How to use Apple Syrup
I made the mistake this week of thinking I could develop a German cocktail with German Liqueurs. I’m sure someone can make a cocktail with German liqueurs but my palate is tainted with the Jägermeister of high school and university days and as I discovered while there are many different brands and varieties they all kind of taste the same. So I moved on to a black current liqueur. Unfortunately this was the perfect pairing to remind me of the sweet and fruity Red Bull that was paired ever so disgustingly with a shot of Jägermeister. I can picture the sticky seats of the student bars now.
So I thought a lot about it.
Preserving the flavors of Summer in syrups and alcohol seems to be a strong food tradition in Germany and I am determined to appreciate that tradition without making myself sick of sweet herbal concoctions.
One preserve I have really fallen in love with is Apple Syrup. It is simply Freshly pressed apple juice reduced to a clear tangy and sweet syrup. The longer you cook it the more bitter and molasses-like it becomes. So instead of a recipe this month I want to introduce you to all the ways I use Apple Syrup.
If you can’t find it in stores where you are I will link you to a nice recipe here. Some American recipes add sugar or cinnamon to theirs but that greatly changes how versatile and simple the German Apple Syrup version is.
Salad Dressing: One part apple syrup and two parts Apple Cider Vinegar, salt to taste, really good olive oil if you can afford it
Sugar syrup for baking-works on baklava type puff pastry as post oven glaze, between cake layers, in cocktails (it does still have an apple flavor so for cocktails you might have to adjust the recipes)
Savory sweetener to balance out soups and stews and BBQ sauces. If you need a bit of umami sweetness, the bitter and tangy aspects of this syrup work nicely in savory dishes. In a BBQ sauce replace calls for molasses or maple with apple syrup.
