Warm Gingerbread Syrup

Warm gingerbread syrup is spicy and sweet, made with both fresh and powdered ginger. Put a little zip in your drinks and desserts this holiday season.

Here the warm refers to the spiciness that the fresh and ground ginger add to this gingerbread syrup, although you can certainly warm it to serve as well. Pour it over ice cream, drizzle it on a Victoria sponge cake, add some to your hot cocoa, tea or warm apple juice. A tablespoon or two of gingerbread syrup is also delightful poured in a Champagne flute and topped up with bubbly.

As a person who makes jams and chutneys and syrups, I know the work that goes into them. That’s why I am always grateful to receive a homemade food gift. Heck, who am I kidding? I am always happy to receive a food gift if it is special, even if it’s store bought.

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing recipes for homemade food gifts. I’ve got to tell you that I am thrilled with how this warm gingerbread syrup turned out and I am having a hard time parting with it. We love spicy food at our house but I tend to think of chilies bringing the heat. I forget how spicy and warming ginger can be! This stuff would be wonderful simply added to some hot water on a chilly night. It’ll warm you up from the inside.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups or 615g golden caster sugar
1 tablespoon ground ginger (make sure it’s fresh – old spices lose their flavor and potency)
2 thick slices of fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick

Note: Golden caster sugar is fine, free flowing dry sugar that is unrefined so it adds color and a bit of a buttery flavor to this syrup. If you can’t find it where you live, you can use regular fine white sugar but replace a tablespoon or two with brown sugar to get the same effect. This is the brand I used, available on Amazon. Unfortunately, the shipping makes it a pretty expensive option though.

Method
Put the sugar, ground ginger and fresh ginger into a pot with the cinnamon stick. Pour in 1 2/3 cups or 385ml water. Bring to a low boil. Stir occasionally to help the sugar dissolve.  Boil gently for about 8-10 minutes or until the syrup has reduce a little.

Strain the syrup through some cheesecloth set in a fine strainer over quart- or liter-sized measuring cup. The above ingredients yielded 2 1/2 cups or 600ml of warm gingerbread syrup.

Pour into sterilized bottles and decorate with fabric or ribbons.

Enjoy!

If you are looking for some homemade food gift recipes to make for your loved ones this year, Sunday Supper has got you covered. Check out this major list of options. Many thanks to our host this week, Christie of A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager Cricket from Cricket's Confections.

Baked Goods

• Cinnamon and Spice Granola by Simple and Savory
• Coconut Macaroon Tarts by Asian In America
• Cranberry Coffee Cake by Food Done Light
• Mini Pumpkin Breads by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Snowman Poop by Palatable Pastime

Candy

• A Trio of Brittle by The Freshman Cook
• Grandma’s Peanut Butter Balls by Cricket’s Confections
• Homemade Peanut Brittle by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Homemade Twix Bars by Pies and Plots
• Peanut Butter Fudge by Family Around The Table
• Superfoods Fruit & Nut Bites by My Life Cookbook
• Toffee Candied Peanuts by New South Charm
• Turron de Jijona (Spanish Soft Nougat) by Caroline’s Cooking

Chocolate

• Espresso Fudge by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Peppermint Bark Candy by Life Tastes Good
• Peppermint Bark Popcorn by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Red Wine Hot Fudge Sauce by The Crumby Cupcake

Jams, Syrups, Drinks

• Blood and Sand Jam by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Creamy Lemoncello by Monica’s Table
• Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix by My Imperfect Kitchen
• Warm Gingerbread Syrup by Food Lust People Love

Mixes and Spices

• Cherry Almond Scone Mix by Baking Sense
• Cranberry Almond Quick Bread Mix by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

 

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Rhubarb Syrup

This bright pink rhubarb syrup is great in cocktail, drizzled over ice cream and pound cake or even spooned over crepes. 

Rhubarb syrup is easy to make and it goes down even easier in a cocktail. Best of all, when refrigerated, it preserves the beauty and flavor of rhubarb much longer than the cut stalks could stay fresh.

Ingredients to yield about 2/3 cup or 155ml of syrup (This recipe can be easily doubled.)
2 cups, loosely packed, or 230g chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1/2 cup or 120ml water
Pinch salt

Method
Combine the rhubarb, sugar, water and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly.

Set a fine-meshed strainer or a coarse strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large measuring cup.

Pour the rhubarb into the strainer and allow the syrup to drip down into the bowl.

You can press the solids with a rubber spatula to squeeze more liquid out or just leave it some place cool for an hour or two to make sure it has dripped completely.

Decant your syrup into a clean bottle and store it in the refrigerator.

I fold the leftover rhubarb solids through some whipped cream, adding raspberries for more color and a drizzle of the syrup for a lovely rhubarb raspberry fool. You can also spread it on toast.

The syrup has many uses but my favorite is a rhubarb fool cocktail with a drizzle of cream and orange zest.

Enjoy!

Leftover White Wine Syrup

Sweet vanilla orange syrup with a tart finish from the dry white wine is beautiful drizzled over ice cream, soaked into a pound cake or stirred into an after dinner coffee.

Leftover wine? 
I can hear you now because I have said similar, “What is this leftover wine of which you speak?” Does. Not. Compute. But if you are having a dinner party, and guests bring wine, chances are that several bottles will get opened because one person prefers un-oaked Chardonnay and another likes a sweeter Riesling, while a third guest’s tipple of choice with turkey is a crispy Sauvignon Blanc. Put me in that last category, unless you are offering a quality red, which I will take over any white, any day, even with poultry. The fact of the matter is that sometimes, when the guests go home in a timely fashion, you can tidy the kitchen and put your feet up with the last glass of your preferred wine, but you might still have leftovers in the bottles you aren’t crazy about.

Here’s the solution: a white wine syrup with sugar and vanilla and orange peel that can be served over ice cream or used to drench a pound cake or can even be bottled up as a hostess gift for the next round of parties. And that’s what I call thinking ahead!

Today our Sunday Supper group is looking ahead to Thanksgiving leftovers and making them into more fabulousness. Many thanks Jennie of The Messy Baker for hosting this event. Make sure you scroll down to see the whole link list.

This recipe is adapted from Real Simple.

Ingredients
1 vanilla bean
3 1/8 cups or 750ml assorted white wines
1 cup or 225g golden caster sugar (White sugar can be substituted but the unrefined stuff adds more flavor.)
Zest of 1 orange
Pinch sea salt

Method
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.

Peel just the orange part off of the orange peel, making sure to leave the bitter white pith behind.

In a large saucepan, combine the wine, sugar, orange zest and vanilla seeds and pod.

Bring to a boil.

Then reduce heat and simmer until the wine mixture is slightly thickened and reduced to about 1 cup or 240ml, 35 to 45 minutes.

Put a heatproof strainer over the pot and use tongs to remove the vanilla pod and the pieces of orange zest and put them in the strainer. Allow them to drain completely. You don't want to waste even a drop of this precious syrup.

If you want to save them for a further purpose, the vanilla bean and orange zest can be placed on parchment paper and allowed to dry completely. Add the vanilla bean to sugar in a closed container to flavor the sugar. The orange zest can be used for cake or cupcake decoration.

Pour the syrup into a sterilized jar and screw the lid on tight. It will thicken even more as it cools.

This is beautiful syrup, speckled with vanilla seeds and shimmering with delicious flavor. Drizzle it over ice cream or mascarpone with fruit for an elegant dessert.

Enjoy!

Are you already anticipating those Thanksgiving leftovers? Frankly, the leftovers are almost my favorite part. Have a look at these great recipes that turn your leftovers into something special!

Breakfast

• Cranberry Muffins by The Foodie Army Wife 
• Cranberry Sauce'd Corn Bread Muffins by Rhubarb and Honey 
• Leftover Stuffing Breakfast Strata by Ruffles & Truffles 
• Sweet Potato Casserole Muffins by Magnolia Days 
• Turkey & Chorizo Breakfast Hash by Brunch with Joy 
• Italian Mashed Potato Pancakes by The Weekend Gourmet 

Main Dish

• Cranberry Sweet Potato Soup by Take A Bite Out of Boca 
• Creamy Peanut Gochujang Pasta by Wallflour Girl 
• Herbed Turkey over Cornbread Waffles with Cranberry Sauce by girlichef 
• Leftover Pie by Jane's Adventures in Dinner 
• Leftover Thanksgiving Pizza by Meal Diva
• Moroccan Turkey Stew by What Smells So Good?
• Peruvian Cilantro and Turkey Soup by The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Stuffing Hash by The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
• Thanksgiving Leftover Waffles by Foxes Love Lemons
• Turkey and Butternut Squash Stew by Cooking Chat
• Turkey & Caramelized Onion Risotto by kimchi MOM
• Turkey and Stuffing Crepes by Peaceful Cooking
• Turkey Croquettes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Turkey Enchilada Pasta Bake by Curious Cuisiniere
• Turkey Kreplach Soup by Panning the Globe
• Turkey with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce by Casa de Crews

Side Dishes

• Cheesy Jalapeño Potato Cakes by Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Cheesy Mashed Potato Croquettes by Noshing with the Nolands
• Cranberry Balsamic Glazed Cauliflower Wings by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Italian Mashed Potato Pancakes by The Weekend Gourmet
• Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower & Potato by Momma’s Meals
• Whipped Carrots with Sriracha Butter by Healthy Delicious

Sandwiches

• Apple Pecan Chicken (or Turkey!) Salad by NeighborFood
• Cranberry and Turkey Sandwiches by The Redhead Baker
• Monte Cristo Sandwich by Nik Snacks
• Sprouted Grain Turkey, Cranberry & Brie Panini by Amee’s Savory Dish
• Turkey Cranberry Flatbread by Peanut Butter and Peppers
• Turkey Hot Brown by The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch

Condiments & Sauces

• Cranberry Vinaigrette by Nosh My Way
• DIY Yellow Mustard by The Texan New Yorker
• Leftover White Wine Syrup by Food Lust People Love

Dessert

• Banana Cheesecake with Pecan Graham Cracker Crust by Desserts Required
• Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Gluten Free Lemon Drizzle Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Spiced Cranberry Sauce Buckle by The Wimpy Vegetarian

Cocktails & Drinks

• Cranberry Bellinis by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Cranberry Orange Crush by The Messy Baker