This spice is nice. This spice is my favorite. This spice is now on my kitchen counter at all times. DO NOT STORE in a cool dry place--You know, out of sight is out of mind. For me cinnamon was a baking spice; a spice most often associated with Christmas, and apple pie, and the comfort foods of childhood like cinnamon toast. How do the food habits of childhood become so ingrained? Why did it take me so long to find out that cinnamon is not just for baked goods? Is cinnamon such a special spice that it should be reserved for unique occasions? Its not that expensive.
With the introduction of the wok in the ‘70s or early ‘80’s, many of us explored Chinese cuisine. But I didn’t find Indian cuisine, which uses cinnamon and other sweet spices with lentils and meat, till the late late’80s. And even then, I really didn’t attempt to cook Indian at home till the ‘90’s. Later still, SpicyBBQ showed me that sprinkling cinnamon on a piece of salmon, or pork tenderloin before grilling really enhanced their smoky rich flavors.
Today cinnamon is getting much more attention as a healthful ingredient, and Saucy Mama has found it to be a helpful component in her skirmishes with glucose. Somehow cinnamon helps slow down food digestion and this helps insulin do its job with out getting out of hand. Saucy Mama now delightfully adds cinnamon to her oatmeal along with a handful of walnuts or pecans. She adds cinnamon to her toast and tea. And she wonders for all the sliced apples she’s had in her life, why only now does she think to sprinkle them with cinnamon?
2 comments:
Cinnamon is fantastic. It goes in the jerk, and we once made a Cinnamon beer, called Cinnabrau.
Cinnamon seems almost like a Christmas spice....along with cloves.
My favorite uses of Cinnamon are when you put enough in to just taste it, but not too much to really identify it as Cinnamon. Drives people's taste buds nuts as they try and figure it out...
Have you ever put cinnamon on a red grapefruit and zapped it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds? This is surprisingly good. You can add sugar if needed as well.
I also like all the fun cinnamons from Penzeys Spices that SaucyMama introduced me to. Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia and Chinese Cassia....WOW....you have to try them!
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