4 • February 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


& Prosper! “FROM EATIN’ BLACK STRAP MOLASSES...” Cloverdale, CA. ing into “raw sugar”. During


Eat Well by Executive Chef Ron Skaar ~ ronskaar@comcast.net ~ 707-490-7636 ~ In 1582 the this process the syrupy fi lm


heralded the conquest of the West Indies by the Portu- guese. Melaca derives from the Latin term for honey and is the source for our word molasses. T e sugar cane stalks were


stripped of leaves, then crushed and pressed into juice. T is liquid was heated to get rid of any organic im- purities, than boiled down to remove most of its mois- ture. It was then poured into cone-shaped clay molds a foot or two long which could hold up to 30 pounds of syr- up.


T ese molds were stirred while cooling and crystalliz-


word “melaca” would run off thru a small is fi rst men- hole in the mold. T e prod- tioned in a uct remaining, aſt er sepa- book, which ration and recovery of the crystallized sugar, was mo- lasses.


Molasses was exported


from the West Indies to the colonies of North America, to make rum. In 1733 the British levied high taxes on the pilgrims with the “Mo- lasses Act”. T e colonists pretty much ignored this law and the fee was subsequently reduced, in 1764. Up until the late 19th cen-


tury, molasses was the most popular sweetener in the United States. Aſt er World War I the price of refi ned sugar dropped drastically and molasses use declined. By 1919 the per capita con-


sumption of sugar had dou- bled and most Americans were using white or brown sugar for baking and cook- ing. Also, in January of 1919, at


the Industrial Alcohol Com- pany in Boston, a 58 foot tall wooden tank contain- ing 2.5 millions gallons of hot molasses burst. An eight foot wave of the smolder- ing molasses covered parts of the city, immersing and killing 21 people plus scores of horses. It took weeks to clean up the streets and mil- lions of dollars to settle all the law suits. Examples of edible sugar-


cane molasses include Loui- siana, Barbados, Puerto Rico and West Indies. T ese vary in depth of color and fl avor, depending on the method of evaporation and on how


much sugar is extracted. Blackstrap is the lowest grade of sugar-cane molas- ses where as much sugar as possible is extracted from the mix. T e “Black Strap Molas-


ses” song, referred to in the title of this article, was re- corded in 1951 by Groucho Marx, Jimmy Durante, Jane Wyman and Danny Kaye. T e lyric’s go: “I’m eaten black strap molasses and the wheat germ bread, makes you live so long and wish you were dead. You add some yo- gurt and you’ll be well fed.” A head of it’s time? Molasses brings a distinctive, smoky fl avor and evokes an extra sparkle in spice-laden reci- pes. Unlike refi ned sugar, molasses contains a signifi - cant amount of vitamin B6 and minerals including cal- cium, magnesium, iron and potassium. Now-a-days, molasses costs


about twice as much as raw sugar. February 8th is “na- tional molasses bar day” and the recipe included is an inspiration.


GUINNESS GINGER CAKE


Ingredients:


Seeds from 6 cardamom pads One 1 ½-inch cinnamon stick 3 whole peppercorns, 1 whole clove 1 cup stout


1 cup unsulfured molasses 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 3 large eggs


½ cup granulated sugar ½ cup dark brown sugar ¾ cup vegetable oil 2 cups all-purpose, unbleached fl our


2 tablespoons ground ginger 4 • February 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. Weird Facts & Fun Trivia - 2


The vanilla plant, Vanilla planifo- lia, is a slender, green-stemmed creeping or climbing perennial of the orchid family. Cultivating vanilla beans is a lengthy and labor-intensive process, as each fl ower must be hand pollinated to ensure it produces a bean. To complicate matters, a fl ower only lives for one day. Its beans grow to between 6 and 10 inches long and resemble a green string bean. Knowing the vanilla products to which we’re accustomed, it’s hard to believe that freshly harvested vanilla beans have no fl avor or aroma. To develop their signature fl avor, the beans must endure an elaborate, three to four month curing and sun drying process. Once this is complete, the beans are graded and bundled to ship to the United States.


1 ½ teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg


Pinch of salt


1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger


DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and fl our a 10-cup Bundt pan. In a small skillet cook the carda- mom seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and clove over moderate heat until fragrant. Let cool and fi nely grind in a spice grinder. In a large skillet, bring the stout and molasses to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda, it will bubble. Let cool. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars. Whisk in the oil and stout mix- ture. In a large bowl, whisk the fl our, ground ginger, bak- ing powder, nutmeg and salt. Add the molasses mixture in two batches. Fold in fresh gin- ger and pour into the prepared pan, bake for 45 minutes, or until the top is springy when touched. Transfer to rack and cool


completely. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.


“Where wisdom reigns, there is no confl ict between thinking and feeling.” ~ C.G. Jung


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