Cooking Blueberry Syrup

[haggis2]

I just made some Blueberry Syrup using a receipe that came from the web. But after I completed it, the syrup is to thin. Does anyone know if I can cook the syrup longer to make it thicker? If so, what temperature should I cook it to? Thanks

 

[Andy M.]

I just made some Blueberry Syrup using a receipe that came from the web. But after I completed it, the syrup is to thin. Does anyone know if I can cook the syrup longer to make it thicker? If so, what temperature should I cook it to? Thanks

You can thicken it with a little corn starch slurry. Also consider adding a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor if you haven't already done so.

 

[luvs]

i too would use a slurry. whisk in & when your syrup is boiling, the thickening is through, you may whisk additional slurry in till thick enuff.

 

[haggis2]

Has anyone ever used Xanthan Gum to add body to syrup? If so how do you determine how much. I notice all bought syrup has it as an ingredant.

 

[Andy M.]

No need for xantham gum. Bought products often use stuff we don't use at home. Thicken with the corn starch. It works great.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

At 232' F. enough water has boiled from the syrup, and the sugar is concentrated enough to give you a rich syrup. But cooking to this temp can be challenging as it is easy to scorch the food solids in the syrup. An alternative way of making your blueberry syrup thicker is to add more granulated white sugar, to increase the ratio of syrup to water. This may make the syrup too sweet though.

Thickeners that will work include corn starch, arrow root, fruit pectin, and tapioca starch. Gums will thicken but if used alone may give an unwanted stringy texture to the syrup.

When using starches, remember to make a slurry of the starch with a bit of water, to form a medium thin paste. Slowly pour the slurry into the boiling mixture. And know that the texture will be different when the syrup cools. And starch based thickeners can leave things a bit clumpy. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Just be aware that it is possible.

You have one more alternative that will leave your syrup silky smooth, and not overly sweet. Add corn syrup to your blueberry syrup. This will thicken it without adversly changeing the texture or flavor.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Andy M.]

...You have one more alternative that will leave your syrup silky smooth, and not overly sweet. Add corn syrup to your blueberry syrup. This will thicken it without adversly changeing the texture or flavor...

Goodweed, corn syrup is a sweetener. Adding it to the blueberry would make it sweeter.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Goodweed, corn syrup is a sweetener. Adding it to the blueberry would make it sweeter.

True enough Andy. But it isn't as potent a sweetener as is sugar, and so doesn't have as much effect. The starches are neutral in flavor and so are a good choice tool. I guess it also depends on how sweet the blueberries are. If the berries are tart (and yes, I've had some pretty tart blueberries, especially the store-bought ones), then you can usually get away with adding more sugar or corn syrup. If the berries are really sweet to begin with, then I wouldn't add more sweetener.

Don't worry my friend. I'm just giving options.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[haggis2]

Haggis2

Goodweed of the North. I love the idea of adding corn starch to the syrup to make it thicker, but I have no idea how much to add per cup of syrup? Would you have any idea? Thanks for your help.

 

[Andy M.]

Mix some cornstarch in some tap water and pour a little of it into the blueberry syrup and bring it to a boil. If it's not thick enough, add some more and repeat until you obtain the desired level of thickness.