Spicy Ginger Syrup

Cooks Illustrated published something similar recently. Here's my approximation...

Ingredients
1 C sugar (a heaping cup!)

½ lb fresh ginger root

½ tsp coarse salt

pinch crushed red peper flakes

1 T apple cider vinegar

Directions

Slice the ginger root into rounds (no need to peel it).

Puree everything but the vinegar in a food processor. (A blender works okay too.) Let it rest 5-10 minutes, then process (or blend) it again. Scrape everything into a FINE mesh strainer over a bowl. If you've got cheese cloth, line the strainer first. Let it drain 5-10 minutes, at least. If you used cheesecloth, gather the edges and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. If you're working without cheesecloth, use a rubber spatula to press the solids in the strainer to get as much liquid as possible from the solids. Discard the solids. Stir in the vinegar. Refrigerate syrup.

Use the syrup in seltzer to make a non-alcoholic ginger beer. Add a splash to hot spiced cider in the fall, or to fresh made limeade in the summer. Add lime juice and vodka for a Moscow Mule. (Apparently substituting dark rum for the vodka makes a "Dark & Stormy".) Pour a little into orange spice tea. Use a spoonful in marinades and sauces... 

Ginger Chicken Pot Stickers

30+ pot sticker or gyoza wrappers
flour

Filling Ingredients
12 ground chicken (thigh meat is moster and more flavorful!)
3-4 scallions, finely chopped
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T vegetable oil
pinch pepper

Sauce Ingredients
3 T soy sauce
3 T mirin
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp minced fresh ginger

Sauce Directions
Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl.

Pot Sticker Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until well mixed with no large chunks of meat.

Line a baking sheet with parchment; dust with flour.

Lay out 6 wrappers on counter (or flat work surface). Brush edges with water. Place 1½ to 2 tsp filling slightly off center in each wrapper. Bring the edges together, pleating as needed, and press to seal well creating a half moon shape (or get creative!). Place pot stickers on flour-dusted baking sheet. Cover with a dishtowel -- very slightly damp -- as you continue to work to keep pot stickers from drying.

Add 1-2 T vegetable oil to a medium or large skillet over high heat. Place dumplings carefully -- sealed edge up in several rows, or a sprial pattern in the skillet. Crowd them, let them touch. Fry until golden brown on the bottom (approx 2 minutes).

Reduce heat to medium. Carefully add water to depth of ¼ inch. Cover and let cook until water is evaporated (approx 5 minutes) -- after 3 minutes slide lid ajar to let steam escape.

Listen for frying/sizzling sound. Uncover. Fry an additional 1 or 2 minutes to crisp bottoms.Remove from heat. Transfer to plate with bottoms up (keeps them crisper). Serve with dipping sauce.

Ginger-Peach Tarts

I made mini-tarts recently, but the same thing can make a whole pie.

Pie Filling Ingredients
1  9" pie crust or 24 mini tart shells (2½")
5 C peaches, small diced (about 5-6 peaches; for a full pie, peaches can just be sliced)
2/3 C sugar
1/3 C flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp lemon

Topping Ingredients:
½ C flour
½ C brown sugar
½ C quick oats
¼ butter, very soft
½ tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl. In a separate bowl, sprinkle lemon juice over peaches. Pour flour & sugar mixture over peaches and gently toss to coat. Spoon peaches into tart shells, dividing evenly.

Combine all topping ingredients, blending until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Divide and spread evenly over tarts (or pie). Place mini tarts on baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until crust edges are well browned (whole pie should bake 40-45 minutes).

Serve with fresh whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.

Ginger Crème Brulée

My custards took longer to cook than 1 hour. It will depend on how wide or deep your ramekin style is. Cook them until the centers barely move.

Ingredients
¹/₃ C sugar
4 egg yolks
2 C milk
2 T chopped crystallized ginger
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
6 T sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 325˚.

Place 6 4-ounce ramekins in a 9x13 baking dish.

Combine ¹/₃ C sugar and egg yolks, stirring well with whisk.

In a saucepan, combine milk and ginger. Heat over medium heat to 180˚ (just beginning to simmer; do not boil), stirring occasionally. Strain mixture through a sieve, discarding solids. Add vanilla and salt. Gradually add milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly.

Divide mixture between 6 ramekins. Add hot water to baking dish to a depth of 1 inch, taking care not to drip or spill into custard filled ramekins.

Bake 1 hour or until center barely moves when ramekin is jiggled. Remove ramekins from pan, cool completely on wire rack. Cover; chill at least 4 hours.

Sift one tablespoon sugar to evenly cover cover each custard top. Using a kitchen torch about 2 inches from custard surface, "brulée" by moving torch back and forth until sugar is melted and caramelized (approx. 1 minute). Serve immediately, or within 1 hour.

If you don't have a kitchen torch...
Put 6 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon water in saucepan; cook, without stirring, over medium heat until sugar is golden (5-8 minutes). Immediately pour over cold custards, gently spreading if necessary to form a thin layer.

Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream

Though it's been on the website at least since last fall, I saw this one in the latest Food Network Magazine. It just seemed...like a bite of fall. If I made it again, I think I'd reduce the filling a little...or reduce it and fold in a little whipped cream. It was delicious, but very rich, and generous on the filling.

Ingredients
For the cake...
¾ C flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
3 eggs, @ room temp.
1 C sugar
¾ C canned pumpkin
¼ C powdered sugar
          plus extra for dusting

For the filling...
12 oz mascarpone cheese
1¼ C powdered sugar
2 T heavy cream
¼ C minced crystallized ginger (dry, not in syrup)


Directions
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/pumpkin-roulade-with-ginger-buttercream.html

Peach (& Brown Sugar) Cake

I found some peach puree in my freezer; I used my Chocolate Beet Cake recipe as a guide...  This worked well: Cake is light, fluffy, and tender. Very moist. Peach flavor is very mild; might be more evident using white sugar. Then again...maybe not; you really don't taste any beet in the chocolate cake. Still, it's something to try next time. :)


Ingredients
1 C butter, softened
1½ C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 C peach purée
1 tsp vanilla
2¼ C flour
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375˚.

Stir or sift together flour, soda and salt; set aside. Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and beat until well combined. Stir in peach purée and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients. Scoop batter into baking pans -- coated with non-stick cooking spray -- or cupcake tins lined with baking papers.

Mini-cupcakes baked in 16-18 minutes, full size cupcakes in 18-20. Round or square cake pans would probably require 25-30 minutes. Test them with a toothpick.


For the icing, I used my Vanilla Buttercream Icing recipe, but... 
Ginger and peach are such a great combo, and I had some fresh ginger root that was starting to dry a bit. Before bringing the sugar and water to 248˚, I sliced the ginger into the sugar-water mixture and brought it just to a boil; then let it sit for 1/2 an hour to steep the ginger and flavor the sugar-water. Scoop or strain out the ginger, and finish the recipe without further changes. Ground ginger could be added along with the butter as an alternative.

Baked Salmon with Blackberry-Ginger Glaze

One of the most vibrant glazes I've ever made!

Ingredients
1 C water
12 oz blackberries
1 1" piece of ginger
¹/₃ C lemon juice
¼ C sugar
1 Tbls olive oil
4 skinless salmon fillets
   (about 8 oz each)
salt & pepper

Directions
Peel ginger root and slice into 'coins'. Combine water, blackberries, ginger and lemon juice in a small saucepan, over medium-high heat. Heat to boiling; reduce to simmer and cook until berries break down (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. Strain, using a spatula or back of a spoon to push blackberry pulp through.

Return liquid to saucepan, adding sugar. Bring to boil; lower heat and simmer until thickened and reduced by about half (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool.

Preheat oven to 400°.
Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and place salmon fillets on baking sheet. Brush fillets with oil and season with salt and pepper. Brush blackberry glaze over fillets; bake 4 minutes. Brush again with blackberry glaze and broil 3 minutes.

The salmon was delicious. I had extra glaze that I used on chicken...nothing like the salmon (!), but it was good too.