Familly Food Traditions: Jordan Almonds

We celebrated a family wedding last weekend and and present was an Italian food tradition from Lauren's side: the confetti . . . more commonly known in the U.S. as Jordan Almonds. Before Lauren and I wed, my total previous experience with this confection could be described as "slightly rancid, rock hard, exceedingly bland, and pastel." When I threatened to put the kibosh on this wedding favor, there was a one of those critical moments in the planning process where confrontation gives way first to compromise and then ultimately to an embracing the tradition as your own.

What helped change my mind was turning to the Victoria Pastry Company in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco as a quality and edible source for the confetti. The imported Italian sweets won me over. If you are ever nearby it is recommended that you also try a cannoli from the bakery and enjoy some of the coffee that they roast in small batches on the premises.

If you were curious if Jordan Almonds refers to a place name, the FDA does have perspective and a policy on this. They determined that it is simply considered the common or usual name for candy-coated almonds and do not need to be from a particular place or origin to be called Jordan Almonds.

Often these sweets are placed in small tulle bags or envelopes for the guests to take home as they were at the weddings of Lauren's parents and brother and our own.

Viva gli sposi, Marc and Amber!

Food Science Friday: Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder

Baking soda and baking powder . . . they have similar names and both are a part of helping things rise. But what's the difference?

Leavening is a result of a simple chemical reaction: acid + base = CO2 gas (bubbles).

Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a base. When used with other acidic ingredients in recipes (cream of tartar, lemon juice, etc.) it can react to create CO2 bubbles thereby raising the batter or dough.

Baking powder contains both the acid and the base, usually blended with cornstarch to keep the acid and base from reacting quickly on your shelf. It is made of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and acids like sodium aluminum sulfate (SAS), sodium aluminum pyrophosphate (SAPP), and monocalcium phosphate (MCP). Each of these acids can give the leavening system different properties depending on how the acids are free to react. You may see baking powders with descriptive names:

• Single-acting: One type of acid is present--either slow or fast. Slow-acting acids react slower, sometimes because they are only active with high heat, and release more gas during baking, frying or cooking on a griddle. Fast-acting acids react quickly when simply moistened in the batter or dough.

• Double-acting: This refers to a combination of at least two acids--slow and fast. One of the acids reacts in when moistened during mixing and the other during heating in the oven.

For more in-depth details on specific acids, click here.

Food scientists don't necessarily use standard retail baking powders, but instead select specific acids to mix with sodium bicarbonate when they are formulating baked goods. For a full technical chart of the different types of acids, click here. Sometimes the acids and/or bases can be even be encapsulated (coated in fat or maltodextrins) to further control their release properties. The end of shelf life for a formulated cake mix type product can often be due to the leavening having slowly reacted over time thus resulting in a under-leavened cake without the volume and lightness expected.

So what does all of this mean for you?

1. Don't simply substitute baking powder or baking soda for each other.
2. Don't forget to check the expiration date on the baking soda or powder box. Their efficacy diminishes over time and no one wants to have a cake that doesn't rise!

One Word Wednesday...Tiers

Tiers of Joy! Congratulations to my brother and his wife on their marriage last weekend!

(No, we didn't make these cupcakes but they were lovely!)

Foodspiration Retrospective: Lauren's Baking Favorites!

In celebration of one year of Foodspiration, we're revisiting our favorite posts from the past.

Okay, I was supposed to pick one post that represents my favorites from Foodspiration (and That Would Be Lovely- which was a separate baking blog before we combined the two). And I just couldn't pick one. So I'm breaking the rules and picking TWO! They are all about baking because I just love it!

My top two:
1. The most beautiful cupcakes I ever made: The Hello Cupcake cookbook inspired me with new ways to decorate cupcakes. I actually bought the book for this recipe alone! These cupcakes introduced me to the decorative world of candy melts. Click on the link to see the step by step and be inspired by the possibilities!

2. A must for crust: three ways to beautify your pie: Pie season is here and this was a fun post to explore ways to make your crust look spectacular! From egg washes to easy cutouts to serious Martha Stewart crust construction, there's something for everyone in this post. You should definitely take a peek for a few easy ways to impress the family over the holidays.

So, these are our favorites. Were there others that you remember and really liked?

Foodspiration Retrospective: Full Belly of Eggs

In celebration of one year of Foodspiration, we're revisiting our favorite posts from the past.

When I look back over the last year, I realize that my very first post Full Belly of Eggs is emblematic of what Foodspiration is to me . . . taking ideas about our food system (traditional, local, technical, cultural, culinary, etc), and mixing them all up in a point of view the peeks into the future, but also gives full recognition to how we got here. Foodspiration is about exploration, about taste, about sharing, about learning, and about eating. Foodspiration is about creating alternatives only made possible through engagement and dialogue.

What does a Fully Belly of Eggs actually look like? . . . this photo didn't make the original cut, but thought I would share it now. Click here to see the originals.

Happy First Birthday, Foodspiration! … and It’s Food Science Friday!

We are celebrating our first year of Foodspiration! (This was Justin's 2008 birthday cake, right about the time we started Foodspiration and my former baking blog--click here for the past post.) We are so excited to celebrate this past year of sharing our passion for food and our desire to inspire everyone to engage with cooking and eating in small daily ways.

We also wanted to say thank you for reading and commenting and trying our suggestions and ideas for yourself. Nothing makes us happier than to get an email or a comment that you tried a recipe or went to a foodie spot that we recommended. It’s all about the little things!

So in honor of our year of Foodspiration, we are each going to reminisce and link to our favorite posts for the next few days. You may have noticed that we’ve upped our posting frequency and added One Word Wednesdays and Food Science Fridays. We hope you like them!


And for today’s Food Science Friday . . . a fun fact about cake mix!

Do know what one of the most common reasons behind a failed cake from a cake mix is? Old-age! That’s right, even cake mixes have an expiration date. The leavening system (i.e. baking powder) which produces gas bubbles that create the rise and fluffy structure in cakes, can slowly react over time. Cake mixes that are past the expiration dates are likely to have problems rising due to reacted leavening.

Next Friday we’ll talk about the difference between baking soda and baking powder, why they can’t be substituted, and why you should pay attention to the expiration date.

We're Giving More Foodspiration...

Have you noticed? In the spirit of being food-spired in the small moments, we are going to have more short posts during the week. So, look for experience and recipe posts on Mondays, followed by One-Word Wednesdays, a bit of Food Science Trivia on Fridays and another experience and recipe post on Saturdays!

And feel free to send us suggestions for topics! We love to hear from you!

Lauren and Justin

One Word Wednesday...Squeeze

Squeeze

When life gives you lemons, what recipes do you make?