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Topic of the Day: Pastry
Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baked goods made from ingredients such as flour, butter, shortening, baking powder or eggs. It may also refer to the dough from which such baked goods are made. Pastry dough is rolled out thinly and used as a base for baked goods. Common pastry dishes include pies, tarts and quiches.[1][2]. Pastry is distinguished from bread by having a higher fat content, which contributes to a flaky or crumbly texture. A good pastry is light and airy and fatty, but firm enough to support the weight of the filling. When making a shortcrust pastry, care must be taken to blend the fat and flour thoroughly before adding any liquid. This ensures that the flour granules are adequately coated with fat and less likely to develop gluten. On the other hand, overmixing results in long gluten strands that toughen the pastry. In other types of pastry, such as Danish pastry and croissants, the characteristic flaky texture is achieved by repeatedly rolling out a dough similar to that for yeast bread, spreading it with butter, and folding it to produce many thin layers. Many pie recipes involve blind-baking the pastry before the filling is added. Pastry dough may be sweetened or unsweetened. European traditions of pastry-making are often traced back to the short crust era flaky doughs that were in use throughout the Mediterranean in ancient times. These recipes were popularized in Western Europe by Crusaders returning home. However, the Romans, Greeks and Phoenicians all had filo-style pastries in their culinary traditions. There is also strong evidence that the ancient Egyptians produced pastry-like confections. These recipes were adopted and adapted over time in various European countries, resulting in the myriad of pastry traditions known to the region, from Portuguese "pastéis de nata" in the west to Russian "pirozhky" in the east. The use of chocolate in pastry-making in the West, so commonplace today, arose only after Spanish and Portuguese traders brought chocolate to Europe from the New World starting in the 1500s. Many culinary historians consider French pastry chef Antonin Carème (1784-1833) to have been the first great master of pastry making in modern times. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked goods are called "pastries."
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| Gina's Column |
The Benefits of Folic Acid for Women
(03/10/2008)
Folic acid, or folate, reduces the risk of neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida when consumed in adequate amounts by women before and during early pregnancy. Spina bifida is a common disabling birth condition resulting from failure of the spinal column to close. "Women of child-bearing age should eat a diet rich in leafy dark green vegetables, citrus fruits and juices, and lentils, or take a multivitamin a day to assure adequate levels of folic acid," said Dr. David A. Kessler, Commissioner of Food and Drugs. Under the new FDA rules, specified grain products will be required to be fortified with folic acid at levels ranging from 0.43 milligrams to 1.4 mg per pound of product. These amounts are designed to keep daily intake of folic acid below 1 mg, because intakes above that amount may mask symptoms of pernicious anemia, a form of vitamin B12 deficiency which primarily affects older people. If untreated, pernicious anemia can lead to severe permanent nerve damage. Because over half of all pregnancies are unplanned and because these defects occur in the developing fetus before most women know they are pregnant, it is important that all women of child-bearing age consume the needed 400 micrograms (.4 mg) of folic acid daily. In addition to fortified grain products, PHS recommended that women should obtain this amount through food sources and/or a dietary supplement (such as a multivitamin), or a combination of these sources. CDC estimates that there are approximately 4,000 pregnancies each year, including 2,500 live births, that are affected by spina bifida and other neural tube birth defects.
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| Past "Gina's Column" Articles |
| Loving Your Family, Feeding Their Future (01/09/2008) |
| Food Protection Plan (12/04/2007) |
| FDA Alert (11/17/2007) |
| Second Hand Smoke and Heart Desease (11/08/2007) |
| How many Fruits and Vegies do I require per day? (11/03/2007) |
| About Breast Cancer Prevention (10/29/2007) |
| October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (10/14/2007) |
| Food & Stress (10/10/2007) |
| Find information and recipes for life, health and food here. (09/21/2007) |
| Welcome to Gina's Recipes (02/24/2007) |
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