We've made our cook book club virtual! We may not be able to meet in person and cook for one another, but that doesn't mean we can't create together. Each month we will highlight a different spice or seasoning. Kits will include this spice, a recipe that highlights it, a little history on the spice or recipe, and some best practices. I'll post the recipes and information here as well, so let's get cooking!
A Little Background on Cayenne Pepper
Primarily Adapted From Best Health Magazine, Healthline.com, and MindBodyGreen
When I chose cayenne pepper as my spice of the month, I didn't know anything other than its basic flavor profile. I certainly didn't realize I would be exploring the nightshade family. And no, not all nightshade is poisonous. Actually, nightshade is a rather large family of plants that prefer shade and some of them flower at night. In addition to all peppers, you will also fide that tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, goji berries, various different herbs, spices, medicinal plants and others all come from this massive family tree.
For the uninformed, there are many sites that erroneously claim that any and all plants from the nightshade family should be avoided. They use the reputation of the poisonous Belladonna, or "deadly nightshade," a poisonous weed that might be part of the same family but has little else in common, as the basis for their discussions and blame nightshade vegetables for everything from inflammation (the reverse is actually true) to arthritis to migraines and beyond. According to Best Health Magazine, some diets, including those endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss, fraudulently claim that you should avoid them because they say they are related to "poison ivy and potentially poisonous," however the reality is that "poison ivy isn’t even in the same plant family." And while green potatoes do have trace amounts of a toxic alkaloid that certain plants use as a defense mechanism - which is why we especially want children to stay away from green potatoes - eggplants, peppers and tomatoes, even the green ones, don't contain that chemical and are perfectly safe to eat. In fact, for the most part health benefits of eating nightshade vegetables far outweigh any risks as tomatoes and peppers in particular are both amazing sources of antioxidants.
History of Cayenne Pepper
Primarily adapted from TheEpicenter.com, TheKitchn.com and ChiliPepperMadness.com
Cayenne pepper is named after where it supposedly originated - the Cayenne region of French Guiana, South America. Its name comes from the Tupi Indians that first cultivated it. While chilies have long been known as "Indian" peppers, "meaning ‘of the New World’ rather than ‘of India’," these plants originated in South America where they have been cultivated since prehistoric times and now grow primarily in India, East Africa, Mexico, the United States, and most sub-tropical regions around the world.
The seed’s long viability facilitated the rapid spread of the plant throughout the tropics and sub-tropics by the Spanish and Portuguese, the spice becoming as popular there as vine pepper. It is one of the most popular peppers used in the Western hemisphere and are extremely versatile, appearing in cuisine around the world.
Best Practices on Using Cayenne Pepper
Adapted From Numerous Websites
Cayenne pepper is a hot, fiery ground spice that hits your tongue with intense flavor but has a relatively mild aroma. To best utilize these distinguishing characteristics, start out with just a hint. 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon at the start. As a number of websites pointed out, you can always add more. You can't take it back out. And a recipe doesn't have to be savory to benefit from a little kick. Chocolate and cayenne tend to be a good fit. Toms of Maine uses cayenne in their Chocolate and Avocado Pudding as well as their Citrus and Spice Smoothies.
Cayenne pepper works well if you are trying to bring out flavors but minimize your salt intake. It is also particularly good in rubs for chicken and fish.
Main Event:
Sweet and Spicy Apple Chips
As Adapted from Cooking Light for use by the Brown Deer Library Cook Book Club
Active: 10 min. ● Cook: 2 hr. 30 min. ●Serves: 8 (serving size: 5 chips)
Long, low-heat baking dehydrates the apple slices so they become wonderfully crunchy once they cool. Ancho chile powder and cayenne pepper lend moderate heat—adjust the amount to suit your taste. For a sweeter, more woody flavor with just a hint of bite, consider replacing one of the pepper powders with cinnamon.
Ingredients
2 (6-oz.) apples (such as Fuji or Pink Lady)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon water
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 225°F with 1 oven rack in top third of oven and 1 oven rack in bottom third of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove core from top 1 inch and bottom 1 inch of each apple. Cut apples crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheets.
Stir together brown sugar, honey, 1/2 teaspoon water, chile powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small microwavable bowl. Microwave at high until bubbly, about 20 seconds. Stir and brush over tops of apple slices.
Bake apple slices at 225°F 1 hour; flip apple slices, and rotate pans from top rack to bottom rack. Bake until apple slices are firm and not sticky (they should feel like dried fruit), about 1 more hour. Remove baking sheets from oven. Let cool completely on baking sheets.
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