Ginger follow-up
Jan. 5th, 2004 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidAfter harvesting ginger, I chunked the old ginger and put into chicken soup. The new ginger I carefully peeled with my fingers, sliced, and boiled twice in sugar syrup to make candied ginger. According to the variety of recipes I saw, I should probably do it a third time, but I ran out of patience, especially since there wasn't that much ginger to start with.
What I hadn't realized is that when making candied ginger, there's a by-product, ginger syrup, which is just wonderful, with fresh ginger taste in a sweet syrup. This could be put on pancakes, or over ice cream, or fresh fruit, but the first thing I wanted to try was gingerbread, and tonight I finally did that. I made a batch of gingerbread using the same Joy of Cooking recipe I'd used before, except I ramped up the ginger powder, though not quite as much as the last experiment (I've used a container in under three weeks, which is definitely a record for me.), and I replaced all of the honey and a bit of the molasses with ginger syrup. I made six individual gingerbreads for the condo meeting I ended up hosting tonight, and they're all gone; they were good while they lasted.
There was batter left over after the gingerbreads, and, remembering InfiniteHotel's description of a fruitcake he'd made recently, decided to use the rest of the batter for fruitcake. It's a bit odd, having been baked in a pie tin rather than a loaf pan, and having a non-traditional mix of add-ins (roughly chopped still-moist dried apricots, roughly chopped Medjool dates, slivered almonds, crushed walnuts, and sunflower seeds), but I think using the gingerbread batter worked pretty well. Next time, I should balance the fruit/nut mixture differently, with a few more kinds of fruit, but the nuts and seeds worked beautifully.
I have more ginger syrup left. Does anyone have other suggestions for how to use it?
What I hadn't realized is that when making candied ginger, there's a by-product, ginger syrup, which is just wonderful, with fresh ginger taste in a sweet syrup. This could be put on pancakes, or over ice cream, or fresh fruit, but the first thing I wanted to try was gingerbread, and tonight I finally did that. I made a batch of gingerbread using the same Joy of Cooking recipe I'd used before, except I ramped up the ginger powder, though not quite as much as the last experiment (I've used a container in under three weeks, which is definitely a record for me.), and I replaced all of the honey and a bit of the molasses with ginger syrup. I made six individual gingerbreads for the condo meeting I ended up hosting tonight, and they're all gone; they were good while they lasted.
There was batter left over after the gingerbreads, and, remembering InfiniteHotel's description of a fruitcake he'd made recently, decided to use the rest of the batter for fruitcake. It's a bit odd, having been baked in a pie tin rather than a loaf pan, and having a non-traditional mix of add-ins (roughly chopped still-moist dried apricots, roughly chopped Medjool dates, slivered almonds, crushed walnuts, and sunflower seeds), but I think using the gingerbread batter worked pretty well. Next time, I should balance the fruit/nut mixture differently, with a few more kinds of fruit, but the nuts and seeds worked beautifully.
I have more ginger syrup left. Does anyone have other suggestions for how to use it?
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-05 07:27 pm (UTC)There are probably some sorts of tea that this would go very well with.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 04:38 am (UTC)Another permutation I could try is adding chunks of crystallized ginger to the batter, though I'm not sure I'd like that for texture purposes; for some reason raisins are more appealing. Perhaps in the fruitcake, however.
I have ginger tea, and Bengal Spice...
(I'm starting to feel a bit Iron Chef-ish. All I need is a bit of ginger-touched stir-fry and perhaps a chicken or fish dish.)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 06:32 am (UTC)Masaharu Morimoto - Iron Chef Japanese
Hiroyuki Saka - Iron Chef French
Masahiko Kobe - Iron Chef Chinese
Kyoo no tema wa ...
... Ginger!!
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 06:46 am (UTC)The first Iron Chef I saw used octopus; the vegan, vegetarians, and kosher person were amused and sometimes revolted.
So, for the ginger challenge:
gingered chicken soup
stir-fried white fish fillet chunks with scallion, ginger, onion, broccoli, and carrot
baked buttercup squash puree with ginger and mango
gingerbread topped with ginger ice cream and ginger sauce, garnished with chocolate-dipped crystallized ginger
(So many other things I could make, but that's what appeals just now.)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-05 07:54 pm (UTC)Try dilluting the syrup with water and drinking it. (Probably dilluting a lot, to get the sugar down to a managable level -- don't be surprised by 1:8 or so.) This is similar in principle to a Persian drink called sekanjabin. (That has a vinegar component while yours doesn't.)
Scones with ice cream, and ginger syrup dribbled over all, with nice gingery tea sounds like it would be lovely. I would expect it to work well over certain fruits, too -- for some reason I'm thinking peaches.
Let us know what else you try!
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 04:44 am (UTC)Mmmm.... scones.
Peaches were what I was thinking also, or nectarines, or apricots. Perhaps plums. Something in that range of really juicy summer fruits, anyway. They're so out of season it's not worth getting them fresh. Hm. A gingery peach cobbler or brown betty sort of thing might work reasonably well this time of year.
I might also use it in yeasted bread; I've used ginger tea before, instead of water. This would be both water and sugar. Perhaps I would roll up some crystallized ginger and chocolate chips in it as well.
another fruit option
Date: 2004-01-06 07:01 am (UTC)Re: another fruit option
Date: 2004-01-06 07:07 am (UTC)Hm. I just read a ginger pear recipe in the Outlaw Cook that sounded good. Time to reread it.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 08:15 am (UTC)I can imagine the gingerbread version of the fruitcake being delicious, although personally I've been resisting the temptation to tinker with the mean, homely version I was serving at the party. Aside from a small amount of flour, eggs, and sugar, it's almost purely fruit and nuts, which makes for a relatively virtuous breakfast. (Or lunch. Or dinner.)
Huh, a puritan impulse. Go figure. :)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 09:09 am (UTC)The main difference between "flour, eggs, and sugar" and the gingerbread batter I used was (a) the form of sugar, and (b) the spicing, plus a little bit of baking soda. What I ended up with was much more towards your end of the spectrum, with fruit and nuts making up the vast majority of it, than a cake with a bit of fruit in it. And so far it's made an excellent evening snack, and breakfast. I'm not sure how long it will last to see if it will also make a good dinner or munch with tea.
Somehow I suspect you balance your puritan impulses out... ;-)
no subject
Date: 2004-01-06 12:12 am (UTC)Feed me?
IV drip?
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Date: 2004-01-06 04:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 03:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 08:23 pm (UTC)Must get some organic lemons...