Alex Goshert

Integrative Assignment #3

Basil- Aromatics

 

1. Assumption

Before learning about this in class, I originally thought basil was a basic plant that went on top of fancier meals to give it a slight fresh taste on top. Personally I never saw the point in basil or why it was put on top of these foods, and sometimes would just brush it off of my meals if it came with it. I knew it was a herb but I did not know of its benefits or why it was so commonly put on top of meals such as pasta or chicken. Through learning about basil I have come to appreciate its wide variety of uses and importance among Italian cuisine, which I had no clue about prior to learning about basil in class.

 

2. Dish

Basil is a key herb ingredient that is used in Italian cuisine. It is used for its strong scent and taste and also because of its many health and nutrient benefits.

http://balconygardenweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Growing-Basil-in-a-pot-1.jpg

 

3. Chemical analysis

There are several chemical aspects that play a huge role in basil and its importance when it is used in meals. Fresh basil is very commonly used in recipes and is added to foods at the very last moment of cooking. Basil has various scents based on the different types of the herb, but all of them are full of essential oils and include great amounts of Vitamin A, K, C, magnesium,, potassium, iron, and calcium. Different types of basil such as lime and lemon basil have a very strong potent smell and taste which comes from their high concentrations of limonene. Another type of basil called sweet basil, which is most commonly used in Italian food, contains high concentrations of eugenol which is a chemical agent. Overall basil and its chemical components have many health benefits such as anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and antibacterial qualities and basil is nutrient heavy but calorie light.

 

4. Cultural analysis

The word basil originally comes from the word Basilius which is Latin and means the word royal. Basil also can be seen through the word basilica, which is usually a church, and basil was at often times placed in pots with holy water and placed outside of buildings and churches, which shows the religious significance it had. Since basil was seen as this holy and kingly plant it has many religious implications and this can be inferred through the story of Lizabetta and The Pot of Basil. In the story, Lizabetta’s lover is killed by her brothers and upon discovering his dead body she takes his head and puts it in a pot and places basil on top to cover her lover’s head. She waters the plant with her tears and this causes the plant to grow beautifully, even though it is growing from something dead. This story really exemplifies the importance basil had in Italy and how basil was seen as a rich and holy source of nutrients. Even though her lover was poor when he was alive, in death he was beautiful and rich as the plant grew out of his head. Basil was also sometimes placed in the hands of the dead to ensure safe travels into the afterlife in Europe and different variations of the way basil was used for the dead was seen in places such as India, Egypt and Greece. Culturally basil had a high significance in how it was handled and because of how it was seen as such a royal and holy food, this is why it was handled with such care and used in special cuisine situations. 

5. Integration

When looking at both the chemical and cultural aspects of basil, I realized that basil is both heavy in nutrients and minerals and has many health benefits and basil also is considered holy and royal which I think tie together very well. When something is looked at as holy it comes with the implications that it is good for the soul and helps to keep one healthy and live a great long life. Now when trying to live a healthy life people try to eat nutrient rich foods that do not have a lot of calories and come with many benefits. Basil is a herb that comes with all these chemical components which causes it to be a healthy food that can be placed on top of foods, but it also is considered a kingly herb that is holy as seen through the story of Lizabetta and the Pot of Basil. Overall I think basil poses this wonderful mix of both chemical and cultural aspects and makes this aromatic food a key factor within Italian cuisine. 

 

Works Cited

• Nordqvist, Joseph. “Basil: Uses, Benefits and Nutrition.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 3 Jan. 2018, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266425.php.
• “Basil.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Apr. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil.

Meringa con Zabaglione

This delicious desert food is an Italian baked Meringue that is served with a warm custard called Zabaglione at the center and then topped with fresh fruit.

Making the Meringa

Materials:

• electric mixer or stand mixer
• measuring spoons and cups
• liquid measuring cup
• parchment paper
• regular spoon
• baking sheets
• kitchen thermometer

Ingredients for Meringa:

• 1 cup superfine sugar (Run one cup plus 2 teaspoons of white sugar in the food processor for 30 seconds. This gives you 1 cup of superfine sugar)
• 1/2 tsp water
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 4 egg whites; the yolks will be used in making the zabaglione

Instructions for Meringa:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees

2. Place the egg whites in a stainless-steel bowl and beat with an electric/hand mixer until foamy. When we made this we used a Kitchen Aid and whisk attachment. Then add the cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form; they should flop over like below.

3. In a small pot over low heat on your Waring burner, combine the sugar and water. Stir carefully to dissolve the sugar completely.

• Get some cool water in your glass measuring cup and set it to the side of the pot
• Put the oven glove on your hand and use the kitchen thermometer to check the temperature. Increase the heat and boil the sugar water to 236-240 degrees F – or the soft-ball stage. With the oven glove on your hand, scoop some of the syrup with a spoon and drop into the cool water. This small sample of the cold syrup should form a soft ball when dropped into cold water like pictured below.

• 
• Fix the thermometer to your saucepan so the thermometer is near the bottom of the pot but not touching.

4. Start the mixer again and pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over the beaten egg whites. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, they should stand up straight as pictured below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

6. Scoop spoonfuls of the meringue onto the parchment lined baking sheet and shape into cups or tarts using the back of a spoon, then bake for about 40 minutes at 300 degrees. Then shut the oven off and leave the meringue shells in there for another hour until they are dry and airy.

7. When the meringa are 45-50 minutes from finished proceed to making the zabaglione.

8. Remove the meringa tart shells from the oven when they are lightly browned and dry and allow them to cool.

Making the Zabaglione

Materials:

• Medium saucepan with lid
• A glass or stainless steel bowl that will sit on top of the saucepan and not fall in
• Whisk
• Measuring spoons

Ingredients for the Zabaglione:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup of superfine sugar (Run 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons of white sugar in the food processor for 30 seconds)
• 2 teaspoons of almond extract

Instructions for the Zabaglione:

1. Put an inch or so of water in a clean, medium saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and maintain at a simmer.

2. In a glass or stainless-steel bowl that will sit on top of the sauce pan without falling in, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and almond extract.

3. Place the bowl on the saucepan and whisk constantly while the mixture heats. This process takes a lot of time so make sure to not overheat the zabaglione.

• The signs to look for that tell if the zabaglione is done are if the mixture starts to come away from the sides of the bowl, the mixture mounds easily, and when you run a whisk through the mixture a trail is visibly left behind. 
• Once it is done take the bowl off the heat and into a bowl of cold water, and keep whisking to further thicken the zabaglione.

• Then place the mixture in a bag that will allow you to squeeze the mixture out onto the meringa.

4. Proceed immediately with the still hot Zabaglione to assembling the tarts.

 

Assembling the Tarts

Materials and ingredients:

• Berries and fresh fruit
• Spoon
• Plate/bowl for serving

Instructions:

1. Put a meringa on a plate or small bowl and pour warm zabaglione over it.

2. Decorate with washed and dried berries

 

View our video discussing how our Meringa con Zabaglione and how it went when we made it!

https://vimeo.com/261054623

1. Type an answer to the following question(s)

 

https://vimeo.com/261054623

1. Type an answer to the following question(s)

• What chemical changes occurred when you made the meringue/meringa? What did you observe that told you these chemical changes were happening?
  • When making the meringue there were many chemical changes that occurred but they all had to do with the denaturation and coagulation of the proteins in the food. When we separated the egg whites and then whisked them together in the kitchen aid this is when the egg proteins began to denature. This is also in part because of the air that was being put into the mixture. This mixing then caused the proteins to coagulate and the egg whites turned from being a clear substance to a white foamy mixture. This was even further coagulated when the cream of tartar was added. Once the hot syrup was added more denaturation and coagulation happened with the proteins and this was seen when the soft peaks became stiff glossy peaks. Finally cooking the meringue caused for more coagulation and this was seen when the meringue hardened from being in the oven.
• What was responsible for the thickening of the zabaglione as you stirred it over the hot water bath?
  • The thickening of the zabaglione is due to chemical property of the proteins in the custard. When the denatured proteins are heated they coagulate and causing the thickening to occur. The zabaglione’s proteins were denatured from beating the eggs and then were coagulated from heating and stirring the mixture together over a long period of time. By doing this the proteins came together to create a new structure that became the new thickened and cohesive custard.
• Overheating (too fast and or too hot) the zabaglione can leave you with “scrambled eggs” – a lumpy grainy mess of clumps in watery liquid. What is happening in this case?
  • The egg that is in the zabaglione is being cooked at a higher temperature and if there is too much heat and not enough stirring the proteins that are present in the mixture will be heated too fast. This causes the hydrophobic molecules to clump together and cause this separation from the rest of the mixture. They will start to clump together creating these “scrambled eggs” in the custard.

Continuing my research on my favorite snack Cream Cheese and Chives crackers I looked up the full report of the food including the ingredients and nutritional information. Below is some of the information I found out about the protein and fat of this food!

1. What is protein?

Protein is primarily found in animal products and is a macronutrient that is essential to creating muscle mass. Macronutrients give the body energy and provide calorie intake. Protein is made up of amino acids which are the main building blocks for protein; which help create muscle mass.

2. How much protein is this food item contributing to the % DV? What does that mean? 

The daily value for protein is about 50 grams, the amount of protein in the crackers was 3.00 grams therefore making the the contribution to the daily value percentage 6% based on a 2,000 calorie diet. This means that on a 2,000 calorie based diet 6% of your daily intake of protein is being contributed from this food. The daily value shows how much of a nutrient is included in a single serving of a food.

3. What ingredients in your food item are contributing the protein? 

Cream Cheese, Buttermilk, Nonfat Dry Milk, Sodium Caseinate, Spices (Chives and Parsley)

4. How many calories in your food item are due to protein? How can you tell?

Each gram of protein contains 4 calories and since there are 3 grams in the food there are 12 calories from protein. 

 

1. What is Fat?

Fats are composed of esters of three fatty acids and the alcohol glycerol, fats are also known as triglycerides and they are solids.

2. How much fat is this food item contributing to the % DV? What does that mean?

There is 15% of the daily value of fat included in this food. This can be found directly on the food label on the right side and does not have to calculated like I had to do for protein. This means that the daily value of fat that is contributed from the crackers is 15%.

3. What ingredients in your food item are contributing the fat?

Vegetable Oils, Cream Cheese, Peanut Oil, Buttermilk, Spices (Chives and Parsley), Soy Lecithin

4. What types of Fats does your food item contain? What are these different types of fat and why should we care?

Fatty acids, total saturated

Fatty acids, total monounsaturated

Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated

Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids can all be used to make triglycerides, and saturated fatty acids specifically refer to no double bonds. Together they all refer to the composition of fatty acid chains that make up the triglycerides or fat in the product. Also different triglycerides from different sources contain different types of fatty acids therefore giving the products different physical properties; ex. liquid or solid.

5. How many calories in your food item are due to fat? How can you tell?  

There are 90 calories that are due to fat in the crackers and I can tell this because on the original nutrition label it is listed on the top right section of the label.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Biscotti Recipe

Italian Almond Cookies

 

Here are some of the materials you will need!

• Baking sheet
• A spoon
• A whisk
• 2 Large mixing bowls
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Parchment paper
• Sharp knife for chopping
• Serrated knife for slicing

Ingredients for Biscotti using butter:

• 1/2 cup roasted almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1 large egg
• grated zest of one lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure: Part 1

1. First preheat your oven to 350°F

2. Next put all the almonds onto the baking sheet and put them in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, and remove them when the almonds are browned and fragrant as pictured below.  Once the almonds are cooled chop them very finely with the sharp knife. Note- you must keep the oven on after removing the almonds.

3. Then you will combine all the wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl and whisk them together; eggs, lemon zest, sugar, butter, almond extract and vanilla.

4. In another mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients; the chopped almonds, flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, stirring thoroughly with a spoon. Once the dry and wet ingredients are combined stir together until the dough is stiff.

5. Take the dough out of the bowl and place it onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape your dough into a log about 6-8 inches long, 1 inch high, and 3 inches wide.  The dough should be sticky so you may need to wet your hands in order to form the dough shape.

6. Once the dough is shaped put it in the oven for 14 minutes and then rotate the sheet and bake the dough for an additional 14 minutes. When the loaf is done cooking take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 12 to 15 minutes. The biscotti should look like the picture below.

 

Procedure: Part 2 Twice Baked

1. When the loaf is cooling reduce the oven temperature to 250°F.

2. After the biscotti has cooled use the serrated knife and slice it into ½-inch-thick pieces.

3. Next place the biscotti on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them ½-inch apart and bake for 7 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet and bake for an additional 7 more minutes, or until the biscotti are slightly crisp

4. Finally remove them from the oven and let the biscotti cool completely.

 

Your biscotti should be crisp and you should be able to see some of the almonds peeking through the middle!

Below is the end result of the Biscotti Van and I made!

When we made our biscotti we made it with butter but the lab group next to us, Elise and Nikki, made their biscotti with olive oil instead. Below is the side by side comparison of the completely cooled olive oil biscotti and butter biscotti, and in both pictures above and below you can see the interior texture of both types of biscotti. In the video at the bottom of the page the comparison between the two types are discussed.

Lab Questions

1. Why is butter a solid at room temperature while olive oil is a liquid.

Butter is a solid at room temperature because it is considered a solid fat. Butter is 50% Saturated and 50% unsaturated fatty acids and olive oil on the other hand is a liquid fat consisting of 85% Cis unsaturated and polyunsaturated and 15% saturated fatty acids. Solid and liquid fat is based on the type of fatty acid in the triglycerides.

2. Butter is a fat that contains ~15% water, compared to olive oil (or shortening) which contains < 1% water. Explain the textures of the two different types of biscotti.

When a food has a higher water content the end product is more moist, tender and chewy where as foods with a low water content are hard, dry, and tough and have a crunch to them. Since butter is 15% water and olive oil has less than 1% of water in it, this explains why the butter biscotti was more soft and chewy compared to the more dry and hard olive oil biscotti. In olive oil there is a lower water content so the end product will be more crisp and dry, while butter has more water present so the end product will still be crisp but will be more soft and chewy than an olive oil biscotti.

3. When mixing the ingredients you added the flour mixture slowly to the fat/oil mixture. What effect does the fat/oil have on gluten formation in the dough? What about your biscotti supports your conclusion?

The oil coats the flour therefore making the oil/fat mixture to prevent the gluten from being formed. However, there is still enough gluten for the dough to be cohesive. When little gluten is in a mixture it causes the end product to crumble, just like our biscotti did when you bit into it, and it makes it more dense instead of light texture which is a correct description of our biscotti.

Below is the video discussing the Biscotti we made!

http://vimeo.com/256852087

 

Ciabatta Bread Recipe

Ciabatta bread is a light risen bread that has an amazing airy texture to it. With this type of bread many large holes form giving it its signature look which comes from the weak gluten network that is inflated by the steam of the excess moisture in the dough once its put in the oven. Ciabatta may be hard to work with because of its wet and loose structure but the end result is worth it.

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Recipe

Part One: Creating the Sponge

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose Flour
• 1/8 tsp Rapid Rise Yeast
• 1/4 cup room temp water

Materials:

• Sturdy spoon
• Small glass bowl
• Measuring Cups and spoons
• Plastic wrap

To begin your bread you must first combine the flour, instant/rapid rise yeast and water in a bowl and stir with a spoon until a uniform mass forms.

Then you will have to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Allowing the dough to sit lets the yeast to ferment and start the flavor of the bread to come through.

 

Part Two: Making the Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon rapid rise or instant yeast
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk (room temperature)
• 1/3 cup room-temp water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Materials:

• 2 baking sheets
• Large glass bowl lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray
• Parchment paper
• Scissors
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Ice cubes or cold water
• Kitchen towels
• Digital thermometer
• Cooling rack
• Serrated bread knife

After the sponge has been fermenting the dough should look something like this

Then get your baking sheets ready with parchment paper that is sprayed with cooking spray with flour put over top.

Directions: Making the Dough

1. First place the sponge you made earlier and all the dough ingredients into the bowl of the mixer using the paddle attachment and mix on low until a shaggy dough forms (1 minute). Then once this happens up the speed to medium low and continue this until a mass that collects at the bottom of the paddle and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (4-6 minutes). once this is done change to the dough hook and knead the bread on medium speed, it should be smooth and shiny yet sticky (10 minutes).

2. Next perform the windowpane test on the dough

3. After that transfer the dough to a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour so the dough can rise. 

 

Directions: Shaping the Dough

1. After the 1 hour fold the dough over itself by gently lifting and folding the edge of the dough toward the middle. Do this for a total of 8 folds and let the dough sit for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and put an empty baking sheet onto the bottom rack. This sheet will be used for ice/ steam when the ciabatta is cooking.

3. Once you have waited 30 minutes split the dough using a spatula creating 2 inch deep dough halves.

4. Shape each lump into a rectangle

Directions: Baking the Bread

1. Measure out 1 cup of ice into a glass measuring cupPlace the baking sheets with the ciabatta in the middle rack once the oven is at 450 degrees F.

2. Place the baking sheets with the ciabatta in the middle rack once the oven is at 450 degrees F.

3. Dump the ice into the empty baking sheet that is on the bottom rack in the oven; The ice creates steam which allows for the surface of the bread to not harden quickly and also allows for the dough to expand more when its baking 

4. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown for about 20-22 minutes and the loaves register 210 degrees F.

5. Put the two loaves onto the cooling rack and let then cool completely before cutting them.

The bread will come out hot, puffed up, and smelling and looking delicious!

When we made this recipe the bread tasted delicious and the inside had all the special unique characteristics Ciabatta bread is supposed to have, like the holes inside that we discovered more of as we ate the amazing bread. The outcome was exactly as expected and everything went very good during our baking process. The video below discusses our reaction to the Ciabatta we made and also discusses the science behind the holes in the bread and suggestions as to what we would do differently in the future.

http://vimeo.com/253914200