How to add sweetness to food

It seems a simple enough question with a simple enough answer- when food needs to be sweetened, just add sugar.???  Well, maybe that would solve the problem, but there are numerous other ways to accomplish this and, at the same time, also adding flavor complexity to the dish . Many times we need to add sweetness to a dish such as a sauce or a vinaigrette that is too acidic, or a sausage or meat that is too spicy, or simply a dish that needs a sweetness to fully develop its taste and create a more balanced flavor. One obvious method is to take advantage of the natural sugars in the ingredients such as in onions, carrots, prunes, etc... Another way is to introduce sugar through the use of other "vehicles": My secret weapon is an arsenal of flavored syrups.

I have several "go-to" syrups that I use in virtually all of my dishes. The advantage of using syrups over sugar is the added complexity of flavors that a particular syrup brings to the dish. My favorite is pomegranate syrup. Another is the meyer lemon syrup. I use the two in every vinaigrette to counter the acidity of the vinegar and to add a subtle flavored sweetness to the dressing. I like to use syrup in my braising liquid when braising meat. I use it in marinades. I use it in my smoothies. Sometimes, I hide a small dollops of syrup under the dish when plating to add some "hidden" flavor. Somtimes I use syrup as a plate garnish. The list is endless.

Pomegranate grenadine syrup, meyer lemon syrup, 

sangiovese pomegranate reduction, 

red wine orange reduction, and Lavender honey glaze

You don't have to buy syrups, you can also make your own. Whenever I have leftover wine (not that often!), I like to reduce it down to make syrup and store it in small squirt bottles. It's very simple to add flavors to your syrup. Pictured above is one of my homemade syrups: orange wine syrup which I made with a leftover orange a little past its prime. I simply put some orange slices and rind in the wine during the reduction. After some time, I strained all the solids out, and continued reducing the liquid until it reached the desired consistency.

Whenever a savory recipe calls for a sweet ingredient, I immediately think of how I can modify it with a flavored syrup to boost flavors. A great place to find unique syrups are specialty food stores. Give it a try and experiment for yourself to discover that one unique secret ingredient in your pantry!