Do you remember Orsen Welles plugging Paul Masson’s finest? It’s been a few years (decades!), but as any wine drinker knows, a lot of wine is sold before its time. As the Wine Economist explains:

Immature wine is sort of like the flat-pack furniture they sell at Ikea — all the pieces are there, it is up to the consumer to take them home and complete assembly. Wine buyers are supposed to take immature but age-worthy wine home, stash it under the stairs or in a climate-controlled wine storage appliance, and remember to bring it out when the time is right.

Our question to you is, when laying down that age-worthy wine, why stop at a “climate-controlled wine storage appliance” when you can have a whole climate controlled wine cellar? And that brings us to today’s feature: Genuwine Cellars.

Founded in 1995 by Robb Denomme and Lance Kingma, alumni of the prestigious International Sommeliers Guild, Genuwine Cellars designs and builds truly amazing custom wine cellars. The product lines are extensive with a variety of price-points to meet absolutely any budget: they offer two fully modular product lines, two fully customizable product lines and a product line they call the Architectural Series where the sky is the limit in terms of design possibilities. Each of the product lines achieves a different goal and aesthetic value, so there is something for every taste. Just look at these pictures:

We also like the fundamentals the company is built on, which they aptly describe as the Art & Science of Cellaring. A company built on a passion for great wine,  these guys are into wine cellars! And Canadian no less. Hopefully they won’t have any trouble coming to Toronto to install one in our place! We really encourage you to look into Genuwine Cellars if you are thinking of putting a wine cellar in your home.

We’re always on the look out for unique Canadian products, personalities and companies in the food and beverage industry. If you’d like to suggest a product, company or person that fits this criteria, we’d love to hear about them. And while you’re at it, subscribe to Ingredient Hotline and follow us on twitter and/or facebook. It’s only fitting that we sign off with Orsen:

The clamour for foods rich in antioxidants has propelled foods such as mangosteen, acai, pomegranate, goji, blueberries, enocianin, elderberries, red grapes into the spotlight. Not only are these foods antioxidant-rich – they are also mostly in the blue-purple hue. Antioxidants are active compounds that naturally occur in foods. These compounds are believed to benefit health since they can inhibit or slow down oxidation through the neutralization of free radicals hence, delay or prevent ageing as well as prevent certain diseases from happening. Antioxidants can be found in the form of phenols and anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are water-soluble blue plant pigments that are responsible for the purple-red colour spectrum in nature. Its high phenolic content means it is well equipped to provide safety against degenerative diseases.

One “purple” which is starting to gain attention is purple corn (choclo morado). One potential application of purple corn is for beverages, and a fine example is the traditional Peruvian drink called chicha morada, also known as purple corn juice. It’s made with ears of purple corn boiled with pineapple rind, cinnamon, and clove. The resulting purple coloured liquid is then mixed with sugar and lemon. Besides being refreshing, it is also healthy since purple corn, like other “purples”, is rich in antioxidants. We provide purple corn extracts for food and beverage applications. If you like, you can try making some homemade purple corn juice yourself. Simply pick up some maiz morado and follow the directions in the video below!

There’s a lot more to chile peppers than bell peppers, jalapenos and poblanos. If you are living in a place like us (Toronto), finding even a serrano chile at a mainstream grocery store can be a challenge. It’s really unfortunate, because there are other varieties of chiles out there, some of them being extremely versatile in food applications.

Two chiles that we particularly like for their potential are the amarillo and rocoto pepper. The amarillo, a member of the Capsicum baccatum family, is the most widely used chile pepper in Peruvian cooking, and if you’ve ever had Peruvian cuisine, chances are you have tasted it. It’s orange in colour and usually about 10 cm long.  Although not very spicy, this pepper is normally seeded and deveined before it is used in cooking. The dried version of this Amarillo pepper is called Aji Mirasol. It often comes as a paste. The food blog Serious Eats really likes the amarillo:

…aji amarillo is worth seeking out for its unique flavor, which offers a lot of fruitiness for its heat. It’s a different kind of fruitiness from other chiles like poblanos: less sharp and harsh, more full-bodied, and a lot more subtle. If there were a chile to taste like sunshine, this would be it. It may sound odd to use the word “comforting” to describe a hot chile, but for aji amarillo, it seems fitting.

Rocoto (Capsicum prubescens) is another Peruvian pepper worth considering. It’s got a lot more heat than the amarillo. This is a meaty pepper that comes in a variety of vibrant colours, from yellow to red. Made into a sauce, we really like it as a replacement for cayenne pepper based hot sauces. It seems to have a fresher, less strong taste, but with all the heat and spiciness. Try rocoto sauce on chicken wings instead of the usual hot sauces. It is excellent.

If you are a food manufacturer interested in incorporating a new and unique chile pepper into your applications, you might want to consider the amarillo or the rocoto pepper. We can provide samples in paste, dried or powdered format, and would be happy to discuss potential uses. Consumers in North America can find these peppers in various formats at ethnic grocery stores, and online. You might try searching for a Peruvian restaurant in your vicinity so you can sample the many dishes that use these chiles.

Here’s something else worth trying: subscribe and follow Ingredient Hotline so you are always up to date on the latest in innovative, all natural ingredients. We’re even on Facebook!

photo credit: A6U571N

Thai One On opened a new location in Pickering this week and we decided to try it out. They also have a few other locations in the Toronto area.

Even though it had only been open for a week, they had a decent amount of people coming in for lunch. While there seems to be a plethora of Thai restaurants in the greater Toronto area, there is only a couple other Thai places that we know of in Pickering, so it’s probably a good location for them. We ordered a shrimp seafood fried rice and a coconut chicken with mango dish. The fried rice was truly cooked in the Thai style and was excellent. The chicken was tasty. Each dish was in the $10 territory which seems typical for most Thai restaurants. For the next little while they are offering 20% off for dine in as part of their grand opening promotion for this location. Overall, a pleasant experience and we’re looking forward to going back again to try some of the other dishes.

Of course, we know a lot about Thai food at Ingredient Hotline: we offer a full line of authentic Thai spices, dehydrated herbs and vegetables for food manufacturers sourced directly from Thailand.

The yacón root is pretty amazing. We’ve already touched on its use as a natural sweetener. With an unbelievably low glycemic index, it has great potential for those dieting, and those with diabetes. Besides its use as a sweetener, there are many other claims of potential health benefits. These benefits include the lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol, weight loss, reduced occurrences of constipation, and healthier bones. The scientific studies underlying these claims are excellently summarized on the Healthy Fellow blog. Today, I’d like to touch on the production, processing and application of yacón.

Native to South America, The yacón plant has been introduced to Japan and is also being grown in the Philippine Cordillera. You can educate yourself on the basics of yacón by checking out the yacón article on wikipedia. For something a little more in depth, here are six technical papers on various aspects of yacón and yacón processing courtesy of the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru:

Yacon Fact Sheet. A two page overview of the yacon plant, including a summary of health benefits and market opportunities.

Yacon by Alfredo Grau and Julio Rea. Consider this one a primer that goes beyond the fact sheet above in providing a general background on the yacon plant.

Yacon Syrup: Principles and Processing by Iván Manrique, Adelmo Párraga and Michael Hermann. The health benefits, broad application and consumer acceptance of yacon syrup suggests a large potential market. This manual outlines in detail the method for producing yacon syrup using simple technologies.

Innovations In Peeling Technology For Yacon by Graham Butler and Denys Rivera. One of the most labour intensive and costly components in the production of yacon syrup is the peeling of the yacon tubers. This paper presents cost effective peeling methods for yacon.

Effects of post-harvest treatments on the carbohydrate composition of yacon roots by S. Graefea, M. Hermannb, I. Manriqueb, S. Golombeka, and A. Buerkerta. This paper discusses the effect of the post harvest handling of yacon on fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) concentrations. FOS’s are the indigestible carbohydrates in yacon that provide the sweet taste and at the same time support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon without any significant impact on blood sugar or insulin levels.

Making Yacon Candy by Caitlin Boon. This research paper outlines the feasibility of making candy from yacon syrup.

On a cool, crisp autumn day, there’s nothing better than a bowl of steamy rice from my rice cooker.

I remember growing up in South East Asia, when there was a typhoon storm at highest signal level and classes were suspended; my mom would make a tamarind based stew of either pork or seafood with various vegetables and slivers of chili peppers. This was served with steamed rice and with something fried -i.e. spring rolls or fish.  It was a combination of very sour notes from the tamarind, to the saltiness of the fried fish with the creaminess of the steamed jasmine rice.

Rice continues to be an important food item in my father’s household. You have to understand that my father grew up in one of the major rice growing regions in Asia. Rice paddies surround the entire region, with fiestas in every town during harvest time. There is a specific term for every stage and part of the rice plant.

A mix of Fresh Rocoto (red) and Aji Amarillo (orange) with Limes (green)

Peru is a remarkable country with various food products and ingredients to offer the culinary world.  Their unique geographic location as well as historical roots have all helped to produce a diverse array of flavours and dish selections.   From a diet rich in seafood, corn, potatoes, ancient grains and meat to a plethora of natural yet functional plants, fruits and herbs.  Ajies or Pepper varieties abound in Peru.  As other countries, the pepper varietals come in vibrant colours and range of pungency.  The more commonly used varieties are Rocoto, Amarillo, Mirasol, Limo and the Panca pepper.

Rocoto (Capsicum prubescens)

This is a meaty pepper that comes in a variety of vibrant colours, from yellow to red.   It has plenty of shiny, black seeds.    It is one of the hottest peppers of Peru with scoville units ranging from 30,000 to 70,00o – it depends if the seeds are used in the recipe.

Aji Amarillo

The Amarillo pepper is most widely used in Peruvian cooking. Always orange in colour, even though it is called the green aji.  It is about 10 cm long.  Although not very spicy, this peper is normally seeded and deveined before it is used in cooking.   It is milder than the Rocoto and is a main component in making  Huancaina sauce.     Huancaina sauce is a creamy blend of goat’s cheese, evaporated milk, amarillo pepper paste, garlic and cumin.    The dried version of this Amarillo pepper is called Aji Mirasol.

The Aji Mirasol is often seeded, scraped and left to soak in water for 12 hours or more before it is pureed and used in a sauce.  It has a mild, smoked flavour and it is used to make Panca paste.

Limo Pepper

The Limo Pepper is very similar to the Aji Amarillo in shape, but its colour is almost always red.  It is used fresh in ceviches.

Fresh Limo Pepper

The World Health Organization reports that there are over a billion overweight adults worldwide.  Factors such as reduced physical activity, poor selection of foods (those that are high in sugar and fats); bot have contributed to this condition.

The risks to health from obesity range from diabetes, hypertension and certain forms of cancer.  It is also detrimental emotionally and psychologically.

Despite this alarming fact, consumers are still drawn to foods that provide that pleasant sweet taste.   To help assuage the situation, food manufacturers have tried and tested various solutions in their quest to “responsibly” satisfy the sweet tooth.

There came the artificial or non-nutritive sweeteners: aspartame, saccharin, acesulfame-potassium, polydextrose, sucralose, thaumatin, alitame and sugar alcohols (polyols) like sorbitol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol and xylitol.   These generally have a GI of zero.

Thaumatin, an intensely sweet tasting protein is derived from the membranours sac of the katemfe fruit in West Africa. It has traditionally been used as a source of flavour. In the 1970s, Tate & Lyle began extracting thaumatin from the fruit and has coined the brandname TALIN. TALIN stands for “Tate And Lyle INgredients”. It is commercialized by the Overseal company.

The use of these chemically synthesized sweeteners have resulted to some adverse effects in humans.  A number of individuals may be allergic or highly sensitive to the use these high-intensity sugar substitutes.  There is also the issue on carcinogens with regards to saccharin. In addition to a number of health controversies, stability may oftentimes be limited.  Aspartame for example in beverage applications would usually last only for about 6 months.    The lingering sweet taste may also be a deterring factor.  Often, the perceived intense sweetness of these products is longer than desired; leaving an unpleasant sensation in the taste buds.   However, an advantage of using these types of sweeteners in addition to less or no calories is their cost.   The level of usage is much lower when using these sweeteners compared to sugar.

There are other sweetness enhancing products available, which are natural.  These sugar alternatives have been in use for many centuries.  The common process to produce these types of sugar involves evaporating the water content thus concentrating the natural sugars that are inherently present.

Agave is made from the agave plant, this is also the major component in making tequila.  The controversy with Agave is if it can still be classified as “raw food” and if it is actually a “healthy” sweetener.  A thorough discussion can be found from Debra Lynn Dadd’s website.

Panela – a brownish block of sugar made from sugarcane but not refined or bleached.  Very popular in parts of Asia and in South America.  It has many variations to its name.

Maple syrup – Made from the sap of Maple trees.  It is also very high in fructose and very viscous.

Yacón Syrup is made from 100% Yacón root, a close relative of the Jerusalem artichoke.  The process to make yacon syrup involves juicing the yacon tubers and then concentrating the juice to about 50-60 Bx.  It is similar to Maple Syrup in colour, but 40% less calories than Maple Syrup and contains Soluble Fibre.  It is also considered to be Prebiotic.

Palm sugar is sometimes called coconut sugar.  However, there is a clear distinction between the two, based on where the sap was sourced.  By name, Palm sugar was originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm or the date palm. Now it is also made from the sap of the sago and coconut palms and labeled as “coconut sugar.”   It is not to be confused with sugar derived from the coconut fruit but rather from a palm tree variety called coconut palm.  The sugar is commonly used in Southeast Asian desserts.

Coconut Sugar or cocosugar is produced from the evaporation of coconut sap or sweet toddy through boiling in an open container, and then allowed to cool and solidify. It was tested to contain a low Glycemic index (GI) of 35 and a higher amount of nutrients compared to that of table sugar’s which is at 64-68.

Stevia has recently become very popular in North America.  In Asia particularly Japan, its use has been traced 30 years ago.   It is actually a member of the Chrysanthemum family.  It is remarkable since it is 300 times sweeter than sugar but does not provide any calories or carbohydrates therefore it does not cause blood sugar to rise.  The downside of stevia is that its perceived sweetness is much prolonged and there is also some bitterness detected.

The Glycemic Index (GI) of a particular food is a number that indicates how fast sugar is released into the blood after consumption or how fast a food is likely to raise your blood sugar.  The table below shows the various GI levels of these natural sweeteners, Gi levels at 55 and below are considered Low GI foods, High GI foods are 70 and above.

Natural Sweetener                           Average Glycemic Index (GI)
Yacon Syrup   1-3
Palm sugar   35
Coconut sugar from coconut fruit   35
Agave  11
Maple syrup   54-55
Glucose consumed with
15-20 grams of fiber  57-85
Panela  63
White refined sugar  68
Pure glucose    100