Ginger Fusion

I think it began with ginger ale, the only soft drink my father would let us kids have and then only if we had the stomach flu.

Then came my maternal grandma’s ginger cream cookies and my paternal grandma’s ginger snaps.

Yes, I think that’s how my love of ginger started. As I became older, I realized that I not only loved ginger in sweet items--cakes, cookies and pies—but I loved it in savory dishes, especially Asian, as well.

I even own ginger-scented cologne and lotion and admit to rubbing a leftover nub of ginger root behind my ears and on my wrists.

However, recently ginger has become an obsession.

This fall I drank copious amounts of ginger tea with honey with the hope that its purported immune-boosting properties would help me fend off colds. (By the way, I didn’t have a cold this winter, so maybe it worked.)

Then I moved on to sucking ginger candy which is supposed to be good for digestion. Sensing a gifting niche, my family gave me ginger tea bags, ginger snaps, crystallized ginger, pickled ginger, ginger scones, and ginger jam for Christmas.

Of course, an all-ginger meal was inevitable. The menu that follows incorporates ginger into almost every item and crosses ethnic boundaries into Mexican, Indian, Jamaican, Chinese, and French cuisine—a perfect fusion.

(Thanks to my dear husband for playing along and doing the dishes and to my dear “neighborhood” friends for “gingerly” joining us.)

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The Menu

Sparkling Ginger Cocktails

Goat Cheese Crostini with

Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa and Ginger Jam

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Whole Wheat Bread

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Spiced Rice with Cashews

Ginger-Garlic Green Beans

Ginger Crème Brûlée

Ginger Cream Cookies

Ginger Liqueur

The Recipes

Sparkling Ginger Cocktails

The recipe calls for one tablespoon of the syrup per cocktail, but I found that two tablespoons gave more of a ginger flavor, so I doubled the syrup recipe.

Source: Gourmet, December 2007

Yield: Makes 10 drinks

Ingredients:

¾ c. water
½  c. sliced fresh ginger (2 ounces)
¾   cup sugar, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 lemon wedges
2 (750-ml) bottles chilled Prosecco or other sparkling wine

Process:

Simmer water, fresh ginger, and 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan, uncovered, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes. Strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl, discarding solids. Chill until cold. Finely grind crystallized ginger with remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a blender or food processor, then spread on a small plate. Run lemon wedges around rims of glasses, then dip rims into ginger sugar. Put 1 tablespoon syrup into each glass and top off with Prosecco. (Syrup can be chilled, covered, up to 2 weeks.)

Goat Cheese Crostini with
Cranberry-Jalapeno Salsa & Ginger Jam

I admit I was a little stumped about how to incorporate ginger in the appetizer. I spread a little goat cheese on toasted slices of a baguette. Then I topped some of the crostini with the Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa, garnished with a sprinkling of chopped cilantro, and some of them with a spoonful of purchased ginger jam, garnished with a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Cranberry-Jalapeño Salsa

This salsa would be good with tortilla chips or as an accompaniment to chicken or pork dishes.

Source: Southern Living, Dec. 2010

Yield: 2 cups

Pulse 1 (12-oz.) package fresh cranberries and 1/3 to ½ c. sugar in a food processor 3 to 4 times or until coarsely chopped, stopping to scrape down sides. Add 2 to 3 chopped green onions, 1 seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper, 1 T. grated fresh ginger, 1 T. fresh lemon juice, and ½ tsp. salt; pulse 3 to 4 times or until chopped. Stir in ¼ c. chopped fresh cilantro. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours. (To make ahead, prepare recipe as directed, omitting fresh cilantro. Freeze in an airtight container up to 1 month. Thaw in refrigerator 12 hours. Stir in cilantro just before serving.)

Spiced Mixed Nuts

The night before the dinner party I found this recipe in a magazine and it fit in perfectly.

Source: Food Network Magazine, January-February 2011

Yield: 4 cups

Ingredients:

1¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. mustard powder
½ c. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 large egg white
4 c. mixed roasted salted nuts

Process:

Preheat oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the spices, sugar and salt in a small bow. Whisk the egg white in a large bowl until frothy. Toss in the nuts, then add the spice mixture and toss until well coated. Spread the nuts on the prepared baking sheet; bake until dry, about 45 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. (A similar recipe calls for a 300° oven and 20 minutes of baking. I ended up setting my temp at 275° and baking the nuts for about 30 minutes. I think 45 minutes would have been much too long.)

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Instead of garnishing with the chile butter, I topped each serving with a spoonful of purchased crème fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives.

Source: Bon Appétit, May 2010

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Ingredients for chile butter:
¼ c. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 T. finely chopped green onions (white and green parts only)
¼ tsp. dried crushed red pepper

Ingredients for soup:

2 T. butter
1½ pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1¼ c. chopped onion
1 5-oz. white-skinned potato, peeled, chopped
2½ T. minced peeled fresh ginger
5 c. (or more) vegetable broth or chicken broth
6 T. unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped

Process for chile butter:

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

Process for soup:

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrots, onion, potato, and ginger; sprinkle with salt and sauté until vegetables are slightly softened but not brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add 5 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly, then puree in batches in blender until smooth. (I used an immersion blender.)  Return soup to same pot; if desired, add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin soup. Bring to simmer. Season with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with small spoonful of chile butter; sprinkle with nuts.

Easy No-Yeast Wheat Bread

Source: The Advocate (Baton Rouge newspaper)

Yield: one loaf

Ingredients:

1½ c. whole wheat flour
1½ c. white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1½ c. buttermilk
¼ c. honey
1/3 c. cane syrup
¼ c. plus 2 T. vegetable oil

Process:

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a loaf pan with 2 T. of vegetable oil. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients thoroughly using a fork. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir with a fork just enough to combine and a sticky dough forms. Turn into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan to cool.

Jamaican Jerk Pork Tenderloin

Source: Adapted from a recipe from my friend Robin Roberts

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. finely minced fresh ginger
¼ c. dark rum
2 T. fresh lime juice
2 T. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. soy sauce
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cayenne
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
1-2 T. vegetable oil
2 pork tenderloins (about 1-1/2 to 2 pounds total)

Process:

Combine all ingredients except the pork in a flat baking dish. Reserve 1/3 of the marinade. Trim the pork and place in the marinade. Turn to coat well. Cover and marinate for 15-30 minutes at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy, preferably cast iron, skillet. Brown the pork on all sides. Place the pan in the oven and cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 150°, about 20-25 minutes. Baste with the reserved marinade during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Cover and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

Spiced Rice with Cashew Nuts

I was concerned that the 3 cups of liquid was not enough for the 2 cups of rice, but it turned out great!

Source: Madhur Jaffrey’s Step-by-Step Cooking

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 c. basmati rice
1 medium onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 T. vegetable oil
2 T. cashew nuts, halved
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
½ tsp. finely chopped fresh hot green chili, or pinch of cayenne pepper
¾ tsp. garam masala
Salt
3 c. hot vegetable stock or water

Process:

Put the rice in a bowl and add water to cover. Rub the rice grains gently with your hands. When the water turns milk, pour it off. Repeat several times until the water runs clear. Drain the rice and return to the bowl. Cover with 2 pints fresh water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain, leaving the rice in a strainer.

Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat the oil in a heavy ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and fry for a few seconds, stirring all the time, until they turn golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and leave on paper towels to drain.

Fry the onion slices in the remaining oil for 2 to 3 minutes or until tinged brown at the edges. Add the drained rice, garlic, ginger, green chili garam masala, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-low. Fry, stirring, for 7-8 minutes or until the rice is translucent and well coated with the oil.

Pour in the hot stock and cook, stirring, on medium-low heat for another 5-6 minutes until the surface of the rice starts to look dry. Cover with a well-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is ready. Remove the rice pan from the oven and leave to stand covered in a warm place for 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer the rice to a warmed serving platter, breaking up any lumps with the back of the spoon. Garnish with the cashews and serve at once.  (The cooked rice will retain its heat for 30 minutes after you remove it from the oven, as long as the pan is kept covered and in a warm place.)

Ginger-Garlic Green Beans

Source: Gourmet, September 2009

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
3 garlic cloves
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. grated peeled ginger
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1 T. vegetable oil
½ tsp. sesame oil
1½ tsp. sesame seeds, toasted
Process:
Cook beans in a 6-15 pot of boiling well-salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 6-7 minutes. Drain in a colander, then plunge into an ice bath to stop cooking. Drain beans and pat dry. While beans cook, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then stir together with soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, and oils in a large bowl. Add beans and toss. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Ginger Crème Brûlée

The recipe says this makes 4 servings, but I made 6 servings in rather shallow crème brûlée dishes. Since I was making six, I decided to broil them instead of “torching” them. Also, instead of sprinkling 1 T. of sugar on each serving before broiling, I mixed 4 T. sugar with 2 T. crystallized ginger (whirred in the food processor) and used sprinkled a tablespoon of the mixture on each serving for a little extra ginger zap. This is a great “make ahead” dessert.

Source: Vietnamese Cooking Made Easy

Yield: 4 servings (see note above)

Ingredients:

2 c. cream
2½ in. piece of fresh ginger root, peeled, then halved and bruised (I hit it with a meat mallet)
3 egg yolks
¼ c. sugar
4 T. sugar

Heat the cream and ginger in a saucepan over low heat, stirring from time to time, until the mixture almost comes to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover the pan and set aside for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the ginger pieces. Preheat oven to 350°. Mix the egg yolks and ¼ c. sugar in a large bowl until the sugar is dissolved, then gradually pour in the cream, whisking to mix well. (For added precaution, I strained the cream as I added it to the eggs.) Do not beat the cream as this will cause air bubbles in the custard.

Pour the custard mixture into 4 ovenproof bowls (each 4 in. in diameter) and place them in a deep baking dish. Carefully fill the baking pan with boiling water up to half the height of the bowls, then bake in the oven until the cream just sets in the middle, 30to 35 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. When the custard is cool, chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle the top of each custard with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and grill under a preheated broiler for about 1 minute, until the sugar blisters and turns golden brown. Remove and set aside to cool. Return the custard to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Grandma T’s Ginger Creams

My maternal grandma was an avid, even rabid baker. I can remember her telling me once that when she couldn’t sleep, she’d get up and bake cookies, even if that meant 3 o’clock in the morning. Her daughter, my Auntie Joyce, is also a wonderful baker, and I would do anything for her cookies and breads.

I cherish the card with the recipe for these cookies as it is in my grandmother’s handwriting. But she must have assumed that ANYONE would know how to make these as there are no instructions other than “Drop by teaspoons. Bake at 375°.” I looked at some other similar recipes to get any idea of the mixing and baking processes, and I added the nutmeg and cloves. I hope these are all right, Grandma.

Source: Mabel Rodd Teske Moyer

Yield: 6 dozen

Ingredients:

1 c. shortening
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
½ c. molasses
2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. sour milk (I used buttermilk)
4¼ c. flour (I think I would only use 4 c. next time.)
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves (I added this)
1 tsp. nutmeg (I added this)
1 tsp. salt

Process:

Preheat oven to 375°. Dissolve the baking soda in the milk. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and molasses until well blended. Sift flour and remaining dry ingredients in another bowl. Alternate beating in the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, ending with the dry ingredients. Drop teaspoons of the batter on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let cool. Frost with powdered sugar icing.

Ginger Liqueur

Although I have had great success brewing my own liqueurs (limoncello and a wonderfully tart cranberry cordial), my attempt at making a ginger liqueur this Christmas was disastrous. So until I find a better recipe, I will settle for a “store bought” version called Domaine de Canton. Actually, I had seen it advertised in a magazine long ago, but never found it in a store until the newly renovated Cuban Liquor here in Baton Rouge reopened.