Sauces

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!

Pomegranate Molasses

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

4 cups pomegranate juice
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

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.

Notes

Molasses will keep in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Recipe from Alton Brown.

Lauren Dressings & Condiments, Recipes, Sauces 0 Comments

11.12.13

Chocolate Ganache

This recipe is life changing. Now I know I have been throwing a lot of bold words around on Lemon & Mocha lately, but there are so many recipes out there that I can’t afford to be meek. If I let you live your life even just one more day without tasting this chocolate ganache I could never forgive myself. And if I withheld this deliciousness from you for months before suddenly sharing, well, I shudder to think about the angry mobs.

Chocolate ganache is just a fancy way of saying a sauce of chocolate and heavy cream, or a fancy way of saying “mmm.” You heat heavy cream until it’s steaming, add in the chocolate then voila- the ganache is complete. This ganache has been known to bring people to their breaking point. I have even heard someone utter that they were ready to smack a ganache-topped cupcake out of child’s hand because they thought it was the last one! Don’t worry, I won’t name names ;-).

Now this photo is deceiving because once you have poured, dipped or drizzled the ganache it hardens into a glistening chocolate shell and develops a fudge-like quality. The beauty of this recipe other than the rich chocolate taste and smooth velvety texture is its versatility. Originally used to make faux Hostess cupcakes, I have since used the ganache for a wide variety of chocolate sinfulness. Topping chocolate cupcakes? Check. Coating brownies? Check. Eating with a spoon? Check. Matt likes to heat leftover ganache in the microwave then drizzle over ice cream. Now is that a boy after my own heart or what? You better make sure your computer screen is clean because when you see what I make with the ganache on Friday you might find yourself licking your monitor. It’s ok, I won’t judge.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

¾ cup heavy cream
1- 12 ounce bag of bittersweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Directions

Heat the cream over medium heat until steaming, stirring constantly.
Once steaming, remove the cream from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir then let sit for 5 minutes.
Add the butter to the chocolate mixture then stir until smooth.
Dip, pour or drizzle as directed in your recipe.

Notes

Any leftover ganache will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Recipe from The Curvy Carrot.

Lauren Dessert, Dressings & Condiments, Recipes, Sauces 6 Comments

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