DIY Pomegranate Molasses AKA Pomegranate Syrup

So just what did Adam and Eve eat in the Garden of Eden?  Some say apples; some say tomatoes; some say - yep, you guessed it! - pomegranates.  I even read that some people think it was bananas.  That made me laugh - a lot:-)  Bananas ain't even a fruit, baby.  A banana is a herb, and the banana 'tree' is in fact a great big doozy of a herb.  Yep, you heard it here.  (Tho' I did read the actual banana itself is sometimes called a berry, just to confuse you further.)  

The juice is readily available from the supermarket, but I had to weigh up whether I used wild and organic from Georgia (as in the former Soviet republic), or one that was made up of 70% Aussie fruit, or from concentrates ...  You get the picture.  I recommend using a local brand with as much 'real' juice as possible.  If you were really keen, you could buy fresh poms. and de-seed them and turn them into juice yourself.  Nope, I'm not that nuts either :-)  And it would cost you an absolute fortune!   

a tangy and delicious condiment

(Recipe - with a couple of small adjustments - from Simply Recipes website.)


Makes about one cup:


ingredients:


1 Litre of 100% pomegranate juice

1/2 cup (110g.) of sugar - white or caster

2 tbs of lime or lemon juice

4-6 tsp (20-30 mLs) of extra lime or lemon juice at the end of cooking (optional)


Method:


Tip the pomegranate juice into a large, non-reactive (for instance, stainless steel) pan, along with the sugar and lime juice

Give it a stir and bring to the boil on medium-high heat

Once boiling, turn it down to a simmer - i.e. bubbling happily and gently along, but not too crazily, and simmer away for about an hour

Check it and stir every ten minutes or so

Keep an eye on it, folks!  Especially towards the end of the hour, when it will suddenly go mad and bubble up like a crazy person and maybe go too thick - nah, I didn't do that ...  Phew, that was close!

You will know it is ready when it looks syrupy, and will happily coat the back of your wooden spoon.  Another way (and I did this just to be sure it was ready) is to pour the hot syrup into a measuring jug; if you have about a cup to a cup and a quarter (approx.), you're done:-)  

If you wish, you can add the extra lime or lemon juice at this point to refresh the syrup

Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes, then pour it into a sterilised and still warm bottle - see notes below

Keeps in the fridge for weeks!

Use in salad dressings, for marinades and so on;  anywhere you need a tangy punch (Will I say it? - yes I will - a punch for your food, not you.)



Notes:


I used bottled juice, but make sure it is 100% juice

I used one lime, but it was big and juicy - you may need two

If you do take it too far, and the syrup is very, very thick, later you can microwave the bottle which will allow you (hopefully) to pour some out when you need it

To sterilise the bottle/jar: wash in hot, soapy water, then rinse under hot tap water.  Put it into the oven @ 150C for 15 minutes

If you do want to make your own juice to start off, you will need about 8 apparently - and as they cost about $6 for one at the moment, you would be looking at a hefty price for this molasses!

gather the ingredients

simmer away for an hour (please excuse the steamy photo)

run your finger over the back of the spoon (yes, the saucepan is empty)

Be careful doing this, 'cos it will be hot.  If the syrup stays separated on the back of the spoon, it is done!

just over a cup of syrup

bottled and ready for the fridge

thick and syrupy and oh so tangy

Longtime readers may remember me talking about the 'banana police' here in sunny Queensland.  At our previous house, we had several banana plants in the backyard, full of fruit, huge cockroaches, massive spiders and bats ... yep, good times.  Apparently way back then in the dark ages, there were banana inspectors driving around the 'burbs checking that there were no more than three banana plants in your yard.  That is all relaxed now, and as of July 2016, you can have as many as you like, provided they come from an accredited nursery.  I guess 'bunchy top', that nasty banana disease, has been eradicated.  Oh the things you learn when researching food.  And I suppose they didn't have 'bunchy top' in the Garden of Eden :-) 

    pomegranate artwork by Sherry's Pickings