Candied Ginger from 1793
Today's endeavor is Candied Ginger, from The Housekeeper's Instructor by William Henderson (sixth edition, 1793, London, W. and J. Stratford, Printers).
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| Candied ginger, or more accurately, ginger candy. |
I struggled quite a bit with this recipe, but I think I finally have it worked out.
A SIDE NOTE ON GINGER
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| Ginger, from Medical Botany, R. Griffith, MD; 1847 Philadelphia |
Then, as now, people were aware of the medicinal qualities of ginger. If you ever drank ginger ale to calm an upset stomach, you are drawing on ginger's long-proven ability to calm digestive issues. People also enjoyed candied ginger as a sweetmeat.
THE RECIPE
The ingredients are simple enough:
Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828 edition) defines "race ginger" as ginger that is whole, in the root, not pulverized.
Our other main ingredient, loaf sugar, beat fine, is our common table sugar.
TIME TO COOK - THE STORY OF SEVERAL FAILURES AND A SUCCESS
I took a fresh finger of ginger root and broke off enough until the piece(s) weighed 1 ounce. After peeling the ginger with the side of a spoon bowl, I grated it finely with a spice grinder. Measured, it totaled around 1 T plus 1 t.
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| Peeled, fresh ginger |
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| Grated ginger |
I measured pound of white sugar (approximately 2 1/4 c) and put it into a 3-quart saucepan along with the grated ginger. The directions specify to add enough sugar to dissolve the sugar - on my first attempt, I did not add enough water for the sugar/ginger solution to become smooth and non-gritty.
Sadly, I never measured the total amount of water - at least 1 c is necessary. Add water, stir until all the sugar is dissolved and the solution is not gritty to the taste or touch. If needed, continuing adding more sugar until the solution is smooth.
Sadly, I never measured the total amount of water - at least 1 c is necessary. Add water, stir until all the sugar is dissolved and the solution is not gritty to the taste or touch. If needed, continuing adding more sugar until the solution is smooth.
Instead of using an earthenware plate, I spread parchment baking paper over a rimmed cookie sheet and placed that on a cooling rack, on my kitchen counter. It is far too late to set things up once the sugar mixture starts approaching the desired temperature
Once the sugar and ginger mixture is dissolved, set over medium to low heat and stir gently. It is difficult to interpret the direction "keep stirring until it grows thick." How thick, exactly? I used a candy thermometer to give me a sense of temperature and to use a standard for future attempts.
Waiting for candy temperatures to rise about boiling seems so terribly long, but it's essential.
I begin guesstimating the final temperature needed. My first attempt seized up almost immediately after 220, turning into crystalized ginger sugar. Being lazy, and knowing I was not working with temperamental ingredients, such as butter or chocolate, I added water to my solid sugar pan and let the whole thing dissolve. I'll be honest, this is NOT the ideal way to work out a recipe.
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| First version - you can see the sugar crystals |
The second time around, I let the temperature reach soft crack - I was able to get about half the candied ginger onto the paper before the rest of the pan contents solidified into solid sugar. SO, yes, you guessed it, I added a small amount of water, let the crystals dissolve, and went for it again. This time I removed the pan from the heat between firm-ball and hard-ball stages, which I felt worked much better. It is important to remember that the sugar temperature will continue to climb from residual internal heat. The spoonfuls I removed at soft-ball stage remained soft and gooey, so the ideal is somewhere above soft-ball but just below hard-ball.
I dropped the ginger sugar mixture out by teaspoons onto the parchment paper, where it solidified rapidly. The recipe states that the candy should be white in color, but each reboiling darkened the color of my sugar. The best consistency wound up the most amber in color, and since the taste is not affected, it doesn't bother me.
I dropped the ginger sugar mixture out by teaspoons onto the parchment paper, where it solidified rapidly. The recipe states that the candy should be white in color, but each reboiling darkened the color of my sugar. The best consistency wound up the most amber in color, and since the taste is not affected, it doesn't bother me.
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| Various attempts At 6:00, first attempt, which are grainy. At 9:00, second attempt, also grainy (tanner because the sugar has recooked) At 12:00, seized up sugar At 3:00, desired consistency. Smooth in texture. Darker in color once again because it is the third cooking |
IF you love the taste of ginger, you may want to consider doubling the amount of grated fresh ginger (I did).
IN MODERN TERMS
1 oz fresh ginger, peeled (you can double this quantity, if desired)
2 lb of white sugar, divided into 1 lb and 1 lb amounts
water
Place parchment baking paper on a large rimmed baking sheet and, to protect your work surface, elevate the sheet on a baking rack or a trivet.
Finely grate the fresh ginger into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 1 lb of the sugar. Add enough water to totally dissolve the sugar, with no grittiness remaining. You can add this in increments until you have the proper amount.
Cook over medium to low heat, stirring gently. Using a candy thermometer, cook until the sugar mixture reaches hard-ball temperature. Immediately remove the pot from the heat.
Rapidly drop the mixture by teaspoonsful onto the parchment paper. Let cool.
Rapidly drop the mixture by teaspoonsful onto the parchment paper. Let cool.
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