I find homemade beef stock to be hugely better than the store-bought stuff, much more so than is the case for chicken stock. But making a batch is an all-day affair. Luckily, I had a day at home that I could use to cook the stock for eight hours. In addition to some meaty bones, I also found beef hooves. Just as I hoped, they made a very rich, gelatinous stock. This should be great for sauces and stews. I am grateful for both the enjoyment of the process and the nutritious result.
I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b...
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