Agave Syrup

The agave plant, revered since the reign of the Aztec empire, produces a juice mainly known for its role in producing tequila. When simply pressed and left unfermented, agave provides a juice made up of 90 % fructose. Agave syrup is claimed to be sweeter than sugar. Producing a thin syrup, fairly neutral in taste, agave adds a sweet touch in drinks, marinades and sauces, and works very well in many baking applications such as fruit cobblers, muffins, tea cakes and breads. Since it has been adopted in many commercial products as a sugar alternative, minimally processed sweetener, it has now been made available for retail sale. Look for it in plastic squeeze bottles in natural foods stores.

As an added bonus, all the recipes in my archive, Mix it Up with Mani, which call for fruit juice reduction will work just as well with agave syrup. Agave syrup is much more available than the fruit juice concentrate, so go ahead...bake my day!