I made some crystallized ginger today for use in a gingerbread cake. The process is fairly simple: slice the ginger thinly, boil it to soften it, then boil it down in sugar water. (I used Alton Brown's recipe---thanks, big guy.) The whole process was a surprising treat for the senses. The first boiling step gave the entire house a smell of ginger. That served as a teaser for the intense ginger flavors of the next step. Boiling the ginger in heavily sugared water created a combination with a wicked one-two punch when I sampled the ginger on the stove. The hot candied ginger has an intense pepper taste and intensified sweetness. The syrupy candy of the boiling water added a textural dimension. After I pulled out the candy to cool, I sampled the small amount of syrup that was left in the pan. It was the distilled combination of peppery ginger and hot syrup, a wonderful finish. Once the ginger cooled, the flavors were less intense, although still great. But I may have to make this more often just to enjoy the experience. I'll also try the candied ginger in my tea in the morning---we will see if the hot tea wakes up the ginger.
Luella's is a nouvelle BBQ outfit on the north side of Asheville. It is nestled among the trees in a lovely neighborhood. The restaurant has lots of windows for inside seating and plenty of outside seating. Service was courteous and amazingly fast. This is a combination plate with pork and brisket. Both were very moist and tender. For the pork, I tried both the mild and hot vinegar sauces. To my surprise, I preferred the milder one because it didn't assert itself too much. I enjoyed the spicy tomato sauce for my brisket. The hushpuppies were very good. The fried okra was fresh out of the fryer and excellent. The slaw was of the vinegary variety, which I usually enjoy, but this version is heavy on the white stuff and didn't have quite enough variety in tastes for me.
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