Candied Ginger

Candied Ginger, from Make It Like a Man!If you’re like me, when you hear the word “ginger,” a violent wave tosses your brain into a shipwreck of unanswered questions. Ginger? Or Mary Ann? Coconut? Or Banana Cream? Is “candied ginger” a copper-headed gay bear with maple syrup stuck in his beard? Or is it Tina Louise’s stripper name?

Ginger Grant

Chocolate-Covered Ginger? I think not!

Candying – or crystallizing[1] – is a method of preserving food with a sugar syrup. Candied ginger is delicious on its own, but covered in dark chocolate, it’s so, so, so good.  (But to do that, you have to know how to temper chocolate. I’m indolent, so I just fill a small candy dish coffee cup with a Cubs logo on it, with balanced portions of candied ginger and chocolate chips, and chow on that. But I still have some some dignity: I use Ghirardelli.) Chocolate covered ginger is so addictive, I’m surprised it’s not regulated like a prescription drug. I also throw candied ginger, finely chopped, into any kind of baked-apple-type thing, all kinds of muffins, and many kinds of cakes.

Mary Ann shows you how candied ginger tastes, via Make It Like a Man

How Candied Ginger Tastes

So, you may be wondering why anyone might want to spend their time and energy candying ginger when they can buy it in bulk at Whole Foods. Three reasons: 1) People are driven by neuroses, not rationality. 2) When the Tea Party eventually shuts down not just the government, but the entire economy, my candying skills are going to trump your money-spending skills. 3) You are going to be outright fucking batty about candied ginger when you catch on to how mind-blowing the leftover syrup is, blended with your favorite whiskey! Seriously, it changed my life for the better, and it can do the same for you.

Candied Ginger
Makes … enough, probably. 

You simply need a quantity of syrup sufficient to cover the ginger. So, weigh your ginger and modify the ingredient list accordingly. The number of pieces will vary greatly, depending on how you slice it. The number of pieces per serving is likely to be somewhere between 1 and 3.

½ pound fresh ginger, peeled
2 cups sugar, plus additional sugar for coating the ginger slices, if desired
2 cups water
Pinch of salt
½-1 Tbs corn syrup, optional

1. Slice the ginger thinly, or cut it into small cubes.[2] Put the ginger in a small pot, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let ginger simmer for ten minutes. Drain.[3]

2. Add the sugar, water, and salt, to the pot with the drained ginger. Add the optional syrup if you intend to store the ginger in its cooking liquid or if you want to keep the cooking liquid for another use.[4] Cook the ginger in the liquid until the temperature reaches 225˚F. Remove from heat and let stand for at least an hour, or overnight. Store ginger in its syrup, or toss drained slices in granulated or coarse sugar. (A brief reheating will make draining easier.)  Shake off excess sugar, and spread the ginger slices on a cooling rack overnight, or until they’re somewhat dry.

Modified from a recipe byDavid Lebovitz.

Candied Ginger, from Make It Like a Man!

Crystallized Ginger

Wondering what to do with leftover ginger syrup? Ginger Whiskey Highballs will convince you to candy ginger just to get the syrup!


Notes:

[1] Candied vs. Crystallized: For all you academics out there, the part of this recipe that refers specifically to crystallization is the part that calls for the candied ginger to be rolled in sugar. Complete this step, you have crystallized ginger. Skip the step, you have candied ginger. Many people casually use the term “candied” to refer to the both the candied and crystallized types.
[2] Slicing/Cubing: How this is done is up to you, your tastes, and your purpose. Various chefs recommend anything from paper-thin slices to approximately an eighth-inch in thickness. I’ve seen cubes from slightly smaller than coffee beans, up to perhaps a quarter-inch square. Size depends on how intensely-flavored[5] your finished ginger will be, your intended use, and your personal tastes.
[3] Blanch: If you want your finished ginger to be as peppery as possible, skip this blanching step. If you want your ginger to be very mild, repeat this blanching step.
[4] Corn Syrup: Without it, the cooking liquid may crystallize … maybe not right at first, maybe not while it’s cooling … maybe it will wait until you’re confident that you’ve succeeded and your self-satisfaction is at its peak so that it can slap you to the floor with maximum impact. If it does, curse at it loudly. Get red in the face and stomp your feet, like you mean it. That will help somewhat. Then, add a little water and re-heat it with all your might. Laugh manically as the flames grow higher. Let’s just see what it thinks of that. All or most of it may turn back into a liquid, or it may decide to fight back and frustrate the hell out of you. If a few stubborn crystals remain, cut your losses and strain them out; shove those little bastards down the garbage disposal. Do this right in front of the strained liquid, as a warning. I don’t think you’ll be having any more crystallization problems. (But use the corn syrup, because you’re turning into some kind of monster. WTF?)
[5] Intensely Flavored: Wow! I don’t know why I never thought of that before. Next time someone asks if size matters, you should say, “Depends on how intensely flavored.”


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8 thoughts on “Candied Ginger

  1. Did you happen to notice in the recent Details magazine that they have a drink recipe that starts with, basically, “First, candy some ginger.”

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