s website has a plethora of recipes, including the cheesecake.  It also has a section of tips which, um, I should read now since it may explain why some of my experimental uses were less successful than others.

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Crofter’s Organic Superfruit Spreads!

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Crofter’s Organic has a new line of Superfruit Spreads with yummy “exotic” fruits like Maqui Berry and Yumberry.

I was so excited to try these because conventionally-grown berries have some of the highest pesticide loads. Also, these spreads are made with Fair Trade sugar and contain no artificial flavors or preservatives. It’s wonderful to have Crofter’s Organic as a healthy and delicious option in the jam/jelly/preserve/spread department.

There are four Crofter’s Superfruit Flavors and I tried and enjoyed them all.  I’m going to tell them to you in personal preferential order:

1. South American blend: Exotic blend of Maqui Berry and Passionfruit

2. Asian blend: Bright blend of Yumberry and Raspberry

3. European blend: Old world Pomegranate and Black Currant

4. North American blend: Classic Cranberry and Blueberry

The South American blend really is #1, and I’d be curious to find if there’s anyone who disagrees with me.  The passionfruit/Maqui berry combination is an incredible flavor.  The North American blend was my least favorite; there was something about it that tasted a bit “off” to me (not that it prevented me from finishing the jar!).

I enjoyed these as a toast topping and as a greek yogurt mix-in.

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Dried Hot Sweet Tamarind from Pearl River Market in NYC

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008

I fell in love with tamarind in Vietnam in 2005.

The fruit is hard to describe.  Imagine a pea pod that is hard, brown and crisp dry; inside is fruit the consistency of raisins held together by several fibrous strings that run from one end of the pod to the other.

Doesn’t sound very appetizing does it?  It is in fact quite tasty.  And like many things, it’s made even more exciting (and shelf-stable) when the inner fruit is extracted and fortified with sugar, salt and chili.  Some batches have more chili than others.  Some bites have more chili than others.  That’s part of the fun.

Lucky for me, Pearl River Market sells this delicacy for just $1.60.  Of course, in Vietnam the same portion would probably cost 2000D or $0.13.  But the plane ticket would be a little more than the difference.

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Gadget: Custom Coffee Grinder

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

As I’ve stated previously, I’m not inclined to buy a lot of gadgets to clutter my kitchen, but here’s one that is worth its space: a custom coffee grinder.  I have the Hamilton Beach model pictured above.

If you’re a coffee drinker, it allows you to only grind a few days’ worth of beans at a time and thus enhancing freshness.  You can set the lever to various grind sizes within categories of “auto drip” or “espresso.”

But I also use it for other things: if I need to quickly grind up an herb or a spice, or when I want to make some raw/demera/turbinado sugar more suitable for recipes (or to better dissolve in coffee).

Save yourself a future heart attack, though, by carefully wiping down the blade if you use sugar or any other substance that could get sticky.  Not because a sticky blade will cause a heart attack, per se, but because a sticky blade may not turn and will thus make you think your coffee grinder just died, which may cause severe distress.  But it didn’t die, and you can calm down, it’s just sticky.

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