Caramelized Ginger And Gingered Caramel Recipes

CRYSTALLIZED OR CANDIED GINGER

Steps:

• Cut ginger into 2-inch pieces and slice lengthwise into 1/8-inch slices. Score ginger slices by pricking with a fork.
• Toss ginger with sugar in a bowl.
• Combine ginger-sugar mixture and water in a large skillet or wok; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar melts into a syrup and starts to crystallize, about 1 hour. Continue stirring until syrup is mostly crystallized and ginger comes together in a pile in the center of the skillet and very little syrup drains out; remove from heat.
• Toss ginger slices gently to cool and separate from excess sugar. Spread slices out on a tray to cool and dry.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH CARAMELIZED GINGER

Steps:

• Gather half of cilantro into a bundle and tie together with kitchen twine. Coarsely chop remaining cilantro (stems and all); set aside for serving.
• Heat sugar and 3 Tbsp. water in a large saucepan over medium. Cook, stirring often, until sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is golden amber, 4-6 minutes.
• Add ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until ginger is softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and pale-green and white scallion parts and cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro bundle, chicken, chile, and a big pinch of salt. Pour in 8 cups cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, bring to a bare simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Discard chile and scallions. Keep soup warm over medium-low heat.
• Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool slightly. Shred chicken and stir back into soup. Add soy sauce and stir to combine. Remove pot from heat; taste and season with salt, if needed.
• Serve soup topped with dark-green scallion parts, reserved chopped cilantro, and a few turns of pepper.
• Do Ahead
• Soup (without scallion greens or cilantro) can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill.

CARAMELIZED GINGER ONIONS (WW)

Steps:

• Place medium skillet over medium heat 30 seconds; heat oil 30 seconds more.
• Add onions and 1/4 cup water; cook, stirring frequently, until just beginning to color, about 12 minutes.
• Add ginger, salt and 1/4 cup water.
• Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions are sweet and deep brown, about 30 minutes.
• Just before using, stir in vinegar.
• SERVING (3 TABLESPOONS) PROVIDES: 1/2 Fat, 2 Vegetables.
• PER SERVING: 82 Calories, 3 g Total Fat, 0 g Saturated Fat, 0 mg Cholesterol, 140 mg Sodium, 14 g Total Carbohydrate, 3 g Dietary Fiber, 2 g Protein, 33 mg Calcium; 1 points.

CARAMELIZED GINGER AND GINGERED CARAMEL

Steps:

• Caramelized Ginger: Cut a ginger root to fit into a plastic bowl with a lid.
• Cover the ginger root pieces in sherry.
• Let this sit until the ginger is fully soaked through with sherry, which can take a month or more.
• The ginger will be dark tan in color and firm and somewhat stringy in texture.
• It will be almost translucent.
• Remove the ginger root from the sherry and set the sherry aside for later.
• Cut the rind off of the ginger root and cut the inner portion into pieces about the size and thickness of 1/2 a dime.
• Put the small ginger pieces into a bowl and cover completely with sugar.
• I had about 1/4 cup of ginger and I put in about 3/4 cup of fine grained white sugar.
• Add back about 2 tablespoons of the sherry.
• The resulting mixture, with the ginger pieces in it, is a thickish but runny syrup.
• Put a mound of sugar (at least a cup) on a plate or in a small bowl and set it aside where you can reach it when you are standing at the stove.
• Cook the ginger/sugar/sherry mixture on the top of the stove until it boils but not until it darkens, (i. e., remove it from the heat before the sugar starts to burn).
• Stir a couple of times while the mixture is heating.
• Use a slotted spoon and remove the ginger pieces from the boiled liquid and plop them onto the sugar mound, keeping them separate from each other as much as possible.
• Spoon more granulated sugar over the top and let this sit for about 1 minute.
• Then stir the whole thing to coat the ginger with sugar.
• Let it sit for 5 minutes, then remove the ginger pieces and set them on a piece of baking paper to air dry.
• Gingered caramel: The boiled sherry/sugar stuff that's still in the pan can be boiled up again for about 30 seconds.
• Just as it starts to brown, remove it from the heat and add two or three tablespoons of butter.
• Let it cool for a few minutes and then pour the now very thick caramel onto more baking paper.
• This is fantastic caramel!
• Notes: This recipe starts with about 2 four inch pieces of ginger root and the yield is about 1/4 cup of caramelized ginger and about 1/3 cup of gingered caramel.
• I happened to have cooking sherry on hand so that is what I used.
• I had purchased two or three small (maybe 4 inches long) pieces of ginger root and I had not used them for anything.
• I had heard that you can soak your ginger in sherry to preserve it so I had cut the roots into 2 inch pieces, give or take, and covered them in sherry in a plastic bowl with a lid.
• I forgot about the ginger and it sat on my kitchen counter for 4 or 5 months.
• Possibly it would have been ready to caramelize a lot sooner than that but it was in perfect condition for this recipe after months of sitting.

CIDER-ROASTED CARAMELIZED PEARS WITH CANDIED GINGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large nonstick ovenproof skillet, melt the coconut oil over high heat. Sprinkle the pears generously with sugar and place, cut-side down, in the skillet; cook until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Turn the pears over and pour in the apple cider; roast in the oven until tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pears to a platter. Place the skillet with the pan juices on the stovetop and cook over high heat until reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. To serve, drizzle the syrup over the pears and top with the candied ginger.

CARAMELIZED GINGER CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut each chicken thigh into three equal pieces. Place in a large bowl with the ginger, two-thirds of the oil, and salt and pepper. Cover and marinate for about 6 hours in the refrigerator.
• Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan and pour in the remaining oil. Fry until the meat is colored, about 2 minutes, then drain away the excess oil.
• Add the fish sauce, cover the pan with a lid, and steam until the sauce has dissolved, about 1 minute.
• Now add the prepared caramel to the pan and cook until the caramel has thickened and coated the chicken in a rich golden color, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• To serve, arrange the chicken pieces on a serving platter and garnish with watercress.