Pomegranate Molasses - How to Make Your Own

 I have a very long and overdue post that pays tribute to the Pomegranate.  A year ago, the lovely folks at Pom Wonderful contacted me and asked if I'd like to try some of their 100% pure pomegranate juice.  No sooner did I respond "yes, please" than UPS delivered six bottles of their 8 ounce juice.  I admit that, at first taste, I wasn't as smitten with the flavor of the juice straight out of the bottle.  On the other hand, I did mix up a POM Cosmo for a dinner party.  We liked it!   Hidden in the back of my new (and very large) refrigerator, three remaining bottles were forgotten.  (Ahem.  I apologize, POM Wonderful, for my bad manners.) Months ago, I saw a photo of Pomegranate Molasses.  I was intrigued enough to bookmark Alton Brown's recipe and life got in the way...

I recently spotted a recipe that sounded like the perfect opportunity to use Pomegranate molasses, so I bookmarked it for one our Thanksgiving side dishes.  I can't say that I've ever seen it at the various grocery stores where I shop.  At last, an opportunity to learn how to make some new had presented itself!  I wondered if the unopened juice (in my fridge) was still good, so I cracked one open.  No scary odors were detected, when I sniffed it.  With Food Network's Alton Brown's recipe printed, I got three ingredients together:

 

4 cups of Pomegranate juice, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of freshly lemon.  That's it!

Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a 4-quart saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.  This is where patience comes in.  The liquid needs to be reduced for at least  on medium-low heat.  The recipe said 70 minutes, but I suspect it varies because mine took about 90 minutes.

TIP: To a wooden spoon, I add a rubber band to the top of where the liquid level begins. This way, I can visually determine how much the liquid has reduced.  (I do this, often, when I am making a pan reduction sauce.)  Since I am starting with four cups of liquid, I know that I three cups of liquid needs to evaporate.  Once again, be patient!  90 minutes later, the liquid has become thick and syrupy.  I like to freeze a spoon, to test how thick a liquid has reduced (an old jam "canning" technique).  The color look like liquid rubies!

The heat is turned off and I let the syrup sit in the pot for 30 minutes.  As you can see (photo below, top left), the syrup has begun to "set".  Using a sterile and clean canning jar, I begin to pour the pomegranate molasses...

This is such a beautiful color!  I'm so pleased with the thickness of the molasses.  It's that easy!

This will store in the refrigerator for up to six months. 

VERDICT:  At firs taste, the molasses makes me pucker a bit (I am very sensitive to sour taste anyway).  This is not an unappealing kind of tart, though.   It's a very rich and very concentrated flavor of pomegranates.  I actually liked it!

I am smitten with the beautiful red color!

So, what does one do with pomegranate molasses?  It makes a beautiful glaze.  I've seen dessert recipes and savory recipes.  On my next post, I'm going to show you how I took Brussel sprouts to a new height.  I'm pretty confident I'm going to turn non-Brussel sprout lovers into believers that Pomegranate molasses (and a few other lovely ingredients) will have you spooning seconds on your dinner plate.

You will want to make this dish.  I'm that confident.  So, hurry! Buy some POM Wonderful juice and make this molasses. It will rock your Brussel Sprout World, as you've known it.  It rocked mine. I'm a changed woman. Come to think of it, I'm starting to see Pomegranates as the new sexy food.  There are so many recipe possibilties to come. (I'd love to have  a lipstick that color...or toe polish.  Never mind.  It's post-turkey tryptophan!)

Thank you, POM Wonderful.  I really do appreciate your product and I'm a believer in the health benefits and I'm plotting to try new recipes, from your website.  (Psssst, I'd sure love one of those aprons. They are hilarious!)

A printable recipe card is at the bottom of this post.





Disclaimer: While POM Wonderful provided me with FREE pomegranate juice, have received no monetary compensation for my recipe or review. 

Burger Sliders (or Mini Man Burgers) with Special sauce and homemade pickles

Last week, Whole Foods had grass-fed ground beef on sale for $3.99 a pound. How could I possibly resist that price for such quality beef? I spotted a bag of potato rolls and I had an idea that Beef Sliders would be fun to make.  I've never made sliders, myself, but I see them all over Blogosphere.  How hard is it to shape mini patties, for Pete's Sake?!  Still, I like to Google and see if anything interesting pops up. Sure enough, Alton Brown's "Mini Man Burgers" recipe popped up.  As I read his directions, I said a silent thank you to Mr. Good Eats.   Here you go, Alton-- here is your version, with my own garnishes:

I grabbed a jelly roll pan and some parchment paper.  I cut a piece of plastic wrap, and a rolling pin.
Roll one direction...

...and another direction. The idea is to roll the ground meat very thin.  Now, it's time to season the meat.  Alton uses onion powder and garlic powder, salt & pepper.  That's fine.  But, I'm enchanted with the Susie-Q Santa Maria seasoning that I've blogged about a couple of times, this month.   I use it on veggies and as my "go to" quick seasoning. No MSG, too.

Sorry, the shot is a little out of focus. But, I wanted to show you the label of the product. If you can find this at your local supermarket, this will become a pantry staple.  Otherwise, go with Alton's seasonings. Or, have fun experimenting. You could season this with a South of the Border Flair-- taco seasoning.  Use Greek seasoning. The sky is the limit.

Now fold each side in, using the parchment paper is helpful. Whatever method you use, don't forget to wash your hands thoroughly when you are finished. The raw meat police is watching.  I realized, later, that cheese could be easily layered as well.  Imagine those possibilities, would you? Feta... Parmesan... Smoked Gouda. But, this time I skipped the cheese.  Grab a pizza cutter, or your favorite cutting tool. I love my metal bench scraper.

One pound of beef makes 8 burgers.  You could easily substitute ground chicken, turkey or even lamb.

Grill each mini burger for 2-3 minutes, per side.

These kind of resemble White Castle Burgers. Only, I think these taste better.  I made a mayonnaise by adding red chili sauce and some sweet pickle relish. For a garnish, I cut a garden tomato and I had the perfect excuse to test drive my homemade Bread & Butter Pickles.

For a side dish, Garlic Oven-Fries  are perfect.

I'll be making these for Super Bowl. But, first, there are a few Friday Happy Hour's until January.  Simple. Easy. Delicious! 

From my kitchen to yours,