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.
Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course) ...
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