Cinnamon - description, properties, use in cooking. Cinnamon recipes.

Cinnamon - Description

Cinnamon is an evergreen, fairly tall tree, up to 15 m tall. To get the spice, do not collect the leaves and fruits. Everything is much more complicated and bloodthirsty. First, they grow a tree, and after two years, cut it down at the root, leaving a small stump. From it, over the next year, young shoots appear. When they reach about one meter in height, they are cut and the bark is removed. And you only need its inner layer, about a millimeter thick. The outer layer, as unnecessary, is simply removed. Drying, thin strips of the inner bark are rolled into a roll. Such rolls rolls meter height and go on sale. True, they are pre-cut into pieces of 10-15 centimeters.

Cinnamon, as a spice, can be divided into two types - cinnamon (Ceylon) and cassia (Chinese cinnamon). The first is considered the most valuable, it is made only from the inner layer of the bark of shoots of two-year-old trees. She wins cassia in taste and chemical composition. Ceylon cinnamon is grown in India, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Ceylon. Cassia, whose birthplace is considered to be China, is cultivated in Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, China. For its production, the whole bark is used, the thickness of which is considerably thicker - from 3 mm to 1-2 cm. Its taste is more pungent and sharp, slightly tart, the color is reddish-brown. In stores and supermarkets they sell mostly cassia, as it is cheaper and more affordable.

Cinnamon - Properties

Cinnamon is a powerful aphrodisiac. It warms the blood, sprays passion, awakens desire. Her scent relieves emotional stress, improves mood. Therefore, for a romantic dinner it will not be superfluous to prepare a dessert or drink with the addition of this spice. For example, hot chocolate with the addition of vanilla and cinnamon.

It speeds up the body's metabolism, so daily intake of a pinch of cinnamon, will effectively fight against excess weight, and helps diabetics to reduce sugar levels. It is very careful to approach its internal reception. It should be dosed, as much as possible - no more than half a teaspoon per day. If systematic use is planned, approval must be obtained from the doctor. Cinnamon is good for colds. has warming properties. It is used for flu, sore throat, bronchitis. It contains antifungal, antibacterial substances, so it is added to some medications. It also helps to remove toxins from the body, improve the performance of the brain, and concentration.

With many advantages, cinnamon can bring and not very pleasant moments. It should not be taken by pregnant women in the early stages, because it provokes an increased contraction of the uterus. Secondly, it is quite a strong allergen, so people who are prone to allergies, should be very careful to introduce it into the diet. It is not recommended to use cinnamon for stomach ulcers, hypertension, and nervous irritability.

These restrictions do not mean that you can not eat a bun or a baked apple with cinnamon. Contraindications relate to systematic or frequent consumption.

Cinnamon - use in cooking

Cinnamon is a very ancient spice. She is mentioned in the Bible. In ancient times, it was valued on a par with gold, if there was a crop failure, then it was more expensive. Cinnamon could afford only kings or very rich people. Two thousand years have passed and a lot has changed, including the price of cinnamon. Now this spice is in the kitchen of each housewife. The accessibility of cinnamon has made it very popular in cooking. To taste it is slightly sweet, with a pleasant specific aroma. Therefore, it is often added to pastries - cakes, buns, cakes, desserts, creams. She sprinkled with fresh or baked fruit, put in tea, cocoa, coffee, used in preservation - added to jam, stewed fruit, juice, pickles. By the way, not only vegetables and fruits are marinated with cinnamon, but also meat, it is also added to hot or cold dishes made from lamb, pork, and poultry.

Cinnamon Recipe Examples

Recipe 1: Apple Cinnamon Flan

You can simply bake the apples in the oven, and then sprinkle them with cinnamon and pour over the honey. But it is possible to prepare from almost the same products a more refined dessert - apple flan. For a dish fit any apples. If you like not very sweet, take apples of sour or sour-sweet varieties, such as Antonovka. The recipe includes honey. If you are allergic to it, replace it with a simple caramel - boil a couple of tablespoons of sugar with a small amount of water until thick. Ingredients: 4 apples, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons. sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp. lie honey

Method of preparation

Cut the apples in half, cut the core. Do not need to clean. Bake. You can use the microwave, oven. In the microwave will be faster, 2-3 minutes, depending on the variety of apples. In the oven a little longer, about 25 minutes, maybe a little more or less, at 190C. The main thing is that they become soft.

Allow the apples to cool and remove the flesh. It is convenient to do a teaspoon. Add cinnamon and sugar to apple pulp, then eggs. It must be ensured that the mash is not very hot, otherwise the egg whites will roll. Now you need to knead the mass, be sure to homogeneity - manually, with a mixer or a blender, as convenient.

To bake the flan in the oven, you will need small tins, such as ceramic mugs or cups. Pour some honey into the baking dish. So that it only covers the bottom. Put the apple mass on the honey. Now the small molds need to be put in a larger dish. It can be a frying pan or saucepan and pour water into it so that it reaches the middle of the molds with apple sauce. Bake for one hour at 180 °. Allow to cool and place for one hour in the refrigerator.

Before you turn the molds, you must pass the knife along the edges, separating the dessert from the walls. You can decorate the dish at your discretion - sprinkle with nuts, cinnamon, powdered sugar.

Recipe 2: Cinnamon Applecake

Cinnamon goes well with apples, so the cake turns out tasty, juicy and lush. Not to say that this dish is festive, but it is prepared quickly and for it the most ordinary products are used.

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. flour, 2 apples, a glass of kefir and sugar, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 2 tsp. without slides of soda and cinnamon, 1 tsp. lie salt, 1 tsp vanilla essence (or a bag of vanilla sugar).

Method of preparation

Peel apples and peel. Cut into large cubes or cubes, approximately 1.5 cm. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar, mix.

Beat the eggs and the remaining sugar into strong foam, adding cinnamon and vanilla. Pour the kefir, butter, put salt, soda and whip again. Pour the flour and slowly stir with a spoon. Add apples. The dough for the cake is ready. It remains to bake it at 175C for about 50 minutes. A cupcake can be baked sooner or later, therefore, in order not to miss the moment, periodically you need to pierce it with a match or a toothpick, until it becomes dry. Cool and slice cupcake.

Recipe 3: Chicken in a cinnamon marinade

Cinnamon is added not only to desserts and pastries, it gives a rather original taste to meat, especially in combination with garlic. You can rub a piece of meat with spices and spices, or, as in this recipe, make a marinade. To make the chicken especially tasty and juicy, you need to pickle it for at least a day. The peculiarity of the marinade is that the meat can be stored in it for a week. It does not spoil at all, but only gets tastier. It is convenient to pickle chicken pieces at the weekend, and on weekdays, after work, all that is left is to get them out of the marinade and bake them. And the issue with a quick, not troublesome and delicious dinner will be resolved. You can cook meat in the oven or, like kebabs, on a fire. Vinegar can be replaced with lemon juice.

Ingredients: chicken (chicken, fillet) - 1.5 kg, a glass of vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons. finished mustard, 1/2 t.lozh. Cinnamon, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 table. l vinegar (6-9%), salt, pepper, bay leaf.

Cooking method

Mix oil with mustard. It can be taken any - with or without kernels. If the mustard is very hot, the amount of pepper should be reduced. You can mix with a spoon or mixer at low speed. Add the remaining ingredients - chopped garlic, pepper, cinnamon, salt, vinegar, you can add spices for chicken, a couple of bay leaves. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade and send to the fridge for at least a day.

Pickled chicken lay out on a baking sheet, bake until cooked at 180 ° C for 40-45 minutes. The baking time depends on the size of the chicken pieces.