Yay or Nay on…Carmine

Carmine

Several months ago, I stumbled across an article discussing the use of carmine as a coloring in cosmetics. I had never heard of carmine before, but it turns out that carmine is a substance derived from bugs. More specifically, a variety of beetle. The bugs are typically farmed, and then they are dried up, ground up, and boiled up until they produce a rich, red coloring. The coloring is used in all kinds of things- food, clothes, makeup. Blech. I grabbed my nearest red-colored product and inspected the ingredient list, and there it was…carmine. I haven’t used this lip balm since I read the article and have consciously avoided inspecting the ingredient lists on my other red products. I’d rather not know.

I am not sure how I feel about using products with carmine in them. Some people might object to using the ingredient because they believe that animals shouldn’t suffer for our products, but that concern doesn’t stop me from enjoying other animal-derived products like meat, leather, or silk (as I learned in Thailand, silk worms are farmed and killed much like the beetles, but the worms don’t end up in the final product). Still, in this case, the bugs’ contribution of coloring to the product is pretty minor because the product could always be formulated differently. Meat, leather, and silk, on the other hand, cannot be modified to exclude the animal-based component, nor do synthetic imitations completely reproduce the unique properties of the real deal. My main concern with using carmine is as follows: Ewwww, bugs…on my lips! But on the other hand, the bugs are so processed that the red coloring is pretty far removed from its original status as a creepy crawly: less ewww? I’m not sure where I come out on this one, and I’d love a rationalization that would allow me to resume using my pretty, red lip balm. So what do you think: yay or nay on carmine?

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Crisp Fennel Salad with Oranges and Olives

Fennel salad

My friend made this delicious fennel salad and brought it to our Italian supper club dinner. Amid all of the rich foods on our table, this fresh, crisp salad was a welcome oasis. I craved it afterwards and had to make it myself, but a snowstorm was coming and I didn’t have the motivation to go out and get the proper ingredients- blood oranges and those black, wrinkly olives from the olive bar. I took the easy way out and used regular oranges and kalamatas from a jar. It was a mistake- my iteration was a bootleg version of how this salad should really be made. But even with these inferior ingredient choices, the salad was still really good. Even David, who doesn’t like olives or fennel, had more than one serving! I can only imagine how much he will like it when I make it again properly.

Fennel salad

To enjoy this fennel salad for yourself, get 2 fennel bulbs, and cut the green stalks off of them. Cut the fennel bulbs in halve lengthwise, and use a knife to cut out the triangular core from the centers.

Fennel salad

Then, set a mandoline to its thinnest setting, and slice the fennel bulbs crosswise. Fill a bowl with cold water, and add in the fennel slices to crisp up while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Fennel salad

Get 2 blood oranges, and cut them into supremes. To do so, use a sharp, flexible knife and cut the top and bottom off of the orange. Place the orange on a flat surface, and run the knife down the curve of the orange to cut off the skin. Once the skin is off, use the knife to slice into the orange on either side of each membrane to pop the orange segments, membrane free, out of the orange. Add the orange segments to a large bowl.

Fennel salad

Roughly chop up 1 cup of pitted, black olives- the kinds that are cured in olive oil and wrinkly. I love the deep flavor they add to this salad (my jarred kalamatas didn’t deliver). Add the olives to the bowl.

Fennel salad

Drain the fennel slices from the cold water, and pat them dry. Add them into the bowl. Sprinkle over 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Drizzle over about 6 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Toss the salad, taste it, and adjust any ingredients.

Fennel salad

Transfer the salad to plates and serve. This salad is much more beautiful when it’s made with red, blood orange segments. But either way, it is crisp, refreshing, and delicious.

This recipe is from Lidia’s Italy.

Shopping list:

  • Fennel- 2 bulbs
  • Blood orange- 2
  • Black, wrinkly olives- 1 cup
  • Lemon- 1
  • Olive oil- 6 tablespoons
  • Salt and pepper
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Cheese Soufflé

Souffle

Chocolate soufflés get all the attention, but this cheese soufflé really deserves your love and affection. As expected, I load this puppy up with a lot of gruyère. The soufflé is creamy, puffy, and savory- with a hint of dijon mustard to add some depth of flavor. One of the best pairings I’ve come across for this soufflé is a crisp and juicy apple. I like alternating bites of each, but if you have an apple salad that you enjoy, now is the time to whip it out (and share it with me).

Souffle

This recipe is easily scalable, but the measurements I give here yield about 5 standard-size ramekins. To start, preheat your oven to 400º F. If you have a convection oven, turn that function off. You don’t want any fan action to disturb your soufflés while they rise. Then, grate 1.5 cups of gruyère cheese. You can swap in any combination of melty cheeses you like, but gruyère steals my heart in this kind of thing. As soon as the wrapper came off of the cheese, Miss Stella came running. She’s great about cleaning up what I “drop.”

Souffle

Next, separate 3 eggs. Drop the whites into a large mixing bowl, and put the yolks in a small side bowl. Use a whisk to whip the whites until they hold stiff peaks. If you’re using a stand mixer, you can save time by beating the eggs on a medium-low speed while you prepare the rest of the soufflé mixture. Side rant: recipes always talk about adding cream of tartar to egg whites before you whip them, but I’ve never done that and never had a problem getting them to hold up. That one ingredient stopped me from beating egg whites for so long…don’t let it get in the way of your dreams too!

Souffle

In a small pot, melt 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) of butter. Then, add in 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) of flour, and whisk it into the butter. Once they are combined into a roux, slowly whisk in 1 cup of milk. Stirring frequently, if not constantly, heat the milk mixture until it bubbles and begins to thicken. Then, remove the pot from the heat, and add in your grated cheese. Stir it until it melts (you now have a mornay sauce). Stir 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard into the sauce, and season it with salt (just a little- the cheese and mustard are salty) and pepper. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings. Then, mix in the 3 egg yolks until they are combined.

Souffle

Mix a dollop of the whipped egg whites into the mornay sauce. Then, gently fold the rest of the egg whites into the sauce. You want to combine the two mixtures without completely deflating the fluffy egg whites. I opted to pour the sauce into the bowl of egg whites because the bowl was easier to mix in, so I just scooted the egg whites aside before I poured in the sauce to avoid crushing them.

Souffle

Grease your ramekins with cooking spray, and then pour in the soufflé batter. Leave at least 1/4 inch of space at the top of the ramekins for the soufflés to rise.

Souffle

Put the soufflés into the oven, and bake them for approximately 20 minutes until they are golden brown and set throughout. After the soufflés go into the oven, don’t open the oven door for at least 2/3 of the cooking time so that the soufflés have a chance to set. Opening the door could cause cold air to rush in and mess up the soufflés’ rising momentum.

Souffle

When you remove the soufflés from the oven, they will be at their maximum height and puffiness. Don’t despair, but they will begin to deflate immediately. If you’re going for show, serve the soufflés as quickly as you possibly can. As the hot air inside the soufflés cools down, their visual impact will diminish but their flavor will not.

Souffle

I’ve found that once the soufflés fall, they don’t change much at all. Any leftovers can go into the refrigerator and be reheated nicely in the microwave. They will still taste as good as they did right out of the oven. If you thought Stella was wild about my grated cheese, she was even crazier for the finished product. After I cleaned out one ramekin, I put it on the floor for her to lick. She picked it up and carried it into another room (she likes eating on carpets) and got out every last crumb. She has good taste!

Shopping list:

  • Gruyère cheese- 1.5 cups, grated
  • Eggs- 3
  • Butter- 1 ounce
  • Flour- 1 ounce
  • Milk- 1 cup
  • Dijon mustard- 1 teaspoon
  • Salt and pepper
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