Syrups and Candied Fruits

Simple Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup White Sugar
• 1 Cup Water

Instructions:

1. In a clean nonstick skillet combine the water and sugar together. 
2. Whisk together over medium heat until the water is just simmering/ almost boiling. 
3. Reduce heat to low once all the sugar has dissolved. 
4. Continue to simmer for about forty minutes.
5. Side note, if it is too thin, let it simmer longer, if it is too gummy for your purpose then while it is still warm whisk in a little bit more water. The final viscosity is really up to you.

Syrup can now be used to:

• Moisten a freshly baked cake by simply pouring the syrup over the top.
• In drink recipes that call for a simple syrup in the ingredient list
• To make other sauces

Flavored Syrup and Candied Fruit

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Sugar

Other things you might need:

Medium pot of freshly boiled water

Ice Bath

Mandolin, or some serious knife skills

Strainer

Food coloring, if desired

Parchment paper

Tray

Flavor Options:

1) Cinnamon - About 3, 3 inch cinnamon sticks, (use whole)

2) Citrus fruits - One lemon, or lime, or orange, or tangerine, or grapefruit etc. (Thinly sliced)

3) Ginger - Ginger root piece about the size of your palm, peeled of course and thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. If you are making cinnamon flavored skip ahead.
2. Using the mandolin, thinly slice either the citrus fruit of your choice or the ginger root. 
3. Once sliced blanch the slices in the pot of freshly boiled water and stir for about one minute. 
4. Strain the slices from the boiling water carefully and transfer to the ice bath. Stir and let sit a moment.
5. Hello cinnamon people, nice of you to rejoin us. Let's all continue together now.
6. In a clean nonstick skillet combine the water and sugar together.
7.  Whisk together over medium heat until the water is just simmering/ almost boiling. 
8. Reduce heat to low once all the sugar has dissolved. 
9. If desired you can now add 2-4 drops of food coloring to give your syrup a light tinting. for example, I used yellow to make lemon syrup and candied lemon slices. 
10. Otherwise as you cook the citrus fruits they will loose their color to the syrup and become pretty translucent. Still pretty, but I wanted some extra color for my purposes.
11. Carefully remove the slices from the ice bath and place the slices in a single layer over top of the syrup. Or just throw the cinnamon sticks in there. 
12. Allow to simmer on low for about 1 hour. Keep an eye on it as you don't want things to burn dry. 
13. After about an hour, use tongs to fish the slices/cinnamon out of the skillet and transfer to a parchment lined tray to dry and set for about 4 hours. 
14. Sorry but the cinnamon sticks are mostly only good for garnish now, They will look lovely and have a bit of shine from the candy coating, so I suggest maybe making a lovely little coffee cake, doing a rosette of whipped cream and sticking some cinnamon right on in. Martha Stuart couldn't do any finer.
15. The ginger and citrus you can eat like literal candy though!
16. To finish the syrup, use a spoon and to dip and test how thick the syrup is, if it is too thick and gummy water it down with about 1/4-1/2 cup water while it is still warm. If it is too thin let it simmer on low for another 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Bonus:

Fuzzy Lemon Brandy ~ A lovely drink for lovely ladies

2 Ounces Brandy
1 Ounce lemon syrup
1 candied lemon slice, garnish
Optional: 1 mint leaf, lightly pressed
Soda water

In a shaker with ice combine the brandy, and lemon syrup. Prepare a highball glass with ice, add the candied lemon and mint leaf. Pour shaker over ice, top with soda water. Sip delicately, like a lady.

Enjoy Several. . .

Other Places:

Something spicy:

Thai Sauce