Keep a bottle of saffron syrup in the refrigerator and an ordinary evening acquires options: a gin and tonic turned golden, lemonade with a floral undertone, a glaze that makes plain pastry look deliberate. Twelve threads steeped in warm sugar and water draw out saffron's color and perfume slowly, giving you three weeks of small luxuries from a single steep. It is the quietest way to keep the spice within arm's reach of every glass in the house.
At a glance
Ingredients
- 12 threads Raihan Afghan Super Negin saffron
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring, until sugar dissolves.
- Off heat. Stir in saffron. Cover. Steep 10 minutes.
- Cool. Strain (or leave threads in for visual flair).
- Store airtight in the fridge up to 3 weeks.
Chef's note
Resist the urge to steep the threads in boiling syrup — pulling the pan off the heat first protects saffron's volatile aromatics, and the color will keep deepening for a good ten to fifteen minutes as it stands. The syrup should finish a clear amber-gold; a neon-yellow result usually means dyed threads, not real saffron.
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