Pomegranate Molasses
Pomegranate molasses may seem like a random recipe to post and you may have never even heard of it before, but doesn’t it sound delicious? I am making a festive side dish for you later this week and one of the ingredients it calls for is pomegranate molasses. I had never heard of it, tasted it and certainly never dreamed about it, but I instantly knew I wanted to try and make my own.
Whenever I see a unique ingredient on a recipe I usually first look to see if I can make a version of it myself. This has been born from a combination of not wanting to buy a large bottle of something I’m going to use three tablespoons of, preferring to know exactly what is going in my food and enjoying experimenting in the kitchen. The huge desire to avoid going to multiple stores in search of a single item is also high on that list.
Whether you have or have not come across pomegranate molasses before, once you make it you are sure going to be glad you have it. A quick Google search clued me in on all the exciting possibilities this ingredient has including glazing a roast chicken, mixing a fruity vinaigrette or pouring over a cheesecake. Don’t worry, I will be testing all these out for you so there will be plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy your pomegranate molasses this winter.
In the meantime, it will keep in a glass jar in your refrigerator for up to six months. I’m not sure of the exact reasoning behind storing it in a glass jar versus some other type of container, but if Alton Brown says so you better listen up!
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine all three ingredients. Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the mixture has reduced to about 1 cup. The original recipe says this should take approximately 70 minutes, but it took about 120 minutes for me so watch it carefully since every stovetop is different. When the molasses is the consistency of a thick syrup it should be removed from the heat. It will continue to thicken as it cools so don't let it get too thick.
- Once removed from the heat let cool in the saucepan for 30 minutes then transfer to a glass jar to continue cooling. Once cool cover and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe from Alton Brown.