664425 Tue Nov 03 12:18:05 -0800 2009 20 31 Home Cooking 0 5151443 I actually have some pomegranate molassas. I bought it because it looked interesting but what do you all DO with pomegranate molassas?? Tue Nov 03 05:40:46 -0800 2009 142336 rtms 1 5152507 here's what I am planning once I buy some: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/11/health/nutrition/11recipehealth.html Enjoy! Tue Nov 03 11:28:12 -0800 2009 5151443 1111880 lovescone 1 5152596 Walnut and pomegranate chicken (lots of recipes online) or to flavour my gin & tonic Tue Nov 03 11:54:41 -0800 2009 5151443 257539 unlaced 1 5152785 here's a recent thread with some ideas: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/651377 Tue Nov 03 12:51:36 -0800 2009 5151443 12221 missmasala 2 5152844 Ditto on the fesenjan (walnut and pom chicken OR eggplant). I also recently added it to some vanilla cupcakes, and topped it off with an orange-blossom water buttercream frosting. I put a few pom. seeds on the top of the cupcakes. They were a big hit with my book club. Tue Nov 03 13:02:57 -0800 2009 5152785 103888 anakalia 3 5159860 Your cupcakes sound absolutely beautiful. But didn't the molasses make them a little sour? That's my memory of p. molasses from using it in a chicken dish once. Thu Nov 05 19:26:11 -0800 2009 5152844 123744 karykat 4 5177992 Thanks :) I think it might have made the cupcakes sour if I had used too much - I didn't end up having to use very much to give it a subtle flavor (I think about 1/3 cup, maybe a bit more than that...). I also think that the cupcakes were sweet enough to offset it... probably if you were making less sweet cupcakes it would be more problematic? Fri Nov 13 02:06:15 -0800 2009 5159860 103888 anakalia 1 5153454 I can't say I've tried many of the recipes on this blog, but my first reaction to this question was "search Taste of Beirut", and sure enough, she uses this in many of her recipes: http://www.tasteofbeirut.com/?s=pomegranate+molasses&searchsubmit=Search Tue Nov 03 16:10:18 -0800 2009 5151443 261092 BernalKC 2 5159834 Thanks all for the suggestions. I'm looking foward to trying out the molassas! Thu Nov 05 19:15:59 -0800 2009 5153454 142336 rtms 3 5160635 My favorite use for it, aside from maybe 1/4c in baked apples, is for Joan Nathan's Georgian Chicken. Since I can't remember quite everything to paraphrase, I'll just link you to the NYT recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/08/dining/081RREX.html?scp=1&sq=georgian%20chicken%20recipe&st=cse Ok, so looking at this recipe, I see that it comes from the Glazers, not Joan Nathan, although she wrote the article that accompanied this back in '04 or '05. Anyway it's awesome. A bit sweet, a bit tangy. The main thing I'd very strongly suggest is that you let it simmer a LOT longer than the recipe says. I let this cook low and slow for probably 2hrs, sometimes more. Fri Nov 06 07:31:45 -0800 2009 5159834 16421 brownie 4 5160848 The recipe calls for pomegranate paste. Is that the same as pomegranate molasses or something thicker? Fri Nov 06 08:34:13 -0800 2009 5160635 1114540 cheesemaestro 5 5170326 i just use whatvere pom syrup i have on hand and it works fine. plus i think its tamarind paste? Tue Nov 10 10:42:13 -0800 2009 5160848 16421 brownie 5 5170469 My limited research indicates that pomegranate molasses is just pomegranate juice cooked down till it is syrupy. Presumably it could be cooked to a paste stage as well. There are variations in the preferred taste and consistency between Lebonon (the only type I've had), and Iran. In the NYT recipe, both the tamarind and the pomegranate are diluted. I wonder, though, about the equivalence of 1/2 c pomegranate 'paste' diluted with 1/2 c water with 1c pomegranate juice. It is a pretty large recipe, 8 onions and 20 pieces of chicken. I don't have a good intuition as to how a 1/2 c of p. molasses will work. Tue Nov 10 11:21:11 -0800 2009 5160848 12139 paulj 6 5172425 In the interim since I posted my question, I found this old Chowhound topic: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/309407 Gotta love it! Sometimes I think that every possible food question has already been asked and answered on Chowhound! Wed Nov 11 07:18:30 -0800 2009 5170469 1114540 cheesemaestro 7 5175639 So after buying, tasting, and experimenting with pom molasses, and reviewing the older thread above, and doing some web searches, I agree with rworange that pom molasses and paste are not interchangeable. Sounds like the paste includes the all or part of the seed where the molasses is a concentrate of the juice with no seed component. Thu Nov 12 08:50:00 -0800 2009 5172425 261092 BernalKC 1 5160885 I use it to taste when I want tartness with a sweet, fruity background. And where the dark color fits. So it could substitute for balsamic vinegar, and flavored vinegars (such as raspberry). But start off using it sparingly (tea spoon at time) until you understand its character. Fri Nov 06 08:42:55 -0800 2009 5151443 12139 paulj 2 5160968 <lightbulb!> I wonder if this could be incorporated into fowl gravy to lighten / brighten the flavors? My favorite turkey gravy uses a heavily reduced / caramelized fruit paste (pear/apple/persimmon) to add flavor depth and counter the gravy greasiness. I'm wondering if this could be a similar component, maybe with some other sweet element like a molasses? Might have to give that a test on a roast chicken before Thanksgiving... I've been in a bit of a rut with my turkey gravy for a few years now... Fri Nov 06 09:13:23 -0800 2009 5160885 261092 BernalKC 1 5161616 I saw a cooking demo by a Turkish chef and recommended it as a popular Turkish ingredient. Try searching some recipes. He put it in a bean salad as a finishing touch. Fri Nov 06 12:35:43 -0800 2009 5151443 130031 Shane Greenwood 2 5172610 i just ate at a Turkish place that did a fabulous flatbread mezze, with ground lamb and spices and pomegranate molasses. It completely elevated the dish. Wed Nov 11 08:18:13 -0800 2009 5161616 281177 chitodc 1 5172937 You use it to make the dressing for fatoush salad. Also when making stuffed grape leaves you add a bit into the cooking water. Some people mix a bit with meat, in a spinach pie (the little triangular middle eastern ones) it goes well with the onions and spinach in the stuffing) I love cooking green beans in it, either a side dish or a salad, it's all good! Goes well in salad dressings, tahini based dressings too. Try doing roasted potatoes with pom molasses as a glaze like a potato/balsamic vinegar. I think you can basically substitute it in the place of balsamic vinegar. Wed Nov 11 10:06:20 -0800 2009 5151443 224081 BamiaWruz 1 5175810 Here's my favorite, also a NY Times receipe. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/08/dining/081RREX.html?scp=1&sq=georgian%20chicken&st=cse I've liked a mahammara that I made too. Thu Nov 12 09:35:33 -0800 2009 5151443 117271 Stuffed Monkey