Sugar Tips To Transform Your Cooking

If you missed them, check out these:

This month I have again used Billington’s unrefined sugars in my Christmas recipes here on The Carousel.

Again, they have raised the flavours in my recipes to a new level.

Muscovado sugar is the finest grade of soft brown sugar available and has a higher molasses content than your standard brown sugar so it gives your cooking an incredible depth of flavour. Dark Muscovado is a special favourite of mine, and extraordinary used in the place of Dark Brown Soft sugar. It is the perfect choice when you want really rich, deep, sticky flavours – for example, when you are making fruit cake or brownies or more intense marinades. It is amazing on my glazed ham and helps give it a dark golden brown colour and intense flavour.

As for the accompaniments, mustard fruits and cranberry and apple relish, Billington’s Golden Caster sugar is a baker’s best friend and the ideal choice for everything from sponge cakes and muffins to biscuits. This is because of its extra fine granule size and light honey flavour – it works very well in these sweet yet savoury applications. This is what the Italians call agro dolce – sour yet sweet.

And just to prove that these sugars aren’t all just about baking, I used the Billington’s Golden Caster sugar also in my frozen raspberry ripple nougat parfait. It dissolves just as well when beaten with the ricotta until smooth yet gives an appealing honey flavour. The Billington’s Golden Icing sugar worked beautifully in the raspberry puree.

Another recipe, yet one with every day appeal this month, is my banana bread. Here the Billington’s light muscovado gave a much richer, deeper flavour than regular brown sugar. Demerara sugar made an unusual topping. This sugar has large, crunchy crystals, making a great contribution to crumble toppings, crème brulee or simply in coffee.I hope you enjoy another wonderful month of cooking with Billington’s.