AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Crystallized stem ginger11/27/2023 If you're stumped over something food-related, send your question to and keep checking in for answers. In our Ask Peter series, executive chef Peter Gordon answers your curly culinary questions. Leave to set at room temperature, before packing delicately. Any holes where you can see the ginger, are best patched up with some chocolate drizzled from a teaspoon. Lay the pieces on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and leave to cool. Or, drop them in a few at a time (making sure no excess sugar is on them as it will affect the chocolate) and scoop out with a fork one at a time. Now for your Easter treats - simply melt chocolate (60-75 per cent cocoa fat works best for this) and dip the crystalised slices in it. The sugar that comes off them can be used in ice cream or sorbet, sprinkled over baked rhubarb or quince, in fact in anything that would benefit from a grunty hint of ginger. Next day store them in an airtight container and use within a few months. If it's really warm place them somewhere cool as the sugar will sweat. Leave at room temperature overnight covered loosely with a cloth napkin. Toss again and then lay the slices out separately (don't overlap) on a cake rack. Toss the slices, ideally while still a little warm, in 2 cups sugar and leave for a few minutes. DON'T use kitchen paper as it will end up sticking to the ginger. Let the slices drain really well - you can even pat them a little dry in a tea towel. If you'd like to make crystalised ginger then once it's ready and while it's still hot, drain it into a colander over a bowl - don't throw the syrup away as it's a terrific cordial. The next day place in a cool pantry or store in the fridge and the ginger will last for up to 1 year. ![]() At this point you can decant the ginger and syrup into sterilised jars, seal them while hot and leave to cool overnight at room temperature. If you have a sugar thermometer, or a digital thermometer that you can immerse in liquid, cook until it reaches 106C. Add two good pinches of fine salt and slowly bring to a gentle boil and then cook until the syrup resembles a light runny honey. You can use brown sugar but the ginger flavour will be masked and therefore less intense. Do this three times and when you’ve finished, put it back in the pot and pour on a litre of water and 850g of white sugar or unrefined golden sugar. Bring slowly to the boil, then simmer five minutes and drain in a colander. Place the sliced ginger in a non-reactive pot and cover with enough water to cover it by 1cm. For use in scones, biscuits and the likes it can be a thicker as you’re likely to chop it up anyway. For chocolate dipping you want it no more than 2mm thick. Slice it as thin as you think you’d like it. ![]() You want to end up with 500-600g peeled and sliced ginger. If the ginger is knobbly, make sure you either pull the knobs off and use for something else, or get that teaspoon scraping properly! Slice the ginger against the grain, much as you would a fillet of meat - that is, don’t slice it lengthways, but across the tuber. ![]() You can do this really easily with a potato peeler - although the purists would use a teaspoon to scrape the skin off. So, if you can only get your hands on the woody stuff, wait until better quality arrives.įirstly, peel around 800g of ginger. The fibres become quite stringy and there's nothing you can do to get rid of them. Making both stem ginger and crystalised ginger is actually really easy, but it works best with fresh young ginger, before it has become fibrous and tough. I'm pleased to see you enjoyed the ginger story. Do you know how I could make my own ginger in syrup? And is it possible to make crystalised ginger to coat in chocolate - might be a lot more interesting for Easter gifts than plain old eggs. I enjoyed your lovely ideas for using ginger in syrup (Bite March 17). Share this article facebook copy link twitter linkedin reddit email
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |