butter.city

Has it really been four months since I started posting on Butter City? I guess so, according to my archives. Weekly posting is a reasonable commitment, I’m glad I didn’t shoot for any more because I’d definitely be struggling now… I started a new job last month and now have much less free time to post. Plus there’s only so many ways I can express my excitement over a recipe. So I think I’m going to start saying whatever in this intro paragraph and just follow with the recipe. Ok? Ok.

A few months ago I found myself with 6 ginger roots on my countertop (via Costco…) with no plan in sight, so I did some searching on my favorite recipe sites to give them zingibers some meaning. David Lebovitz offered a solution!

Boiled down in sugar water, ginger slices become candied and you’re left with ginger syrup which is the starting point of making a homemade ginger beer. I wanted to try this but was afraid of the fermentation process, so instead bought some tonic water as a shortcut. Still delicious, and without the risk of an exploded bottle!

Recipe a combination of:

David Lebovitz’ Candied Ginger

David Lebovitz’ Ginger Syrup Recipe

You need:

1/2 lb ginger, about 2-3 large roots

2 c granulated sugar, plus more for candies

2 c water

candy thermometer

cooling rack

Yields:

about 2 c ginger syrup

about 1 c loosely packed ginger candies

Peel 1/2 lb ginger (using this trick!!) and cut into slices as thin and uniform thickness as possible. Place into a small saucepan and add 2 c water and 2 c sugar. Bring to a boil and continue heating until temperature reaches 225 degrees F, or close. It should take about 30 minutes. Make sure to keep your thermometer away from the sides of your pan to maintain an accurate reading.

After reaching temp, remove from heat. Strain ginger syrup into a heat-proof container (like a Pyrex measuring cup) and allow to cool slightly for easier handling. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Consider keeping some slices of ginger in syrup for sweetened ginger tea concentrate.

Coat both sides of each ginger slice generously with granulated sugar, then place on a cooling rack for at least an hour. When slices become cool and stiff, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 months.

Ginger slices and syrup will be very hot because of the sugar solvent, so be careful! I used chopsticks to handle the slices which worked really well.

For lazy ginger beer, I found a ratio of 1.5 Tbsp ginger syrup to 1 c tonic water to be tastiest. The syrup is much more aromatic than flavorful.

The candies are super ZING so be ready for that kick! They can be minced into small pieces and added to any holiday spice cookie recipe for an extra boost of flavor.