Pastry Decorating the "Naturally Beautiful" Way--How to Avoid Synthetic Food Colors & Use Botanical Dyes

Over the past several  years I’ve been exploring how to  minimize the use of synthetic food dyes in my pastry decorating.  In fact, all the icings pictured here were tinted with botanical dyes. They are from the Chocolate Craft Colors “Natural Colors” line, available from a few retailers and on the Internet here.  (In case you're wondering, no, I haven’t any affiliation with or commercial interest in this firm.)

I first got interested in “au natural” decorating when I developed an allergy to the usual red dyes in lipsticks. My lips burned, then peeled every time I applied lipstick; eventually I couldn’t use the standard cosmetic counter brands at all.

After researching lipstick dyes and various related allergies, I eventually decided to limit not just red synthetic  colorants, but all the government approved  FD & C (Food, Drug & Cosmetic  Act) food  dyes, including the familiar little 4-bottle food color sets  stocked in grocery stores for home bakers.

Typically, these sets include mixtures containing FD&C red 40, red 3, yellow 5 (aka tartrazine), and blue 1: All of these are synthetic  petrochemical colorants , and all have shown at  least some evidence of being irritants or allergens in certain people.  Red 40 and the particularly troubling  tartrazine  (both in a chemical class called azo dyes) are often considered the most suspect and have been banned from use in foods in some countries.
 

Another disturbing ingredient in the “regular” food dyes is propylene  glycol.  The unfamiliar name on the label may not ring any alarm bells because people often don’t know what this chemical is—it's the  main ingredient in some kinds of antifreeze!  (Propylene glycol is used to keep the liquid dyes flowing smoothly.) Since these additives are incorporated only for looks, I decided they just weren’t worth the risks and vowed to find some naturally beautiful alternatives.

Initially, I began substituting the colors readily available in the form of fruit juices from the supermarkets. In many cases, these produce not only a beautiful look, but they contribute appealing flavor to frostings and icings. Cranberry juice and orange juice have been particularly handy; check out my buttercream frosting recipe here and my “painted daisies” sugar cookies here.

Lately, I’ve been trying out various “au naturel” botanically-based commercial food color products.  Although different companies have their own unique formulas, they all rely on plant pigments—such as red from beets, purple and blue from red cabbage, orange from annatto, yellow from turmeric, and, in one instance, an intense, unusual bright blue from hydrangea blooms. 

As you can see from the Valentine’s cookies, the results from these dyes can be very pretty, and they will likely satisfy all but the most finicky home pastry decorator. (If you're interested in how to create designs featuring little hearts, like those shown in the romantic shot above, the step-by-step pics and directions are here.)

That said, the botanically-based liquid colors are different from their synthetic counterparts in a number of important ways.  Here are some basics you need to know about natural plant dyes:

>They are usually not nearly as shelf stable as the synthetic food colorants and will fade over time; most manufacturers recommend that they be kept refrigerated.  Also, tint your icings, buttercreams , and such a little brighter than the final shade you want, because they lose a little intensity as the finished baked goods stand.

>They are sensitive to heat so are best for tinting fillings, frostings and other enhancements normally applied after baking or to raw doughs that are baked briefly and/or at low temperature.

>Au naturel dyes don’t come in every conceivable color.  Ones that precisely duplicate Christmas green and red are hard to find, but IMHO these are overused and a bit garnish anyway.  The typical botanically-based greens and reds are plenty festive and have a fresher, more natural look. 

  

> Some botanical food dyes change color in the presence of acid. Blue shades, for example, often turn reddish.  One easy solution is to avoid adding lemon juice and other high acidic ingredients to fillings and frostings  when using botanical dyes. Another is simply see what happens when  you  add lemon juice to a small amount of tinted frosting —sometimes the shade is beautiful, not to mention totally unique.  For example, the blue icing shown at far left in the pic turns pink (shown right), while the purple (back left) turns a slightly brighter, pink-orange shade (back right).

Yes, these issues mean that switching to botanical dyes isn’t always just a matter of swapping out the typical supermarket colors. Which is partly why even though the au naturel alternatives on the market are plenty attractive and are much safer, the food industry doesn’t want to bother with them.  But I’m told by folks in the natural foods business that many large mainstream companies  have  plans in place to switch to the botanical colorants when the public  or the government demands  it. Eventually this is likely to happen, in part because more and more products are being colored with petrochemical dyes, resulting in consumers eating more and more of these iffy additives all the time. 

I’ve tried out the liquid food colors from several au natural product lines, and the “Natural Colors” 6-bottle set from Chocolate Craft Colors seems especially well-suited to the needs of the home baker. Their offerings are gluten-free, dairy-free, propylene glycol free, synthetic dye-free, and vegan, and the ½-ounce bottles come with a nifty dropper-style tip.  The colors include berry red, yellow, orange, green, blue and purple. All the cookies shown here were colored with the red, blue, purple, and green shades from the set.  (The brown shade is from cocoa powder.)

 

I’m thrilled to have shifted to “naturally beautiful” decorating.  It means I can enjoy cookie baking and decorating with my grandchildren and serve up eye-catching baked goods to my family without wondering about potential risks. I’ll be posting a simple icing recipe that uses the natural food dyes, plus more decorating tips and photos shortly, so  check back again.

And do let me know how you feel—are you going to go the “naturally beautiful” decorating route, too?

If you're interested in making your own homemade sprinkles with botanical (or regular) food colors, go here.

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The Juggling Act, Plus A Good-for-You Spiced Applesauce Muffin Actually Tasty Enough to Eat!

If you’ve ever seen the classic circus act of somebody juggling three balls with the left hand and spinning a large dinner plate on a pole with the right, you’ll have a picture of what's happening here at Kitchenlane right now.

One of the balls being juggled is this blog, which I’m constantly (happily) creating recipes, pics and stories for. Ideas and posts are always bubbling up and taking shape as I try to have something worthy here every time you visit Kitchenlane. Like this applesauce muffin recipe, for example--which I’ve been experimenting with (and eating for lunch with a nourishing soup) for the past week.

Another ball in the air is all the work-related activities—like tending to Facebook, Twitter, e-mails, article assignments, various culinary committee tasks, and tax paperwork (yikes!).  And ball three—that’s all the personal stuff, like finding time for a hubby, spoiled dog, grandkids, friends, and maintaining a house.

So what’s that big whirling plate? That’s my next cookbook, a humongous 500-page manuscript that’s been in progress on and off for five years and is now “in production,” publishers’ lingo for becoming a book. In December a copy editor went over it word by word, making corrections, formatting, and raising questions for me to answer. And then, I spent nine long, mind-bending days correcting, rewriting and following up on good questions like, “How can this recipe serve 16 if you cut it into 12 bars?” Now, nearly every day some more steps are required to keep the plate spinning and efforts on track toward my eagerly awaited book (which is now pre-listed on Amazon, here—woohoo!). It’s an exciting time, but, whew, my head is spinning along with the plate!

All this is to explain the little lulls between posts and to let you know that I’m peddling up the hill as fast as I can! Now on with today’s recipe.

Good ‘n Healthy  Spiced Applesauce-Raisin Muffins

I recently read in the Harvard Health Letter that though people tend to think of muffins as much more healthful than, say, doughnuts, the gigantic, sumptuous-looking ones typically found in coffee shops and bakeries are often fattier and more calorie-laden than the average glazed doughnut. Even the low-fat muffins aimed at health-conscious customers often aren’t really nutritious, the article points out, because to compensate for the reduced fat they increase the salt and sugar. The article notes that an even greater failing of these so-called healthy treats is that they usually don’t incorporate any whole grains and contain little fiber. Experts now feel that these issues are much more important than merely avoiding fat, especially if it’s low-saturated, heart-healthy fat such as olive oil, corn oil or canola oil.

Since I’ve been taking steps to eat more healthfully, I decided to create a nutrition-wise muffin that my hubby and I could eat with lunch or as snacks. (And which I could also share with you.) This recipe incorporates whole grains in the form of whole wheat flour and oats, plus more fiber from applesauce and raisins.  It calls for a fairly modest amount of a “good,” fat; provides some high-quality protein from fat-free yogurt and an egg; and cuts back a bit on the usual amount of sugar and salt found in muffins. Note that the honey isn’t added because it’s particularly nutritious (it's not), but because it boosts flavor and helps keep the muffins moist.

In case you’re wondering why I didn’t add more whole grains and reduce the sugar and fat as drastically as some recipes circulating around, it’s because I want the results to be tasty, too. I learned while writing a number of heart-healthy cookbooks that if recipes are stuffed with too much fiber and stripped of too much of their normal sugar and salt, they will come out looking and tasting like hockey pucks.  And at my house, nobody will eat hockey pucks no matter how wholesome they are!

These are good for breakfast, with a bowl of soup for lunch, or as a snack with a glass of milk or a cup of tea.

Tip: Whole wheat pastry flour yields tenderer muffins than regular whole wheat flour and, fortunately, is becoming easier to obtain. I found bags of the Hodgson brand, which worked great, stocked on my local supermarket shelves. Whole Foods and smaller health food stores are other good places to look.

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (if unavailable, substitute regular whole wheat flour)

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose white flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 6-ounce carton plain nonfat or low-fat yogurt

1/4 cup corn oil, canola oil or other flavorless, low-saturated fat vegetable oil

1/3 cup clover honey or other mild honey

1 large egg, or 3 tablespoons liquid egg substitute

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup dark, seedless raisins or golden raisins (or a combination)

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant oats)

            Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 15 or 16 standard-sized muffin tin cups or coat with non-stick spray. 

            In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the sugar and cinnamon.  Measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture and set aside for garnish. Thoroughly stir the whole wheat and white flours, baking powder, allspice, baking soda, and salt into the large bowl with the remaining sugar.  In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together the applesauce, yogurt, oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until evenly blended. Add the raisins and oats let stand 5 to 10 minutes so they can thoroughly hydrate. Stir the applesauce-raisin mixture into flour mixture, mixing gently just until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened and incorporated; don't over-mix or the batter may toughen.  

Using a 1/4-cup measure or large spoon, immediately divide the batter among 15 or 16 muffin cups; the cups should be fairly full. Sprinkle the muffin tops with the reserved sugar-spice mixture, dividing it equally among them.

            Bake in the middle third of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the muffins are tinged with brown on top and springy to the touch; a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of a center muffin  should come out clean. Cool on wire rack 3 or 4 minutes; gently run a knife around cups and remove muffins from their cups. Let stand until cooled. These can be kept airtight for up to 3 days or frozen, airtight for longer storage. Let return to room temperature before serving.

            Makes 15 or 16 standard-sized muffins.

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Hearty, Wholesome & Easy Curried Lentil Soup--Another Recipe to Help You Eat Healthier in the New Year

 If you, too, made a vow to eat better this year, this recipe may help. It definitely achieves some of the goals I set for myself—to eat more veggies, whole grains, and fiber and less meat and fat, and (as always) fewer calories.

For me, eating a healthful lunch is particularly problematic. I’m usually in the middle of working and don’t want to stop, so I simply slap some cheese or peanut butter on multi-grain bread and keep on going. Not the worst meal perhaps, but totally lacking veggies and not low in fat either.

So I’ve devised a plan to make myself a big pot of easy, hearty soup every week. With this stashed in the fridge I can conveniently pull out the pot and heat up a fuss-free, meal-in-a-bowl lunch. Depending on the recipe, this approach guarantees that some of the nutritious veggies, fiber and whole grains are routinely on my menu.

For my first healthy recipe of the new year (posted here), I created an herbed fresh salmon chowder that also featured lots of cauliflower, carrots, celery, and potatoes. This week I went in a completely different direction, focusing on lentils and brown rice to deliver the protein, nutrients, and fiber, and enhancing them with some vegetables from the crisper and a unique, heady blending of spices and herbs.

In case you’re thinking that lentils and brown rice sound boring and too health-foody, believe me they are amazingly satisfying in this soup. In fact, those who prefer bland may actually find this recipe too peppery. It’s not blow-your-head off hot, but it’s piquant and has so much enticing full-bodied curry flavor that nobody misses meat at all. If you like, dial down the heat by omitting the dried red pepper flakes, then serving a little bowl of them so diners can zip up their servings at the table.

This soup recipe not only satisfies my key nutritional goals, but it goes together quickly, cooks in about 30 minutes, and is extremely economical. Plus, it smells wonderful as it cooks, keeps well, and, if you use vegetable broth, is fine for serving vegetarians.

Hearty Curried Lentil, Brown Rice-Vegetable Soup

A generous bowl of this soup makes a great lunch served as is, but it can also be rounded out with some crackers and cheese. Garnishing the bowls with a dollop of plain yogurt is another easy way to boost the protein in the meal.

To streamline prepping tasks as much as possible, cut the vegetables into 1-inch chunks, then pulse until them in a processor until roughly chopped. Though the recipe calls 1/2 cup each of the onion, celery and carrot, feel free to use more or less depending on what you have on hand. Sweet peppers have a lot of vitamin C and add pleasing flavor, but they can be left out, if desired. If you don’t have red lentils, the more commonplace brown or greens ones can be substituted; they’ll just take 10 to 15 minutes longer to cook through.

If possible use reduced-sodium broth in the recipe; since many curry powders contain salt, the soup can actually come out too salty if regular broth is used. In a pinch, substitute broth made by reconstituting bouillon powder or cubes. I find that using half low-sodium and half regular bouillon powder produces a broth with about the right degree of saltiness.

1/2 cup each coarsely chopped onion, celery, and carrot
1/2 cup chopped sweet red or green pepper, optional
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, preferably reduced sodium
2/3 cup uncooked red lentils
1/3 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice, preferably basmati
1 tablespoon mild to medium hot curry powder (your preference)
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or 1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground hot red pepper flakes, optional
1 14- 15-ounce can diced or chopped tomatoes, including juice
2 tablespoons chopped chives, green onions, or cilantro, for garnish, optional

Combine the onion, celery, carrots, and sweet pepper if using in a 4-quart pot along with the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until they are soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth, lentils, rice, and the herbs and spices to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring well. Adjust the heat so the mixture boils gently; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and rice are almost tender, about 20 to 25 minutes; take a taste to check. Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, and, if the soup is thick, enough hot water to thin it to a soup consistency. Bring back to a boil; taste and add salt if necessary.

Try my savory autumn bisque here. Another tempting soup, the minestrone pictured below is here.

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Fresh Blueberry Muffins--With No Apologies to My Locavore Friends

I know, I know. It’s the dead of winter, so the blueberries in my pictures were definitely not grown here in Maryland. In fact, right now blueberries aren’t in season anywhere on this continent. The staunch locavores who believe that shipping food huge distances is scandalously wasteful of resources will not be happy that these beauties were flown in from Chile.

But they showed up in my supermarket looking so pristine and gorgeous that even though I myself have occasionally spouted the locavore line (especially when it comes to peaches, which IMHO are only worth eating fully ripe from local trees) I had to buy them. The thought of a big bowl of fresh, summery tasting berries for breakfast on a cold, dreary winter day got to me. And I’d been wanting some good homemade blueberry muffins for a while, and though frozen berries will work, they usually drip and turn the batter an odd purple-gray.

Anyway, these berries turned out to be every bit as tasty as they look—full of flavor, succulent and possessing a pleasing tang. And I’m not feeling guilty that I bought them either. Besides being a healthful winter treat on my table, these goodies are helping put food on the family tables of many hard working Chilean farmers. Tom Tjerandsen, North American director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association says the export crop will be about 78,000 tons this season, three-fourths of it coming to the US. And farmers there are striving to expand production to perhaps 120,000 tons by 2015. If any of my locavore buddies try to chide me on buying shipped-in fruit, I’ll point out that we’re providing a vital market to agricultural workers elsewhere around the globe.

Good ‘n Easy Blueberry Muffins


It seems like blueberry muffins have been around forever in America. According to the American Institute of Baking they are our most popular flavor (banana-nut is second); and muffins in general are a huge category in the baking industry.

But actually, fruit muffins of any kind are relative newcomers to our baking repertoire. One of the earliest recipes I’ve found was published in the 1905 edition Fannie Farmer’s Boston Cooking-School Cook Book: It called for 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup of berries (the berry variety wasn’t specified). Note that 1/4 cup sugar is far less than most modern recipes require, so apparently muffins have gotten a lot sweeter over time. In fact, my version calls for a generous 3/4 cup of sugar in the batter and a little more sprinkled on top (which adds a wonderful crunch) and most people don’t find the muffins overly sweet at all.

These are plump, generously studded with blueberries, and stay pleasingly moist. They are easy to make, too, as ingredients are quickly stirred together and no mixer is required. In case you are curious, the small amount of baking soda helps facilitate proper browning.

Tip: Fresh blueberries will look and taste better in these muffins. However, if you want to use frozen berries add them before they are completely thawed and pat them dry with paper towels before folding them into the batter. You’ll need to add a few minutes to the baking time to compensate for the cooler temperature of the batter.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour
Generous 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1½ tablespoons more for garnish
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Generous 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup whole or low-fat milk
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups fresh or partially thawed (and blotted dry) frozen blueberries
1½ tablespoons blueberry flavored sugar for garnish (or substitute regular granulated sugar if necessary)

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Grease 12 standard-sized muffin tin cups or coat with nonstick spray.
Thoroughly stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter till runny over medium heat; then set aside. Measure the milk in a 2-cup or larger measure. Stir the butter into the milk. Then, using a fork, beat the egg and vanilla into the milk mixture until well blended. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just until dry ingredients are evenly moistened and incorporated; don't overmix or beat. Gently fold in the blueberries just until distributed evenly.
Using a heaping 1/4-cup measure or very large spoon, immediately divide batter among 11 or 12 muffin cups. (They should be fairly full.) Sprinkle the tops with the reserved 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, dividing it among them.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes or until muffins are golden and springy to the touch; a toothpick inserted into the thickest part of a center muffin should come out clean. Cool on wire rack 3 or 4 minutes; gently run a knife around cups and remove muffins from pan. They are best when fresh.
Makes 11 or 12 standard-sized muffins.

In a muffin mood now? Check out my healthful applesauce raisin muffins here or my cranberry muffins here.

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Resolving to Eat Better , Walk More, Weigh Less--Starting with This Handy, Wholesome Meal-in-a-Bowl Salmon-Veggie Chowder

In the hope that something has been learned from past experience, I’m drastically scaling back on my New Year’s resolutions this year. No more grandiose plans to walk two miles a day (or even to walk every day); shed 10 pounds; completely reorganize my rat’s-nest of an office; or eat more healthfully.

These have all been on my New Year’s to-do list many times before, and though they doubtless seem piddling compared to many people’s resolutions, they’re apparently overly ambitious for me.  So, I’m lowering the bar to more modest aspirations, including simple walking more frequently, losing three pounds, at least starting to tidy up my office, and eating a little less meat and more fish, vegetables and whole grains. My thinking is that following through on any of these means heading in the right direction—which  is better than doing nothing or sliding in the wrong one. 

In case you wonder, no, I won’t be providing any embarrassing reports of either personal achievements or failures. (There are enough “big loser” sorts of TV shows out there to satisfy any interest in intimate, humiliating details.)  In fact, unless I make enough progress on office cleanup to post a pic (highly unlikely) probably the only evidence you’ll see of any of my plans being carried out is an occasional posting of a healthful fish or veggie recipe. There will definitely be NO before and after shots of me, although since my goal is losing only three pounds you probably wouldn't notice any difference anyway!

Fresh Salmon and Vegetable Chowder

I know that not everybody thinks that eating salmon is a healthful step. The naysayers point out that it's sometimes contaminated and that farm-raised salmon have a negative environmental impact.

Those who recommend salmon mention the benefits of its Omega-3 fats, which help reduce inflammation in our bodies. (Inflammation is thought to be a root cause of many health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancers and arthritis.)  Recently, some studies have shown that omega-3 fats may help slow cognitive problems such as Alzheimer’s disease and age-related cognitive decline and help alleviate depression and aggressive behavior.

In any case,  this convenient meal-in-a-bowl recipe is definitely on the healthful side because, in addition to the salmon, it features a lot of vegetables and is low in fat. It's fairly fuss-free, savory, and nutritionally well-balanced. The flavor will be greatly enhanced by the addition of either fresh dill weed or dried tarragon leaves: Each herb lends its own distinctively different and appealing character. Fresh dill weed isn't always readily available in markets, but is well worth using when you can find it. (Don’t bother substituting dried dill weed; it has very little taste.)

Tip: Be sure to check along the fleshy side of the salmon fillet and remove any bones along the lateral line before adding it to the pot.

1 tablespoon corn oil, canola oil or other low-saturated fat cooking oil
1/2 cup each peeled and chopped carrot and diced celery
5 1/2 to 6 cups low-fat reduced-sodium chicken broth (or reconstituted reduced-sodium chicken bouillon from granules), divided
1 12-ounce fresh or frozen (thawed) north Atlantic salmon fillet (skin intact), cut in half if very thick
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (thawed) cauliflower florets, coarsely diced
3 tablespoons fresh chopped chives or scallions, plus more for garnish, if desired
1/4 cup chopped fresh dillweed (coarse stems removed), or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, plus more for garnish, if desired
1 1/3 cups instant mashed potato granules, preferably low-sodium
1 tablespoon prepared mustard, preferably Dijon-style
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a 4-quart saucepan or similar-size soup pot, combine the oil, carrot, and celery. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to brown. Add the salmon, searing 1 to 2 minutes on the flesh side, then laying skin-side down. Add 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a simmer. Poach the salmon, uncovered, for 6 to 10 minutes or until just cooked through. Place it skin-side up on a cutting board. Add the cauliflower and chives (or scallions) and dill to the pot. Cook until the vegetables are almost tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, scrape off and discard the salmon skin. Flake the flesh into bite-sized chunks using a fork.

Gradually stir the mashed potato granules and mustard into the pot until well blended. Stir in 3 cups more broth until evenly incorporated; thin the chowder with more broth if desired. Bring back to a boil. Add the salmon and reheat until piping hot. Add black pepper to taste. Garnish the chowder with small sprigs of dillweed and fresh chopped chives before serving if desired.
Makes about 1 1/2 quarts, 3 or 4 main dish servings.

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