The Steward House Apple-Cardamom Reduction

Recipe Information

Equipment

• 7 quart saucepan
• Cutting board
• Kitchen knife
• Vegetable peeler
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wooden spoon or heatproof spatula
• Fine-mesh strainer
• Large heatproof bowl
• Clean bottles or airtight containers for storage
• Citrus juicer, optional
• Oven mitts or pot holders

I like a wide saucepan, I think it helps with evaporation

Ingredients

• 8 cups apple cider
• 2 Honeycrisp apples, I think any type would work
• 12 whole green cardamom pods
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 4 wide strips fresh lemon peel
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

A Few Notes About the Ingredients

Apple cider: We used Barsotti for both batches. It has a fresh apple flavor that works beautifully here. If Barsotti isn't available, choose a good-quality unfiltered, apple cider.

Apples: I used Honeycrisp. You don't need to peel them because the cooked apples get strained out anyway.

Cardamom: Buy whole green pods, not ground. Each pod holds small, seeds, and cracking the pods lets their flavor infuse the cider.

Cinnamon: One whole stick, not ground. We take it out after ten minutes so the cinnamon doesn't take over.

Maple syrup: Pure maple syrup, not the maple-flavored pancake kind.

Lemons: The peel goes in at the beginning. The fresh juice goes in at the end.

How I Make It

Getting everything ready

1. Wash the apples and lemons.
2. Cut each apple into quarters, take out the cores and seeds, They don’t need to be perfect.
3. Take a vegetable peeler and pull four wide strips of lemon peel.

Cracking the cardamom

1. Put the twelve cardamom pods on your cutting board.
2. Lay the flat side of a large kitchen knife over one or two pods at a time and press gently until the green shells split open.
3. You're just opening them enough to expose the seeds inside, not grinding them into powder.
4. If some seeds fall out, that's fine. The shells and seeds all go into the saucepan, they'll get strained out later.

Into the saucepan

1. Put the large saucepan on the stove.
2. Pour in the apple cider.
3. Add the apples, the cracked cardamom pods and seeds, the strips of lemon peel, and the one cinnamon stick.
4. Stir gently.

Bringing it to a boil

1. Turn the burner to medium-high and leave the saucepan uncovered.
2. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. You don't want a hard boil that splashes.
3. Once the cider is simmering, set a timer for ten minutes, then remove the cinnamon stick. I used tongs.

Letting it simmer down

1. Keep cooking the cider uncovered until it reduces to about 3 1/2 cups. This doesn’t have to be exact, we didn’t measure it or anything.
2. Stir occasionally.
3. When the cider has reduced it's ready for the next step.

Straining

1. Turn off the heat.
2. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl.
3. With oven mitts on, carefully pour everything from the saucepan into the strainer. Watch for steam as you pour.
4. Let it drain for a few minutes. You can press the apples gently with the back of a spoon to get a little more liquid out.
5. Throw the solids away.

Adding the sweetness

1. Pour the strained cider back into the saucepan.
2. Add:
   • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
   • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
   • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3. Turn the burner to medium-low and stir gently until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. You shouldn't see any crystals or clumps left.

Finishing the reduction

1. Keep simmering gently, uncovered. This last stage usually takes another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how much liquid is left and how wide your saucepan is.
2. Watch it as it cooks. It will gradually get a little thicker, a light syrupy consistency is the goal. It should not get thick like pancake syrup.
3. As it gets closer, check it more often so it doesn't go too far. When it reaches that light syrupy feel, take it off the heat.

The lemon juice goes in last

1. Measure 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.
2. Pour it into the warm reduction and stir.
3. You should end up with about 3 to 4 cups, depending on how much the cider reduced.

Cooling and storing

1. Let it cool enough to handle safely.
2. Pour it into clean, food-safe bottles or airtight containers. I used a swing handle glass bottle.
3. Refrigerate promptly, within two hours.
4. Once it's chilled, it's ready to use.

Storage

Keep it refrigerated in a sealed container.

For home storage five days refrigerated, or you can also freeze it, ice cube trays work great for this. Once frozen put in air tight container or freezer bags. Use within 3 months. Do not store at room temperature.

How We Use It

One of the things I like best about this reduction is that one mixer gives you several different drinks.

These measurements are starting points for individual drinks. Adjust to your taste. I personally pour and don't measure.