Dining
KITCHEN SHRINK |
Milk it for all it’s worth
Q: With this recent heat wave, I’ve been eating ice cream every day and paying dearly for it — bloating, tummy aches, you name it. I never used to have a problem with dairy, but now even milk and cheese bother me. Any suggestions? But please don’t tell me to cut out my ice cream.
— Sarah
A: Even though I’m the Kitchen Shrink, I’m not a doc, but it sounds to me like you just joined the Lactose Intolerance Club.
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I was initiated into the club at birth when I tossed my cookies from the rich milk fat in the formula. As a kid I remember my mom pouring me glasses of watery-blue fat-free milk and dishing up tasteless, frosty ice milk and other equally unappetizing frozen “treats.” Sarah, here’s the scoop on lactose intolerance.
This is a normal condition in adult mammals, including humans when the production of lactase enzymes in your body needed for the digestion of lactose (a sugar in milk and dairy products) shrinks with age. In fact, lactase production drops 90 percent during the first four years of life, right after the weaning period. Some ethnic groups, especially from northern Europe, have inherited the dominant gene for maintaining steady lactase levels of production throughout their lives. These folks can eat ice cream and drink milk till the cows come home; but for the rest of us, we need to reduce the dairy in our diet. The Swedish and Australians also have some of the lowest levels of lactose intolerance at 2 percent and 4 percent, while mostly all Asians and Native Americans are lactose intolerant. Close to 80 percent of African Americans and Hispanic Americans are L.I., and North American Jews log in at 70 percent lactose intolerant (perhaps from our ancestors consuming all those fatty foods for centuries).
Wasn’t it great when you were younger and you could chow down on all the pizza and ice cream your heart desired? In those days, the lactase enzymes in your small intestine broke down the lactose into the simple sugars called glucose and galactose, which were easily absorbed into your bloodstream and gave you a burst of energy. Lactose intolerants don’t produce enough lactase enzymes to break down the lactose, so the undigested dairy ferments in the gut, and you know the rest of the story.
Once again, moderation rules, since most people can drink a glass of milk a day without any uncomfortable symptoms. If you are severely L.I., there are plenty of milk substitutes on the market, including almond, hazelnut, rice, soy and oat milk that are creamy and delicious. If you enjoy moo milk, buy Lactaid, which is lactose-free milk, or take Lactaid tablets that break down the milk sugars for you so you can enjoy your favorite dairy products. There are also several dairy-free frozen desserts made from tofu, soy cream or rice milk. I also find that the Italian ice cream a.k.a. gelato is easier for me to digest since it contains lower butterfat levels, non-homogenized ingredients and less air.
One of my favorite desserts is my maternal grandma’s delightful rice pudding. I’m sure she was also lactose intolerant, since she always felt queasy after eating dairy. I’ve tweaked this recipe so all of us can enjoy it guiltlessly and painlessly.
Grandma Eva’s Luscious Lactose-Free Rice Pudding
1 cup of cooked Jasmine rice
2 cups of rice, soy, almond, hazelnut or lactose-free milk
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup of raisins (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of grapeseed oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large Pyrex baking dish greased lightly with grapeseed oil, blend the rice, eggs, milk, raisins, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Sprinkle additional cinnamon on top.
Place 3 inches of water in a large roasting pan. Submerge the dish in the roasting pan. Place the pan with the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Lower to 325 degrees. Take a sharp knife and cut through the pudding to mix the custard with the rice. Bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm or chilled with a splash of your favorite non-dairy milk.
P.S. Sarah, once again, I’m not a doctor, so govern yourself accordingly.
The deadline for the Eco-Tote Slogan Contest is Monday, Oct. 1. Keep those sassy slogans coming for your chance to win a sleek, eco-friendly shopping tote.
For your culinary crises, comments or eco-tote slogans please e-mail me at kitchenshrink@san.rr.com.
WINE SCENE |
Perfection from the Loire Valley
One of my favorite regions in the world for white wines is the Loire Valley in France. Whether it is a bottle of vouvray, muscadet, sancerre or quincy, I always seem to find that they are extremely friendly by themselves or with food, especially fresh fish, shellfish or even a cream sauce.
Most recently I had the good fortune to open up a bottle of 2006 Reverdy sancerre. Talk about a perfect wine. The cool, crisp and fruit-filled wine starts out with a fresh cut grassy nose, followed by whiffs of hay. On the palate the wine is tantalizing, with fresh lemon, quince, gooseberry and lime, all engulfing your tongue. This is a wine that has class, style and the ability to age a few years if you can keep your hands off it.
One of my favorite off-the-beaten track red wine regions in France is Lirac. On the opposite side of the Rhone in the Southern end of the Rhone Valley, Lirac makes wines that range from Cotes du Rhone-like quality all the way up to big reds that can rival Chateauneuf du Pape, but at a fraction of the price.
While I’m usually a fan of Domaine de la Modoree, I’ve also been known to fancy the wines of a female winemaker from Domaine de Joncier. Here in the United States we only see one of the Joncier reds, but it’s a blast and a half. The 2004 Lirac is very much like a Vieux Telegraphe in style, but at one-third the price. It has a rich blueberry and pepper base, with layers of Provencal herbs and spice. With a rich, round center and a long lingering finish, the ’04 and ’05 are both wines to look out for.
At a recent charity event, I had the good fortune to pull out one of my favorite 2004 Australian reds, the Two Hands Bad Impersonator.. Here’s a wine that is 100 percent shiraz and drinks like a Northern Rhone. Lately selling for under $20 a bottle, the wine is chunky and rich, with raspberry, strawberry and blueberry flavors, all surrounding a plum base.
From California’s Napa Valley comes the 2005 Robert Biale Napa zinfandel. While nothing like the famed “Black Chicken,” the young and lighter red wine has a certain quality that I tend to find in Napa Valley zins that makes me think it will be a better wine in four years than it is today. Nice cigar box tobacco aromas, cherry and sweet cherry notes, plus a dusty finish gives it that typical Northern Napa mouth-feel I find in zins from those parts.
With September comes the harvest in most of the vineyards in the Northern Hemisphere. That also means that there will be a bunch of wine trade tastings coming up locally, which in turn means lots of new wines showing up on store shelves. Being harvest time, its not a good time to go to wine country. Wait a few months and then head up when the weather is nice, but the wineries not so busy the staff has to ignore you.
Andy Abramson writes about wine every week. He can be reached by e-mail at andy@winescene.com.
