Licorice

[Natho]

I'm not sure how i would describe it if i had to. Certainly the commercial licorice is often sweet, and maybe a little bitter. The glycyrrhizic acid is used as a sweetener so I wonder what type of licorice he was using as his example.

[hathor]

Well I ran it through the machine and now it's icecream. It's pretty good. Maybe i would sweeten it a bit more and put one less eggyolk in it but it's definitely not bad. I don't know why but it tastes way better after freezing then before. Great texture, very smooth.

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Freezing will alter taste. If I remember my This, the process of freezing explodes the cell walls, releasing flavor, that's why if you puree and freeze berries, then thaw, the flavor will be intensified.

What are you pairing the licorice ice cream with?

I bought this at the Italian Market, and now I'm not too sure what to do with it. Suggestions?

[curlywurlyfi]

Verjuice + May, I think you can buy that liquorice online from, er, Lakeland.

And Judith (hello!) - you can cook with it (grate, steep, strain) but easier just to gnaw on a stick as breath-freshener.

[hathor]

Verjuice + May, I think you can buy that liquorice online from, er, Lakeland. 

And Judith (hello!) - you can cook with it (grate, steep, strain) but easier just to gnaw on a stick as breath-freshener.

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Awww....you caught me! That's exactly what I've done with the sticks so far...chew on them!

Now, I'm wondering if I can distill the root....

[Natho]

What are you pairing the licorice ice cream with?

Currently a spoon and my mouth

I actually have given half of it away. When I told my friends I was making it they all demanded a sample. I have that problem all the time. I should stop voicing my ideas to people...

[Dianabanana]

Were they Ouzo Candies? clicky

I really love salted licorice and I attribute it to the fact my mom ate it while I was in the womb.

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These Krinos ouzo candies in the link are FANTASTIC! They have these in a bowl by the register at Lola (in Seattle) and I always have a terrible struggle with my conscience over how many to take. My conscience usually loses!

Are the Kookaburra pastels the ones with a coating of little nonpareil-type things? If so, I love those--the crunchiness on top of the chewy licorice almost makes my gums itch, in a very, very good way! Unfortunately, I've only seen them once. I see a lot of Kookaburra licorice but no one seems to carry these particular ones. The other kinds are too soft for me.

Right now I've got a bag of Tire Tread black licorice that's pretty good--very chewy. I like my licorice chewy.

[hathor]

What are you pairing the licorice ice cream with?

Currently a spoon and my mouth

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One of the all time great pairings!!

[curlywurlyfi]

Judith - yesterday's Observer Food Magazine has a recipe from Heston Blumenthal for poached pears which involve liquorice root:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...2226109,00.html

it's about third/fourth recipe down.

[hathor]

Judith - yesterday's Observer Food Magazine has a recipe from Heston Blumenthal for poached pears which involve liquorice root:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly...2226109,00.html

it's about third/fourth recipe down.

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Thanks!

I made about one millionbillion poached pears this summer and never once thought to use licorice root. I bet it adds depth, a base note for the other spice flavors. Very cool.

[hathor]

Licorice syrup

1 box of Panda black licorice

Vanilla

Vodka

Roasted Cumin

It works!

First I melted the licorice, double boiler style. When it got to the point where it was a gooey, lumpy mass, I used the stick blender to smooth it.

I was afraid that it would re-coagulate back into little rectangle shapes, so I added some vodka to keep things liquid.

The flavor seemed a little..thin....so the addition of the vanilla and roasted cumin kicked the flavor up and gave it layers.

I used it as an accent sauce for a frozen saffron zabliogne with fresh pomegranate seeds.

It also worked well with the traditional pairing of spoon and mouth.

[Natho]

I have to say, in my idle dreaming I have thought of many flavor combinations (many that have not impressed my less adventurous friends..) but licorice and cumin wasn't one of them. Sounds interesting.

[hathor]

I have to say, in my idle dreaming I have thought of many flavor combinations (many that have not impressed my less adventurous friends..) but licorice and cumin wasn't one of them. Sounds interesting.

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Think of a sort of sexy, exotic tease...a flavor just barely there but enough to entice.

Oh, give it a whirl and let me know what you think.

[Fibilou]

i love the really salty, sour Finnish salmiakki, especially those made by Fazer, it's toe curlingly savoury but addictive !

http://www.memoriesoffinland.com/product.a...roductid=RMS104

there are corner sweet shops all over the place in Finland with loose sweets, 50% of which are liquorice based.

[Susie Q]

I have HATED licorice all my life and decided to give it another try. I still can't stand the sweet stuff. I found one brand I liked and today I bought the last tin of Liquiriza Due Sicilie by Leone at Cost Plus World Market which have since told me it is a discontinued item for them.

I love it because it isn't sweet. Are there any other brands out there that aren't sweet?

Anybody know of any Southern California stores that carry it?