Day 43
Here's another edition of my continuing effort to record the diet of the isolated American in the days of the Dread Virus, for the sake of the future historians who find this logbook.
What were we eating, while we waited out the pandemic?
Cheetos.
And what were we drinking, given that Cheetos make you super thirsty?
White Wine.
But I don't have a recipe for white wine. I mean, it's grapes and yeast, so I guess I do have the recipe, but you know what I mean.
Here's this instead.
Chai Spice Simple Syrup
Ingredients
12 green cardamom pods
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Lightly crush the cardamom and black pepper.
Place all the spices except the ginger on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan, and toast until aromatic (about five minutes).
Place the spices, ginger, sugar, and water into a small pot on medium heat.
Bring to a boil then simmer gently for five to ten minutes, stirring often. The longer you simmer the mixture, the stronger the spice flavors will become, but be careful not to make the syrup too thick or it will be difficult to use and may crystallize when cool.
Strain the syrup through a fine-meshed sieve and pour into a very clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.
What to do with it
The obvious thing is to put it in tea, with cream. A teaspoon or four, depending on your sweet tooth.
But where it's really been disappearing at our habitat is into sparkling water. We happen to have a box of Orange/Vanilla sparkling water on hand. Two tablespoons of simple syrup with a can of sparkling water is a good thing. Add a jigger of rye whiskey, and that's a very good thing.
Adapted from The Spruce Eats
