Sugared Bay Leaves Recipes

SWEET-AND-SOUR CHERRIES WITH BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Wash the cherries and lay them on a dry cloth. Snip off the nubby ends of the stems with scissors. Using a needle, prick each cherry two or three times and drop it into a one-pint canning jar. Toss in the crushed peppercorns and tuck the bay leaves among the cherries.
• Bring the vinegar, sugar and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a small pan, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cover the cherries with the liquid, close the jar and let cool before refrigerating. The cherries will be ready to eat in two or three days. Serve with chicken-liver mousse, duck, salami or other charcuterie.

SUGARED BASIL LEAVES

Steps:

• Whisk egg white with 1 teaspoon water until frothy. Working with one leaf at a time, brush a thin layer of egg wash onto basil; sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool until firm and dry, about 1 hour. Leaves can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

EASY SUGARED BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Place the egg white and water in a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Using a small brush, coat bay leaf with egg white, and spoon the sugar over it. Shake off the excess sugar, and place the leaf on the rack to dry. Repeat with the remaining leaves.

SUGARED BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Brush 1 side of a bay leaf with egg white. Holding leaf over a bowl, gently pour sugar over leaf. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat with remaining leaves. Let dry, about 1 hour.

WARM BANANAS WITH BROWN SUGAR AND BAY LEAF

Steps:

• In large skillet over high heat, melt the butter and cook until it browns, about 3 minutes. Add the bay leaves and stand back (it may pop). Add the lemon juice, orange juice, brown sugar, brandy, and a pinch of salt. Bring the mixture up to a boil. Stir and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and it has reached a syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the bananas and pepper. Stir to coat the bananas evenly. Serve immediately spooned over cake or ice cream.
• Cooking Notes: You can make the sauce hours ahead of time. Just add the fruit after you bring the sauce back to a simmer. The fruit should be a little cool inside. Serve it with a good, store bought chocolate cake or spoon it over your favorite ice cream.

STRAWBERRY JAM WITH BAY LEAVES

Steps:

• Hull and clean strawberries, then weight them. Mash half of the strawberries and cut the other half into small pieces.
• Put them in a suited pot. Add super gelling sugar and bay leaves and let stand for two hours.
• After two hours bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat stirring all the time.
• Let cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Then remove from heat and remove the bay leaves.
• Add grated lime peel and juice and mix.
• Fill into prepared twist off preserving jars and close jars. Let stand for 1 minute and then turn up side down. Let stand for 10 minutes and turn over again. Let cool completely.
• NOTE on "Dr. Oetker's Super Gelling Sugar 3:1". Dr. Oetker is a well known brand in Germany. There are several gelling sugars available. The "3:1" super gelling sugar already contains pectin and you only need 1/3 of sugar. If you can't get it, you could also use Dr. Oetker's 2:1 super gelling sugar.
• NOTE on "Custom Yield": this is always a guess. It depends mainly how much water evaporates during cooking. Sometimes I get more glasses, sometimes less. Have enough preserving jars at hand.

TO MAKE SUGARED CRANBERRIES AND MINT LEAVES

Steps:

• Slowly whisk together powdered egg whites and water until dissolved. Lightly coat cranberries and both sides of mint leaves with egg mixture using your fingers or a pastry brush, then sprinkle with sugar. Transfer to a lightly oiled rack and dry 2 to 3 hours.

CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SOUR CHERRIES AND CUCUMBER YOGURT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine chicken and onion on a rimmed sheet pan. Toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add tarragon and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil, and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature while preparing other ingredients.
• In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, bay leaf and remaining 1 teaspoon salt over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar.
• Place sliced cucumbers in medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the vinegar solution to cucumbers and toss. Set aside.
• Return pan to medium-low heat and add another tablespoon sugar. Once sugar dissolves, stir in cherries. Cook until cherries are slightly broken down, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if the cherries still seem very tart. (You're not looking for them to be sweet, just balanced.)
• Spoon cherries and their juices around chicken and onions. (It's OK if some cherries are on top of chicken and onions.) Roast until chicken is cooked through and cherries and onions are lightly browned in spots, 30 to 35 minutes. Give the dish a big stir and spoon the savory pan juices all over the top of the chicken.
• While the chicken is roasting, stir yogurt and remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the bowl with the pickled cucumbers. Season with a large pinch of salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, stir well, taste and add more salt if needed.
• Top chicken and cherries with a large dollop of cucumber yogurt, more tarragon and a drizzle of olive oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt or more kosher salt, if you like.

SUGARED CRANBERRIES AND SAGE LEAVES

Steps:

• Bring water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Put remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl.
• Lightly brush cranberries and both sides of sage leaves with sugar syrup, then immediately roll in sugar.
• Transfer to a lightly oiled rack and dry at room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.