For over a week now, my son has been home recovering from what appears to be an attack by every virus currently running through his school building.  We have been spending our days trying to find a comfortable place to rest and watching all his favorite movies.  I have not spent a lot of time in the kitchen.

That being said, last week one of my cousins asked about gingerbread.  She wasn’t looking for gingerbread cookies, but actual gingerbread.  I knew I had a couple of recipes flagged in the bookcase.  I found them (one more of a spice cake, the other more traditional) and sent her a copy of the more traditional one.  After I sent it, I couldn’t get the thought of gingerbread out of my head.  It sounded warm and comforting and I felt so chilly and achy.  I even had a hunk of fresh ginger on the shelf, and since fresh ginger has such healing properties, gingerbread would surely help me feel better.  As they say, a spoonful of sugar (mixed with a bunch of other yummy stuff) will help the medicine go down.

The recipe is adapted from Nigella Lawson’s recipe for fresh gingerbread with lemon icing from How to be a Domestic Goddess.  I came to this book rather late in the game.  There was so much buzz when it came out.  I assumed it was mostly media hype (oops).  Later on I bought her book, Feast and fell in love with her way of thinking and cooking.  So when I finally got around to buying Domestic Goddess, I was so disappointed in myself for waiting so long.  It is filled with beautiful, beautiful things.

One change to her recipe was that I used sorghum instead of molasses.  I always use sorghum instead of molasses.  We never had molasses growing up, we always had sorghum.  If we had lived in the South this would not have been so uncommon, but we were in Iowa.  Sorghum is molasses with character.  It’s sweet and tangy and pour a little over a muffin with some butter and it’s unlike anything else.  Turns out it’s also quite an efficient crop and gluten free (how hip).  I even have the spouse hooked on it.

good to the last drop

Gingerbread

adapted from Nigella Lawson

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup sorghum

2 teaspoons fresh ginger – grated

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

2 large eggs – beaten to mix

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prep a 12×8x2 in. pan by buttering and lining it with parchment or foil.  (I used a 10×7 pan, you can use a 13×9, which is more common, the gingerbread will just be a little shorter.)

In a saucepan, melt the butter, along with the sugar, syrup, sorghum, ginger, and cinnamon.  Once melted, remove from heat, add milk, eggs.

Measure flour into bowl and mix in baking soda.  Pour in liquid ingredients, stirring until well mixed.  It’s a very liquid batter.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

It’s best to let cool before slicing.  I couldn’t wait and my first slice was more of upside down gingerbread (delicious topped with butter).  Once cooled it sliced beautifully and was enjoyed with vanilla ice cream.