Sunday, September 13, 2009

Prolonging the Life of Berries

ONE of summer’s great pleasures is eating berries of all kinds by the basketful. One of summer’s great frustrations is having baskets of berries go moldy overnight, or even by nightfall.






Steven Senne/Associated Press

SPORES BE GONE To protect blueberries, pop them in a pot.

Over the years I’ve come up with various strategies for limiting my losses, but this summer I came across a surprising one, the most effective I’ve ever tried. Thermotherapy, it’s been called. A very hot fruit bath.



Fruits go moldy because mold spores are everywhere, readily germinate on the humid surfaces of actively respiring, moisture-exhaling fruits, and easily penetrate the smallest breach of their thin skins.



The first thing I do with a haul of berries, after eating my fill straight from the basket, is to unpack the rest and spread them out on kitchen or paper towels, so they’re not pressing against one another and trapping moisture.



If I want to keep them overnight or longer, I refrigerate them, because cold temperatures slow fruit metabolism and mold growth. I repack the berries as sparsely as possible, nest each basket in a second empty one to leave an air space at the bottom, and inflate and tie off a plastic produce bag around the baskets, so there’s room for the berries to breathe and the bag itself doesn’t cling to their surfaces.



Even with these precautions I’ve had baskets mold overnight in the refrigerator. So I followed up right away when I saw a reference in an agricultural journal on extending the shelf life of strawberries not with a chemical treatment or gamma irradiation, but with heat.



I gathered a dozen or so reports that hot-water treatments suppress mold growth on berries, grapes and stone fruits. The test temperatures ranged from 113 to 145 degrees, with exposure times of a few minutes at the lower temperatures, and 12 seconds at the highest.



I found it hard to believe that any part of a plant could tolerate 145-degree water. My finger in the same water would get a third-degree burn in less than 5 seconds, and eventually reach medium rare.



I bought pints of various berries, divided each batch into two samples, and heated one by immersing and swishing its plastic basket in a pot of hot water. I emptied the heated sample onto towels to cool down and dry. Then I repacked it, and encouraged both baskets to spoil by wrapping them airtight and letting them sweat on the kitchen counter. After 24 hours I counted the moldy berries in each basket.



The strawberries fared best when I heated them at 125 degrees for 30 seconds. In two samples from different sources, this treatment gave a total of 1 moldy berry out of 30, where the untreated baskets had 14. I also treated some bruised berries, including one with a moldy tip. After 24 hours none were moldy. The tip mold not only hadn’t spread, it had disappeared.



I tried the same treatment, 125 degrees for 30 seconds, on raspberries and blackberries, and got the same good results. There were many fewer moldy berries in the heated samples.



For thicker-skinned blueberries, a Canadian study recommended a 140-degree treatment for 30 seconds. I tested it twice, with samples of around 150 berries each time. That heat took the bloom off. It melted the natural wax that gives the berries their whitish cast, and left them midnight blue. It also cut the number of moldy berries from around 20 per sample to 2.



Research has also shown that exposure to hot air slows fruit spoilage. But hot air can take several hours, and I found it harder than hot water to apply precisely in the kitchen. I did spread some raspberries out on a sheet pan lined with towels, and put them in a 150-degree non-convection oven for 20 minutes. The berry bottoms got hotter than the tops, which were cooled by evaporation. Still, only 1 out of 48 heated berries became moldy, compared with 7 out of 52 in the unheated basket.



Why is it that delicate berries can survive heat high enough to kill mold and injure fingers? Probably because they have to do so in the field. One study of tomatoes found that intense sunlight raised their interiors to 122 degrees. Such heat hurts the quality of growing fruits, but I couldn’t taste much of an effect on briefly heated ripe fruits.



So if you find yourself plagued by quickly spoiling fruits, start giving them a brief hot bath before you spread them out or chill them. Thermotherapy can be healthy for all concerned.



Sign in to RecommendMore Articles in Dining & Wine » A version of this article appeared in print on August 26, 2009, on page D5 of the New York edition.

Food Court Musical

Some of you may have already seen this. But these are always pretty good!
Enjoy!



Sunday

Well, hope everyone is relaxing, or at least trying to take it easier for the weekend. I put up a couple tasty recipe's for ya' all to check out,or not. Anyway again I do want to thank those of you that have subscribed so far. Please share with family and friends, the more viewers the better.
I made a Pumpkin cheesecake last night, so the family and myself will be trying it later today. I should have some pictures up in time for tomorrow's posts
My niece will becoming over for dinner today, it's always nice to see her. we're going to have grilled Atlantic salmon and Bar-B-Que'd ribs(with my homemade BBQ sauce).In addition will be having roasted red potatoes (on the grill), salad tossed in Bleu Cheese dressing, and cheese toast.
I changed the email time for my email subscribers, so those will be going out in the late afternoon now instead of the morning time. So in closing, I again thank you very much for reading and subscribing to my blog. If you have something you would like to see on my posts, please feel free to send it to me in an email. You can use the form at the bottom of the page and copy it into that or send it to
kenskreations61@gmail.com

I will do my best to post it.
Anyway, everyone have a great Sunday!-Kent

Caramel Butter Pecan Brownies



This is obviously a Haagen Dazs recipe , but umm, umm ,does it sound good. I may have to whip this one up sometime this week. I let ya' know if I do! -Kent




Ingredients:

1 (18-oz.) pkg. refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (19.5 to 19.8-oz.) pkg. brownie mix
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 cartons (28 fl. oz.) Häagen-Dazs® Butter Pecan Ice Cream
1 (17-oz.) jar caramel ice cream topping





Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cut sugar cookie dough into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in bottom of pan. With floured fingers, press dough evenly to form crust.

2. In large bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, water and eggs; beat 50 strokes with spoon. Spread brownie batter in pan over sugar cookie dough.

3. Bake at 350°F. for 28 to 30 minutes. Cool for 1 1/2 hours or until completely cooled.

4. Meanwhile, spray sheet of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. In medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water. Heat to boiling. Boil for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture turns light golden brown. Stir in 1/4 cup pecans. Pour mixture onto foil; spread to thin layer. Cool completely. Break brittle into small pieces for later use as garnish.

5. Soften ice cream in refrigerator for about 45 minutes. Spread ice cream evenly over top of brownie. Freeze dessert for 2 hours or until firm.

6. To serve; cut frozen dessert into round pieces using a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter. Size of biscuit cutter will determine number of servings. Or cut dessert into 15 square pieces.

7. In small saucepan, warm caramel topping. Spoon 2 tablespoons topping onto each serving plate; top with piece of dessert. Drizzle with additional caramel and garnish with pecan brittle.

15 servings

Nutrition Facts:



Amount Per Serving Serving Size: 1/15 of recipe
Calories: 680 Calories from Fat: 280

Total Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 400mg 17%
Total Carbohydrate 93mg 31%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Sugars 67g
Protein 7g



Vitamin A 8% Vitamin C 10%
Calcium 0% Iron 15%





Dietary Exchanges: 2 1/2 Starch, 3 1/2 Fruit, 6 Fat OR 6 Carbohydrate, 6 Fat

Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango Salad


Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango SaladThis simple, fresh-tasting salad adds delicious variety to grilled foods, such as salmon, halibut, chicken or pork. Browning the corn in a skillet gives it a nutty, caramelized flavor that contrasts with the sweetness of the mango.
Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango SaladThis simple, fresh-tasting salad adds delicious variety to grilled foods, such as salmon, halibut, chicken or pork. Browning the corn in a skillet gives it a nutty, caramelized flavor that contrasts with the sweetness of the mango.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, (from 3 ears)
1 large ripe mango, (about 1 pound), peeled and diced
1 15-ounce or 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 small canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, (see Ingredient Note), drained and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl. Stir in mango, beans, onion, bell pepper, lime juice, chipotle, cilantro, cumin and salt.
Roasted Corn, Black Bean and Mango SaladThis simple, fresh-tasting salad adds delicious variety to grilled foods, such as salmon, halibut, chicken or pork. Browning the corn in a skillet gives it a nutty, caramelized flavor that contrasts with the sweetness of the mango.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups corn kernels, (from 3 ears)
1 large ripe mango, (about 1 pound), peeled and diced
1 15-ounce or 19-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 small canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, (see Ingredient Note), drained and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the corn mixture to a large bowl. Stir in mango, beans, onion, bell pepper, lime juice, chipotle, cilantro, cumin and salt.

Nutrition Information
Per serving
Calories: 125
Carbohydrates: 26g
Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Monounsaturated Fat: 1g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Dietary Fiber: 4g
Potassium: 223mg
Sodium: 245mg
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Fiber (18% dv).