Rain all day yesterday and most of the night. I had been able to take the dog towels off the floor over the course of the week, but now they’re back down and already a mess. Supposed to clear today, after which comes the cold. Possibilities of light snow, though not enough to require firing up of the snow thrower.
Why do I have a feeling that my having acquired said snow thrower pretty much guarantees a mild, snowless winter? November was unseasonably mild, and December is starting the same way. But snow means clean puppy paws, at least until the dread March thaw. Constant rain means that there won’t be enough dog towels in the world.
Baked more cookies yesterday, as the crystallized ginger I had ordered from King Arthur arrived. This was soft chopped ginger, however, which I learned means that it comes packed in some of its syrup. I took care to leave liquid behind when I took out what was needed, but it still meant more liquid in the cookies. This dough came out a bit stickier than usual, but the cookies are more moist inside and have more of a gingery bite. I may stick with this type of ginger in the future, although if I used 100% all-purpose flour instead of 50:50 white:white w/w, the dough would likely be waaaaay too sticky/wet.
Quiet day. Harry Potter movies playing in the background. Working through the morning. Dinner will consist of breaded/fried beef liver with roasted veggies and mashed potatoes. I love liver. Call it a weakness.
Currently reading Richard Kadrey’s KILL THE DEAD, and liking it. Lucifer is my favorite character so far. Go figure.
If you run into a good deal on fresh gingerroot, then it is easy to candy/crystallize it yourself. I have a local source that has the crystallized version at $3/lb. so I rarely actually do it, but it really is very easy. Let me know if you want a recipe.
I’ll take the recipe, although I get gingerroot at the grocery store and the prices are on the high side. Thanks!
Here is the basic recipe: http://homecooking.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/ht/crystalginger.htm
If you want the most concentrated flavor, then use less water for cooking the ginger and put a lid on the pot to steam it. If you want the soft, candied ginger (like you used in your cookies), then reserve the drained water and use it to make a syrup with the sugar before combining with the cooked ginger. Also, as a note, it is much, much easier to cut the ginger up into desired piece sizes before candying it (after it is cooked) than afterwards, although it may take a little more sugar that way (due to increased surface area).
I can get fresh gingerroot from the regular supermarket for $3.99/lb so it is reasonably economical. But, I can negotiate a better price at the farmer’s market when they carry it by buying more than one person should ever need. 🙂 Another good source for fresh is an international market, if you have one near where you live…I have one near(ish) me that I get armloads of fresh herbs from in the winter (10x the amount found in those little plastic supermarket containers at 1/4 the price). I actually get my crystallized ginger from a farmer’s co-op grocery.
Anyway, enjoy the recipe. Another good use for crystallized ginger is popping a piece in the bottom of a cup of white hot chocolate or hot cider…yum!