I made a Vicki Version batch of Ginger Candy!!
For most people it's like "WooopEEEEE!" (sarcastically) - but if you know me, you KNOW I'm SOOO NOT a Domestic Goddess - but I'd been CRAVING it and with $$ being a bit tight so a trip into San Jose to SuperSony.com was out of the question (it's hard for me to go to my FAVORITE Asian marketing without dropping $100!!)
So back a few weeks ago when my friends Gloria (RetireForLessInCostaRica.com) and Jasona (facebook.com/GoodForYouFood) gave me a recipe (basically the same) I glanced at it and went onto other thoughts/projects (typical).
When I was in San Ramon a couple weeks ago with Gloria and Paul Yeatman, I bought a bunch of BEAUTIFUL young BIG ginger "hands" (is that what they're called?) at the feria/farmers market, put it in the fridge and forgot about it (SOOO typcial of me) - until 2 nights ago when I was packing up things to leave a Kitty Sitting gig (LovingYourPetHouseSitting.com)
So I just started creating it based on my limited memory (having a more limited memory [mainly for fluff/non-REALLY important stuff that doesn't help me to grow] helps me as I get older as I don't worry so much about loosing my mind/memory since it never was that great in the past!) - something about sugar and water - but I forgot the instructions and was being too lazy to go to the other room and google it so I just did my usual - I faked it till I made it (I do NOT "fake it" on other things!!).
Luckily it ended up being not exactly what the recipe instructed me to do (so what else is new) but MAN was it still MEGA GOOD!!!
So I skinned the ginger (damn that takes a long time in itself and is tedious), cut them up into little cubes (the recipes all called for slicing them thinly with a Mandoline or knife, but I like mine cubed like a gumdrop - like you get in my FAV Chinese market in San Jose - Super Sony), threw some water in the pan to cover it and a bunch of sugar and let it boil (how long - I don't know as I was as usual, doing a few things at the same time - but I just kept checking it till it was soft [ok - so I'd go check it when I REMEMBERED it was there!!]).
THEN I FINALLY looked at the recipes - DavidLebovitz.com/2008/12/candied-ginger (he has some other WAYYY GOOD and EASY recipes there - check it out!!) - and of COURSE found I hadn't followed the instructions properly (so what else is new - but hey - it showed how when we go on our instincts - it can STILL work out!!) so I improvised from there as I didn't have much more sugar left - but vwala - it STILL worked out and VERY TASTY!!
It cooled down and got dry and a bit firmer in no time.
BUT, I don't like it with all the sugar on it so I rinsed it off in the strainer and left it out to dry overnight which it hadn't done by the time I had to leave but that's ok. So I just put it in 2 baggies and one went in the fridge and the other into the freezer to eat at a later date (otherwise it may get moldy before I can get to it).
I'm thinking a dehydrator might have been a good next step for doing it my way withOUT the sugar caramelizing it??
I kept the water from the concoction to create something else with that - though at the moment I'm not sure what to do with that since I'm not usually a fan of sweet (I'm more of a tart kinda gal [hey - no comment!!]) but I'm sure I can create SOMETHING from it as I don't like to waste.
The extra syrup hardened fast like a candy bar!
So out of this one project - I'm able to do 4 things out of it and not wasting ANYTHING!!!
Delish as it was, in the future I'll most likely buy it at Super Sony since my time is worth $$ and for all the time/energy it took - 2,000 or so colones - it's worth it!!!
Have some extra ginger/sugar water and mix also!
(Jasona suggested making Lemonade with it so I think I'll add some Club Soda for a little zing!!!)
For most people it's like "WooopEEEEE!" (sarcastically) - but if you know me, you KNOW I'm SOOO NOT a Domestic Goddess - but I'd been CRAVING it and with $$ being a bit tight so a trip into San Jose to SuperSony.com was out of the question (it's hard for me to go to my FAVORITE Asian marketing without dropping $100!!)
So back a few weeks ago when my friends Gloria (RetireForLessInCostaRica.com) and Jasona (facebook.com/GoodForYouFood) gave me a recipe (basically the same) I glanced at it and went onto other thoughts/projects (typical).
When I was in San Ramon a couple weeks ago with Gloria and Paul Yeatman, I bought a bunch of BEAUTIFUL young BIG ginger "hands" (is that what they're called?) at the feria/farmers market, put it in the fridge and forgot about it (SOOO typcial of me) - until 2 nights ago when I was packing up things to leave a Kitty Sitting gig (LovingYourPetHouseSitting.com)
So I just started creating it based on my limited memory (having a more limited memory [mainly for fluff/non-REALLY important stuff that doesn't help me to grow] helps me as I get older as I don't worry so much about loosing my mind/memory since it never was that great in the past!) - something about sugar and water - but I forgot the instructions and was being too lazy to go to the other room and google it so I just did my usual - I faked it till I made it (I do NOT "fake it" on other things!!).
Luckily it ended up being not exactly what the recipe instructed me to do (so what else is new) but MAN was it still MEGA GOOD!!!
So I skinned the ginger (damn that takes a long time in itself and is tedious), cut them up into little cubes (the recipes all called for slicing them thinly with a Mandoline or knife, but I like mine cubed like a gumdrop - like you get in my FAV Chinese market in San Jose - Super Sony), threw some water in the pan to cover it and a bunch of sugar and let it boil (how long - I don't know as I was as usual, doing a few things at the same time - but I just kept checking it till it was soft [ok - so I'd go check it when I REMEMBERED it was there!!]).
THEN I FINALLY looked at the recipes - DavidLebovitz.com/2008/12/candied-ginger (he has some other WAYYY GOOD and EASY recipes there - check it out!!) - and of COURSE found I hadn't followed the instructions properly (so what else is new - but hey - it showed how when we go on our instincts - it can STILL work out!!) so I improvised from there as I didn't have much more sugar left - but vwala - it STILL worked out and VERY TASTY!!
It cooled down and got dry and a bit firmer in no time.
BUT, I don't like it with all the sugar on it so I rinsed it off in the strainer and left it out to dry overnight which it hadn't done by the time I had to leave but that's ok. So I just put it in 2 baggies and one went in the fridge and the other into the freezer to eat at a later date (otherwise it may get moldy before I can get to it).
I'm thinking a dehydrator might have been a good next step for doing it my way withOUT the sugar caramelizing it??
I kept the water from the concoction to create something else with that - though at the moment I'm not sure what to do with that since I'm not usually a fan of sweet (I'm more of a tart kinda gal [hey - no comment!!]) but I'm sure I can create SOMETHING from it as I don't like to waste.
The extra syrup hardened fast like a candy bar!
So out of this one project - I'm able to do 4 things out of it and not wasting ANYTHING!!!
Delish as it was, in the future I'll most likely buy it at Super Sony since my time is worth $$ and for all the time/energy it took - 2,000 or so colones - it's worth it!!!
Have some extra ginger/sugar water and mix also!
(Jasona suggested making Lemonade with it so I think I'll add some Club Soda for a little zing!!!)
Just another way of LIVING CREATIVELY and on a budget - in Costa Rica!
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