651377 Thu Sep 10 07:13:06 -0700 2009 19 31 Home Cooking 0 5018848 I made some pomegranate molasses because I've never been able to find it. But now I can't find any of the articles that made me want to be able to experiment with it. Anyone got any thoughts about using it? Thu Sep 10 07:13:06 -0700 2009 17969 rainey 1 5026547 Rainey, I adored the "Spoon Lamb" recipe from "Spice" (a recent Cookbook of the Month here). The pomegranate molasses used was just 2 tablespoons, though, to sauce the stuff. This is the review I posted here for the Cookbook of the Month thread: "I pretty much knew that "Spoon Lamb" would be the first thing I'd try from this COTM. I adore lamb, and of course ridiculously tender only makes it better. So, after the *gulp* of seeing the price of lamb chops (in Utah, Whole Foods) I tried this recipe. Absolutely Nothing Difficult about it. Unable to find pomegranate molasses, I reduced pomegranate juice with sugar and a little lemon juice. (The Internet tells me this is pomegranate molasses.) Seared the lamb, deglazed pan with wine. Recipe specifies "dry red wine". I don't know wine, used what I had, label says "Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 Sonoma County". Lamb then sprinkled with cumin, thick carrot coins, chunks of white onion, some smooshed garlic cloves added, more wine and some water. Covered tightly, 325F for 2 1/2 hours. As soon as it was done I tasted it, impatient, and it was yes tender and very good, but I didn't get why so much cumin? and how would it be if I doused it with the pomegranate molasses? I doused, and it seemed too busy, too much-- UNTIL THE NEXT DAY. The lamb had soaked up the cumin and onion and (the sweetness of) the carrot in just the right proportions to be perfect with the pomegranate, butter, and lemon juice (and S&P) that gets added before serving. I will make this again for sure, always the day before. I put with plain (butter salt pepper) rice. Try it if you like lamb!" Did you make your molasses from juice, or from akshual poms?? Sun Sep 13 11:45:12 -0700 2009 5018848 42470 blue room 2 5026601 Sounds delicious. Thanks so much for the suggestion. Could you link me to the recipe perhaps? I made mine by reducing juice with lemon juice and sugar as you did. Here's the recipe I used: http://elise.com/recipes/archives/004170pomegranate_molasses.php Here's another recipe I found for cookies made with the pomegranate molasses when I didn't get any responses. I haven't tried them yet but the concept is intriguing. There are other recipes using the molasses as well. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/03/the-secret-ingredient-pomegranate-molasses-recipes-cookies-barbecue-sauce-pork-ribs.html Sun Sep 13 12:18:10 -0700 2009 5026547 17969 rainey 3 5026627 lamb chops are VERY pricey anyplace, and not designed for long slow cooking. a feww minutes on either side on a grill or under a broiler is it. next time look for shoulder or shank, which make for a beautiful and inexpensive braise. most american lamb comes from colorado. i'm surprised you can't find it in utah. and i'm sorry, but no, reduced pomegranate juice and sugar does not make pomegranate molasses. Sun Sep 13 12:34:33 -0700 2009 5026601 30273 hotoynoodle 4 5026777 hotoynoodle, you're right about less expensive lamb--this recipe I'd use with any cut now that I know... Please elaborate about pom. molasses. Sun Sep 13 14:18:17 -0700 2009 5026627 42470 blue room 3 5035518 okay, i tried the pomegranate molasses cookies today. I found them interesting. I think i may have underbaked them--so if you try them, be sure they are golden when you pull them out. the texture is sort of chalky and the flavor intriguing--sweet/sour, but different from a lemon cookie. my kids wouldn't touch em and my SO pronounced them "interesting." like many baked goods, they may improve after sitting a day, so i'll reserve my final judgment for tomorrow. also i still have some dough, so i'll bake the next batch longer. oh, and perhaps this is crucial, but after i started making them, i realized i was out of vanilla. the vanilla might be really necessary to round out the flavor. and this is off topic, but i baked oatmeal choc chip next and subbed coffee for the vanilla and that worked really well! coffee may be a permanent addition. Wed Sep 16 18:01:33 -0700 2009 5026601 12221 missmasala 4 5035739 Vanilla is always nice but I frequently substitute Kahlua and Grand Marnier for it. I use 2-3x what's specified in the recipe. I think Kahlua is great in choc chip and oatmeal cookies. Thanks for the tips about the cookies. I've been gaining weight like crazy lately so I'm not sure how soon I'll try them but I'm putting your note in my recipe data base. Wed Sep 16 19:53:16 -0700 2009 5035518 17969 rainey 4 5037785 OK. I shouldn't have but I was so intrigued that I had to try these. I haven't baked them yet. I'm letting the dough rest in the fridge. But that hint of fruit flavor is really interesting. I would never in a million years guess what it is but there's no mistaking a distinctly fruity character. Now I'm thinking this begs the question of what other fruits or juices you could reduce down and put in a cookie dough. PS Not getting that chalky texture you referred to. And I can't quite imagine what it would be because, apart from the pomegranate molasses, these sound like pretty standard sugar cookies. Thu Sep 17 14:11:20 -0700 2009 5035518 17969 rainey 4 5038145 I baked up a few and found them extremely soft. They weren't underbaked -- they just don't have much structure and I'm sure that's the lack of an egg. I'm going to make a second batch with an egg (and possibly some more flour to compensate for the additional liquid) and see what happens. I like the flavor -- tho there's more of a fruity flavor in the raw dough than the baked cookies. And I think my next experiment will be with other fruit purées. UPDATED to say that 1 large egg (I just beat it into the dough I hadn't baked) gave them structure that was missing. But the texture was more cakey than I'd hoped for. The next time I try them I'll use just an egg yolk. There wasn't any need to adjust the flour. Thu Sep 17 16:35:16 -0700 2009 5035518 17969 rainey 5 5041642 i think the chalky texture in mine came from overworking the dough, which i ended up doing because it was a little crumbly and wouldn't come together (which i suspect is because of the lack of an egg) and that made it hard to mix in the pine nuts. Then i was wondering if these cookies are supposed to have a slightly sandy or shortbready quality--that would be good, but i'll have to figure out how to mix in the nuts so i don't end with heavy, chalky cookies again. i still have some dough that has rested in the fridge for 2 days. i'm going to bake those up and see if the texture is better once the gluten has had a chance to relax. i do think the flavor improved the second day, though. Sat Sep 19 05:54:29 -0700 2009 5038145 12221 missmasala 2 5026608 Never mind. I searched on "spoon lamb" here and followed the trail back to the NYT archives. Looking forward to trying it. Oh BTW, here's the link to the NYT recipe if anyone else wants to try it: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/14/dining/141crex.html Sun Sep 13 12:21:47 -0700 2009 5026547 17969 rainey 1 5026609 mix with dijon mustard and use it as a glaze for wild boar ala ica last night... hehe Sun Sep 13 12:22:03 -0700 2009 5018848 264146 kubasd 1 5026623 i use it on duck confit. you could use it roast chicken or quail too. Sun Sep 13 12:30:46 -0700 2009 5018848 30273 hotoynoodle 1 5026639 I really don't have "recipes" but what I do is I make my own. We have a tree that splits the property line and seems no one wants to use them so I do. Since I'm able to harvest quite a bit, I freeze the juice and make molasses with some of it. I use it for salmon as a glaze, with lamb and on salads. For french toast, its really nice or on lemon cream crepes. I've made these little Asian chicken nibbles ( made with ground chicken etc.)and use the molasses as a sauce. Mostly I use it as I would any other condiment. Sun Sep 13 12:40:06 -0700 2009 5018848 50431 chef chicklet 1 5026669 Suddenly, pomegranate and pomegranate molasses is all over my right column now. So I found this too: http://www.chow.com/recipes/14109 Sun Sep 13 12:52:34 -0700 2009 5018848 17969 rainey 1 5034680 I had a ton of fresh figs lately. I cut figs in half, dipped cut side in turbinado sugar and carmelized the sugar with a blow torch. I serve them with vanilla ice cream and a pomegranate reduction....I'll bet your molasses would be great here! If you don't have torch try the broiler. The sugar cooled and got all crackly on top of the soft figs. It was amazing. Wed Sep 16 12:18:10 -0700 2009 5018848 123480 scuzzo 2 5035742 Yum! That sounds good! Wed Sep 16 19:53:46 -0700 2009 5034680 17969 rainey 1 5035805 This is my most requested recipe. It is pan middle eastern and the most delicious dip, spread, or sauce for meat, grains ,veggies I know of. Muhummarra 2 tbs. lemon juice 1-1/4 cups shelled walnuts 1 slice whole wheat bread, crust removed, lightly toasted 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (or a pinch of mild chile pepper) 1 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp sugar Kosher salt, to taste Blend all ingredients to a rough (not too smooth) paste in the food processor. Wed Sep 16 20:15:03 -0700 2009 5018848 17282 missclaudy 1 5035876 many! http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/529064 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/453936 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/285664 http://www.chowhound.com/topics/285276 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/276042 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/279570 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/281887 http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/573846 BTW, there was just a recipe for pomegranate molasses in the local paper here the other day, and apparently it was published in numerous newspapers - is that what inspired you? the mandelbrot recipe that accompanied it sounded delicious. Wed Sep 16 20:45:59 -0700 2009 5018848 103920 goodhealthgourmet 1 5040613 The ultimate use is the Persian dish called fesenjan - pomegranate walnut sauce over chicken, turkey or duck pieces (I remove the bones). I get the urge to make it when these fruits are in season, because the sauce must be generous and the store bought stuff is pricey. When searching online or in your local library, look out for alternate spellings - fesenjahn, fesenjon, etc. Here are a couple of representative recipes: http://www.recipezaar.com/Persian-Chicken-or-Duck-in-Pomegranate-Walnut-Sauce-Fesenjan-233487 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pomegranate-Stew-with-Chicken-Khoresh-Fesenjan/Detail.aspx Persian food rocks! Fri Sep 18 14:48:20 -0700 2009 5018848 23712 DiveFan