CarolCooks2…Friday Food Review…Cinnamon…Cassis v Ceylon…

 

Welcome to Friday Food Reviews where I will be covering a different food or product each week and looking at… what are they?  where do they grow, what can we substitute them for in a recipe, are they safe to eat, how to store them, how to use them, cook them, anything connected to that food. or product..all the why’s and the wherefores…it will, of course, be mainly my own opinion or a known fact…good or bad…there may even be a tried and tested recipe…or three…

This week it’s…Cinnamon…

Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfast cereals, snack foods, tea and traditional foods.

Cinnamon is a spice, sprinkled on toast and lattes…

But extracts from the bark and leaves, flowers, fruits and roots of the cinnamon tree have also been used in traditional medicine around the world for thousands of years.

Its uses in cooking and baking are many…BUT what is the best cinnamon to use…is there a difference in common and where it originates from?

I hope this video has explained the differences in cinnamon...The cassis cinnamon which is the most common is very hard and I can’t break a stick of it easily if I only want a small piece or the length…the Ceylon cinnamon is totally different in colour and it is so soft and breaks easily I am so pleased I made the change it is well worth the additional cost…in terms of health and quality…

I don’t about you but I don’t think we/I always appreciate how our food is grown, harvested and why it sometimes is so expensive…

A recipe…Pear and Walnut Salad with Cinnamon.

This salad can be served as a side to your main dish or as a light lunch with some soup…if you want to bulk it out you could crumble some feta over the top or add some sliced avocado, pomegranate arils, some lentils mixed through also adds some bulk and protein…paly with flavours until you get it right for you…Have fun and be creative x

  • 62g / ½ cup walnut halves, or pieces
  • 1 tbsp of maple syrup
  • A small pinch of salt
  • ½ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon

For the salad

  • 8 big handfuls of arugula, (rocket in the UK) or leaves of your choice…I used butter lettuce here.
  • 2 large red pears (use green if you can’t find red- red apples would make a good sub too)

For the dressing

  • 60mls / ¼ cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • A pinch salt

Let’s Cook!

For the candied walnuts…

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175 °C)
  • Mix walnuts with maple syrup, salt and cinnamon. Spread out on a lined baking tray and bake for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

For the dressing…

  • Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small jar. Put the lid on and shake well.

For the salad…

  • Wash the pears gently and halve them lengthways. Remove the cores with a teaspoon then cut each half into long thin slices.
  • Add the arugula OR your chosen salad leaves and sliced pear to a large salad bowl
  • Sprinkle over the cooled walnuts.
  • Drizzle generously with the dressing just before serving

Enjoy!…

Yeast-free Raisin and Cinnamon Bread.

This bread is easy to make, smells wonderful because of the cinnamon and makes a lovely breakfast bread. If you don’t have any buttermilk then it’s easy to make just enough for this recipe I never buy it I just make it as required. A few minutes is all it takes…Homemade Buttermilk.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raisins -soaked
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp coarse salt
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and divided
• 2 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg

Let’s Bake!

Preheat the oven to 350° F / 177C and grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan.

Soak the raisins in hot water for 15 minutes, drain, and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, ½ cup of granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, vanilla, and 3 tbsp of the melted butter.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry until the batter is moistened. Fold in the raisins.

In a separate small bowl, mix together the remaining granulated sugar, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg. Reserve 1 tbsp of this cinnamon sugar for finishing the bread.

Spoon half of the batter into the greased loaf pan and then sprinkle with half of the larger amount of the reserved cinnamon sugar.

Repeat with the second layer of batter and cinnamon sugar, and then cut through the batter with a knife to swirl the cinnamon sugar throughout.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes.

Evenly baste the top of the bread with the remaining 1 tbsp of butter (making sure not to over-butter one spot or the inside will be soft) and sprinkle with the reserved 1 tbsp of cinnamon sugar…I didn’t use the whole tbsp as I felt it would have been too much it depends on how sweet your tooth is methinks.

Cool the bread in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack, and then cool for an additional 10 minutes.

Slice and serve with butter and or jam.

Thank you so much for joining today for my review on Cinnamon…what is your favourite cinnamon recipe? I love to chat so look forward to your comments…See you tomorrow for Saturday Snippets x

38 thoughts on “CarolCooks2…Friday Food Review…Cinnamon…Cassis v Ceylon…”

  1. koolkosherkitchen

    I love the salad, dear Carol! Cinnamon also burns cholesterol, so people who suffer from high cholesterol are advised to consume at least a teaspoon of it every day. I put cinnamon into almost everything for my husband, from coffee to soups and salads.

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. petespringerauthor

    One of my favorite ingredients in so many delectable sweet foods. Cinnamon rolls, cinnamon toast, snickerdoodles, etc.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I’m with you on the toast and cinnamon rolls, Pete ..don’t think I have had a snickerdoodle…I’lll backtrack on that when Mr Google told me what they were I have had them…so in total agreeance now… it’s fun when you find out that you do know just don’t connect the name…:) x

      Liked by 1 person

  9. Sowmya

    I love the smell of cinnamon in coffee, goodies , pulav / biryani rice and curries. They do enhance the flavour. Wonderful write up and recipes with cinnamon – bread and salad. Great post Carol

    Liked by 2 people

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  13. beetleypete

    I really like Cinammon, but in my late 40s, it started to give me bad indigestion. I still occasionally have a ‘Cinnamon Twist’ bun though, just for old time’s sake. 🙂
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

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