Global Food, Health, and Society

A Colby Community Website for ST297, Fall 2018

Author: erkane

Egg-citing News! Cholesterol Isn’t Always Unhealthy

11/29/2018 / / 1 Comment

Goat Cheese, Spinach, & Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche 

(Recipe Courtesy of Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

  • Pie Crust 
  • 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 packed cups fresh spinach
  • 4 large Eggland’s Best eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk3
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled or chopped
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Prepare the piecrust the night before to save yourself some time.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
  3. Heat olive oil and garlic in a skillet over medium heat. Add the spinach. Cook and stir until wilted. Set aside.
  4. On a floured work surface, roll out the chilled pie dough. Turn the piecrust dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. With a small and sharp knife, trim the extra overhang of crust and discard. Using pie weights, pre-bake the piecrust for 8 minutes.
  5. While the piecrust is baking, whisk the eggs and milk together until combined. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and spinach. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  6. After 8 minutes, remove the piecrust from the oven. Pour in the egg mixture. If desired, sprinkle the top lightly with more salt and pepper.
  7. Bake the quiche until it is golden brown on top and the center is no longer jiggly. Depending on your oven, this will take anywhere between 45 – 55 minutes. Use a pie shield to prevent the piecrust from over browning, if desired. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving. This quiche makes great leftovers for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  8. Make ahead tip: Baked quiche freezes very well, up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and bake at 350°F (177°C) to warm up for 25 minutes, give or take.

Everyone knows that after working hard in the kitchen to make a Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche, you are probably not thinking about how the eggs embedded within the foundation of your quiche go on to affect your body on a physiological level. Instead, you focus more on the obvious delicious aspects of the creation that you worked so hard to make. However, we are here to ensure that you can become more cognizant of how your body is affected once you have finished eating your delectable quiche. For this recipe, we will discuss eggs, a crucial ingredient in this quiche recipe and all other quiches you might make. Eggs are fascinating on various levels and many aspects of analysis can be highlighted. However, we will consider the component of cholesterol. We will again turn to both the historical and scientific literature to gain a better understanding of how our body is impacted after eating such a foundational ingredient. Cholesterol has the ability to affect the overall health of an individual in more ways than one. Continue reading

Serotonin & Dopamine: The Neurological Benefits of Chocolate

10/28/2018 / / 2 Comments

Chocolate Cake with Mocha Frosting
(Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten)

  • 12 tablespoons (1 1⁄2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups sugar

  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 
1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 
1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 
2/3 cup hottest tap water
  • 
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Pernigotti
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
  • 2/3 cup half-and-half Mocha Frosting (see recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch baking pan. Line with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer -fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl. On medium speed, add the vanilla, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. In another bowl or a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the hot water, cocoa powder, and espresso powder until smooth. Add the half-and-half and whisk until smooth. With the mixer on low, add the flour and chocolate mixtures alternately in thirds, starting and ending with the flour. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the bowl to be sure the batter is well mixed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 25 to

35 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan. Turn out onto a flat platter or board and frost the top with the mochafrosting. Cut in squares and serve.

I’m sure right now the only thing you think are thinking about after having baked this amazingly delicious chocolate cake is “Wow, I cannot wait to try a piece!” The smell of your kitchen is intoxicating and your mouth is salivating. At this point, any thoughts about the nutritional content or origins of the ingredients you used while baking are nonexistent. However, this cookbook is here to provide not only the “how to” behind cooking or baking, but also the historical background and science behind the ingredients you are consuming.
Continue reading

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