Recipe: Fast Pineapple Icing

Fast Pineapple Icing

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• adjust :

  to change seasonings or consistency to one's taste or to alter portion sizes.

• drizzle :

  to trickle a thin stream of a liquid ingredient, like icing or sauce, over food.

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• whisk :

  to beat or stir ingredients vigorously with a fork or whisk to mix, blend, or incorporate air.

History of Icing and Frosting!

• Icing has been used to cover cakes since the 17th century. One of the first icings was made of eggs, rosewater, and sugar. After the cake was covered, it was put back in the oven to harden the icing.
• The terms icing and frosting are sometimes interchangeable; however, many experts differentiate between icing and frosting, with icing being thinner and pourable and frosting thicker, creamier, and fluffier. Frosting can be spread with a spatula or piped with a pastry bag.
• A basic icing is a glaze made of powdered sugar and a liquid, like milk, water, or lemon juice. It is poured on cakes, cookies, or pastries or used to decorate them, as with royal icing. 
• A frosting's base may be butter, cream, cream cheese, eggs, or whipped cream. Buttercream frosting is one of the most popular coverings and fillings for cakes. There are seven varieties of buttercream: American, French, German, Italian, Korean, Russian, and Swiss. The most common, American, Swiss, and Italian, are described below.
• American buttercream is the easiest to make and good for beginners or when there is a short amount of time. It is made by whipping softened butter, powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract or other flavorings until smooth and fluffy. Additional milk or cream is added to adjust the consistency. It is the sweetest buttercream and the one most commonly used for piping decorations on a cake.
• Swiss buttercream uses a meringue and is appropriate for intermediate bakers. Professional pastry chefs often use it. To make Swiss meringue, egg whites and sugar are heated together over a double boiler. Then, butter and flavorings are added while the meringue is beaten. The result is a soft, silky frosting.
• Italian buttercream is also made with a meringue and is suitable for more advanced bakers. This version starts with making an Italian meringue by adding a stream of hot sugar syrup to the egg whites while they are whipped, resulting in a light and stable frosting.

Let's Learn About Jamaica!

• Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean, just south of Cuba and West of Haiti. The capital and largest city is Kingston.
• Jamaica is 4,244 square miles in size, and its population in 2018 was over 2.7 million. That is a little smaller than the state of Connecticut with about 1 million less people.
• The currency is the Jamaican dollar. The official language is English, but Jamaica's primary and de facto national language is Jamaican Patois (PATwa), an English-based creole.
• Spain claimed Jamaica after Spanish explorers landed in 1494; however, in 1655, it became an English colony before gaining its independence in 1962.
• The original inhabitants of Jamaica were the Arawak people. The Arawak grew corn and yams. Today, none of the crops grown in Jamaica are native to the island, including sugar cane, bananas, and mangoes. Bamboo, coconut palms, and breadfruit were also imported to the island.
• Jamaica's climate is tropical. It can be hot and humid and prone to damage caused by hurricanes.
• The Blue Mountain range is the longest in Jamaica, and Blue Mountain Peak, at 7,402 feet, is the highest spot on the island.
• Jamaica has eight native snake species, but none are venomous.
• In Jamaica, as in England, they drive on the left-hand side of the road.
• Reggae music originated in Jamaica, home of well-known musician Bob Marley.
• Over one million tourists visit Jamaica every year.
• Jamaica produces many talented athletes, especially in track and field, where runners Usain Bolt, Johan Blake, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce have excelled.
• In 1988, Jamaica became the first tropical country to enter a Winter Olympic event. It was the four-man bobsled event. 
• The biggest and the tiniest butterflies found in the New World are in Jamaica: the Homerus Swallowtail and the Pygmy Blue.
• Pimento trees, which grow in Jamaica, produce allspice. The name "allspice" originated from the popular notion that the pimento berry contains the characteristic flavor and aroma of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper, all combined in one spice. Jamaican allspice is of the highest quality, and the country is the largest allspice exporter worldwide. 
• Jamaican cuisine uses a local spice mixture that has become famous, Jamaican jerk spice. It includes ground allspice and Scotch bonnet chili peppers. You can use it as a spice rub or in a marinade for meat, especially chicken or pork. Like many Caribbean countries, the cuisines of several countries influenced Jamaican foods over the years, such as African, Spanish, Portuguese, Cornish, Chinese, and East Indian.

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Jamaica?

• Kids go to school from 8 am to 2 or 2:30 pm. School is taught in English in Jamaican schools. After six years of primary school (grades 1-6), students go on to Lower School (junior high) for three years and then to Upper School (senior high) for three years. Uniforms are the required dress code.
• Jamaican kids participate in sports like football (soccer), track and field, cricket, tennis, netball, and basketball. They may play a game called "Dandy Shandy" that is similar to dodgeball. "Bull Inna Pen" is a game with children playing the parts of the bull, the mother hen, or the chicks she protects from the bull.
• Kids may eat "ackee and saltfish" (fruit and codfish) for breakfast, along with boiled green bananas and fried dumplings. Ackee is the national fruit used more like a starch or veggie, and "ackee and saltfish" is considered the Jamaican national dish. 
• At Christmastime, due to British influence, families may serve "black cake" or Christmas pudding. Other popular treats are the Jamaican spiced bun; "gizzada," a tart filled with sweet, spicy coconut; "coconut drops," a toffee-like sweet made with coconut chunks and sugar; and a coconut and ginger candy called "busta."