Cinnamon seems to belong to winter and there's not too much of that left, appearances notwithstanding. So we have to take our chance to talk about cinnamon while it's still cold out.
Cinnamon is a spice we often take for granted; it's ubiquituous in everything from cookies to curries. But, like vanilla, it's unfortunate to always put it in the background, especially when it's fresh. If you've never used fresh cinnamon sticks, you should give it a try - it tastes like something completely different from the bottled stuff. Here's a few treats that put it front and center...
Seasonal Recipe Spotlight: Cinnamon
We were interested in this search for the ultimate cinnamon roll recipe - cinnamon rolls being one of our favorite things, especially this time of year. These Cinnamon Scrolls have similar appeal but look unique, chewy, and scrumptious. When it gets warmer we're going to try this Cinnamon Toast Ice Cream.
Speaking of toast, this Cinnamon Butter would be very good on it. These little Cinnamon Sugar Crisps are toast too, but with tortillas. We also like the look of these Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits.
What are you doing with cinnamon? Any favorite recipes?
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although I normally HATE cinnamon (I tend to substitute ginger), I will use it in my grandma's dark pfeffernusse. It's a German thing- she makes them every year around Christmas, and there's almost nothing tastier than a handful of these little cookies when they're still chewy and warm.
I don't have her recipe handy, but the basic one is something like this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pfeffernusse-Kuchen/Detail.aspx
Recent studies have shown that cinnamon can help lower cholesterol. Link to a story is in my name. This isn't an actual favorite recipe, but adding cinnamon to coffee grounds before brewing is fantastic. I've bookmarked the cinnamon twists recipe - they look great!
I would recommend grating or grinding the cinnamon fresh before using. I have a huge piece of Saigon cinnamon that a friend brought back from Vietnam and use a microplane to grate it over French toast.
Cinnamon and apple pie is one of my favorite pies.
I also spread some cinnamon on top of fruit yogurt and muesli for an healthy dessert. My cafe latte always has cinnamon on top.
mangosteen, thanks for the news tip. It would be great for the environment if cinnamon can really kill adult mosquito. We will see.
In the meantime, I go make me a cafe latte with cinnamon on top, of course.
Believe it or not - a little bit of cinnamon (or better yet, allspice) is a KILLER secret ingredient in a great homemade tomato sauce. Sprinkle a little in as your onions are sauteeting in olive oil....delish. People won't know what it is - but it's outstanding.
I'm a BIG cinnamon fan! My friends laughed at me when I sprinkled cinnamon into my bowl of Mongolian bbq before giving it to the the restaurant staff for sauteeing. I told them not to knock it until they'd tried it! It gave the dish an almost Moroccan taste. :) Lots of people since then have done the same so they left the bowl of cinnamon powder as a staple with the other more standard ingredients and spices.
One of my quickest cinnamon fixes is sliced bread, slathered with butter, sprinkled with cinnamon. A few minutes in the toaster and it's done. Loved this as a child, still love it now. :)
Cooking Light had a recent excellent recipe for chicken tagine with lemon and olives. The recipe includes a cinnamon stick, and it is integral to the warm, spicy flavor of the tagine without making it overly sweet. I bet cinnamon sticks could be used in other types of stews too. Anyone know of any?
I love arabic food and cinnamon is staple of their cooking. It is especially fab in meats (lamb or chicken) This weekend I stuffed a small chichen with jasmine rice, pine nuts, cranberries, apple, and almonds and used sea salt cinnamon, nutmeg, and rosemary to rub down the bird and it was delcious!
For those of you who may have diabetics in the family, a stick of cinnamon steeped in a cup of black tea helps to bring down high sugar levels. Doing this has helped my father get his sugar levels in to acceptable an range.