Gingerblues Recipes

GINGER SNAPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, clove and salt. Place the brown sugar and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the molasses, egg and fresh ginger and beat on medium for 1 minute. Add the crystallized ginger and using a rubber spatula, stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined. With a 2-teaspoon sized scoop, drop the dough onto a parchment lined half sheet pan approximately 2-inches apart. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 12 minutes for slightly chewy cookies or 15 minutes for more crisp cookies. Rotate the pan halfway through cooking. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to stay on the sheet pan for 30 seconds before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with all of the dough. Store in an airtight container for up 10 days. If desired, you may scoop and freeze the cookie dough on a sheet pan and once frozen, place in a resealable bag to store. Bake directly from the freezer as above.

HOMEMADE GINGER ALE

Steps:

• Make syrup:
• Cook ginger in water in a small saucepan at a low simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep, covered, 20 minutes.
• Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing on ginger and then discarding. Return liquid to saucepan and add sugar and a pinch of salt, then heat over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Chill syrup in a covered jar until cold.
• Assemble drinks:
• Mix ginger syrup with seltzer and lime juice (start with 1/4 cup syrup and 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice per 3/4 cup seltzer, then adjust to taste).

FRESH GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat ginger, butter, and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Gently fold in flour mixture until just combined. Chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and then roll them in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake until edges start to brown, about 15 minutes. Centers will be slightly soft. Let stand on cookie sheets 1 minute and remove to racks to cool completely.

BLUE GINGER GIMLET

Steps:

• In a cocktail shaker, combine all ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge.
• For the ginger syrup:.
• In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, ginger and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until syrupy and reduced by half, about 40 to 45 minutes. Strain ginger pieces out and reserve syrup.
• (Trick: toss dried ginger in sugar, bake at 200 degrees until dried thru, about 4 hours and voila-ginger candy).

GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat together the butter, treacle, brown sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, then beat through all of the remaining dry ingredients apart from the caster sugar. Chill the mixture in the fridge for 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Roll the mixture into 20 even-sized balls (weighing for accuracy, if you like). Tip the caster sugar onto a small plate, then add each ball and roll around to coat. Space each ball out on the baking sheets. Bake for 9-10 mins until golden brown. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

HOMEMADE GINGER BEER

Steps:

• Grate enough ginger using Microplane to measure 3 1/2 tablespoons, then put in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl to collect juice, pressing on solids and then discarding.
• Place funnel in neck of bottle and pour in 3 tablespoons ginger juice (reserve any remaining for another use). Add sugar, lemon juice, yeast, and a pinch of salt.
• Fill bottle with water, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of space at top. Remove funnel and screw cap on tightly. Gently shake bottle to dissolve sugar.
• Let stand at room temperature until plastic feels hard and no longer indents when squeezed, 24 to 36 hours.
• Chill ginger beer until very cold.