Chocolate-Dipped Candied Ginger (Sassy & Easy, Just Like Me)

Crystallized ginger dipped into melted dark chocolate

One "simple" truth in the kitchen: simple is always good. Easy is not a cop-out. It's just reality. I pump my fist like Tiger Woods everytime I see a food writer put "Shopping is 50% of cooking," into print. Because it's so true. Buy a few good things and something, intuitively, can come together. Even when there are just two ingredients involved. In this case, crystallized (candied) ginger I bought for the holiday's gingersnaps and dark chocolate (because, well, do I really need an explanation for this one?)...

I came home from work with about half an hour to conjure up an offering for a Slow Food Utah meeting. I keep the company of many good home cooks and professional chefs. When we get together we always eat. And we eat well. So I had to show up with something—good.

I poked my head into my small pantry and found the rest of the crystallized ginger and huge block of El Rey dark chocolate. I chucked them into my bag and made it to my friend's house a few minutes before the meeting with the intention to simply serve the things as is, a "rustic chocolate plate" if you will. But, maybe that was too lazy. I figured one step wouldn't hurt my energy level.

So as soon I got to my friend Christi's house and had a glass of cava, I chopped up the chocolate and melted the lot in a makeshift double-boiler. (Who actually owns a proper double-boiler anyway?) I gave it a stir to make it shiny and smooth and got to dipping. By the time everyone showed up with the impromptu buffet, I had dipped the last of our would-be dessert. They looked like cartoon coins in their yin-yang way. The gloss muting down to a brown-velvet by the time we got to them at the end of the meeting.

One bite = soft cooked ginger, crunchy sugar crytals, melting tangy chocolate, and the sweetest of heat at the very end. Wash it down with cava. Everything tastes good with cava.

Comments

[Ilva]

Now THIS is something I'll have to make! Ans SOON!

[Rorie]

OH MY GOD!!!!

[BNA]

two of the greatest things in the world coming together...brilliant.

[Jaay]

Is it bad that I've never actually had crystalized ginger?? I like ginger..but I can't imagine these candies because I've never actually had just ginger.

I trust that it was a hit tho definitely =)

[mae]

WOW!!!!

This sounds delish. Ginger and chocolate.....

Btw, i've tagged you for the common cold remedies. Please share.

[sara]

Mmmmmmm....chocolate and ginger. I've been working hard to perfect a good ginger brownie.

[vanessa]

Ilva—Let me know how you like them. And they go really well with espresso :)

Rorie—I know!

BNA—Serendipity, I call it. It seems like a no-brainer now, but until I opened the pantry, I never wudda thunk it...

mae—fun, another meme! Definitely count me in. Give me a few days though...

sara—welcome! let me know when you do perfect that recipe. I may attempt to make brownies...

Jaay—No, it's not terrible at all! It makes the discovery all the more fantastic. Imagine fresh ginger root cooked in sugar syrup until it's soft and chewy, the consistency of a jelly bean, even!