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FRUIT INFUSED VINEGARS
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Here is a wonderful collection of 7 vinegars (plus the variations for strawberry and blueberry vinegar, in the last recipe) which are made by infusing store-bought vinegars with fruits of the season and other aromatics. Be sure to start with excellent vinegars and the best quality (and very ripe) fruits, so you’ll have superb results. These make wonderful gifts, as well! Note an alternative technique under "variations" below the recipe. It is faster, but requires a lot of straining.
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NECTARINE VINEGAR
3 ripe fresh nectarines – coarsely chopped
1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces
1 1/2 cups, white wine vinegar
Place all ingredients in a non-metallic container. Bruise the fruit (crush it with the back of a spoon or other utensil) while stirring to blend ingredients; cover tightly. Allow to stand 10 to 14 days. Strain. Store in a cool, dark place. Use within 3 to 4 months.
PEAR VINEGAR
2 ripe fresh Bartlett pears – coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons, fresh tarragon - chopped
1 1/2 cups, white wine vinegar
Place all ingredients in non-metallic container. Bruise the fruit (crush it with the back of a spoon or other utensil) while stirring to blend ingredients; cover tightly. Allow to stand 10 to 14 days. Strain. Store in a cool, dark place. Use within 3 to 4 months.
PEACH VINEGAR
2 ripe fresh peaches – coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons, honey
10 fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 cups, Champagne vinegar OR white wine vinegar
Place all ingredients in a non-metallic container. Bruise the fruit (crush it with the back of a spoon or other utensil) while stirring to blend ingredients; cover tightly. Allow to stand 10 to 14 days. Strain. Store in a cool, dark place. Use within 3 to 4 months.
PLUM VINEGAR
4 ripe fresh plums – coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons, fresh ginger - chopped
12.7 ounces, rice vinegar
Place all ingredients in non-metallic container. Bruise the fruit (crush it with the back of a spoon or other utensil) while stirring to blend ingredients; cover tightly. Allow to stand 10 to 14 days. Strain. Store in a cool, dark place. Use within 3 to 4 months.
GREEN GRAPE-LIME VINEGAR
Makes 1 cup vinegar
1 cup, white wine vinegar
5 teaspoons, sugar
1 1/4 cups, green grapes
1 lime peel spiral
1/2 teaspoon, mustard seeds
Heat the vinegar and sugar until dissolved. Place the grapes, lime peel and mustard seeds in a clean pint jar or bottle. Pour the warmed vinegar mixture into jar. Cover tightly and allow to stand at room temperature in a dark place for at least 2 weeks to allow flavors to mellow. Cook’s Note: This is terrific served, mixed with a little oil, atop oranges slices, celery slices and grapes on butter lettuce.
PEPPERY RED GRAPE VINEGAR
Makes 1 cup
1 cup, red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons, honey
1 1/4 cups, red grapes
1 dried whole chili pepper
1 whole clove garlic - peeled
Heat the vinegar and honey until combined. Place the grapes, chili pepper and garlic in a clean pint jar or bottle. Pour the warmed vinegar mixture into jar. Cover tightly and allow to stand at room temperature in dark place for at least 2 weeks to allow flavors to mellow. Cook’s Note: Peppery Grape Vinegar is great splashed into a stir-fry.
RASPBERRY VINEGAR
Raspberry vinegars command high prices in food boutiques, but if you can pick (or buy) fresh red raspberries in season, making your own is inexpensive and simple, although a bit time-consuming. The vinegar you make, because it’s unsweetened, will be highly suitable for use in sauces and salads (although you may sweeten it, if desired). This is a particularly rich and full-flavored raspberry (or blueberry or strawberry) vinegar. See the “variations” note below for suggestions for making this with other berries.
Makes about 5 cups
6 half-pint baskets (8 to 9 cups) raspberries - picked over
3 cups, white wine vinegar OR oriental rice vinegar
The vinegar will be flavored in two steps, each requiring about 4 cups of raspberries. Seal half of the berries in a freezer container and freeze until needed, or plan to obtain fresh berries when the time for the second steeping arrives. Rinse the remaining berries and drain well.
Crush the rinsed raspberries and place them in a sterilized, well-drained heatproof 2-quart jar. Add vinegar and cover the jar. Set the jar in a deep saucepan and fill the saucepan with water to come halfway up the vinegar jar. Set the pan over medium heat and bring the water to a boil; reduce the heat and keep water just barely simmering for 20 minutes. Remove the jar and set it aside, uncovered, to allow the contents to cool.
Add a lid to the jar of berries and vinegar and set the jar where you will notice it; give it a shake every day for 2 weeks.
Thaw the reserved berries (or use rinsed and drained fresh berries), crush them, and strain the prepared vinegar onto them through a fine sieve, pressing on the old batch of berries lightly to extract the juice; discard the pulp in the sieve. Return the vinegar, with the new raspberries, to the original jar and repeat the scalding or simmering operation described in the second paragraph above. Allow the vinegar to stand with second batch of berries for 2 weeks, as before.
Strain the vinegar off the berries through a sieve lined with fine-meshed nylon net or 2 layers of dampened cheesecloth, pressing berries lightly to extract their juice. Discard the pulp. Line a funnel with a paper coffee filter, dampen the paper, set the funnel over a sterilized, dry jar or bottle, and filter the vinegar through it. Cap or cork the container (use a new cork only) and store the vinegar in a cool, dark cupboard or pantry. The vinegar may develop sediment as it stands. This is harmless, but if you prefer a sparkling-clear bottled vinegar, filter the vinegar again as described above.
COOK’S NOTE:
If stored in a cool cupboard or pantry, this will keep indefinitely
VARIATION:
Substitute the same amount of strawberries (6 – 9 cups) or blueberries for the raspberries to make strawberry vinegar or blueberry vinegar (sweeten if desired).
COOK’S NOTE:
To make a basic vinaigrette salad dressing, beat together 3 tablespoons of the chosen fruit vinegar with salt and pepper and I slightly beaten egg yolk. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil or salad oil and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, if desired. Store in refrigerator until serving time. Serve over assorted types of salads.
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Variations:
Peach Infused Vinegar
- an alternative technique
In a saucepan, blend together 6 pounds of roughly chopped over-ripe peaches (or other fruit of your choice) with three cups of white wine vinegar and 1/2 cup of honey. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and allow the mixture to cool completely.
Working in batches, puree the peach mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth - about 10 seconds. Strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Then, line the sieve with cheesecloth and place it over another large bowl, Pour the strained peach mixture into the lined sieve - do not press on the solids in the sieve - cover with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to strain overnight in the refrigerator (or up to two days).
Uncover, remove the sieve and discard the solids. Pour the peach vinegar into a bottle or jar. Cover and refrigerate for up to one month.
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Raspberry Vinegar recipe adapted from: Fancy Pantry by Helen Witty (Workman)
OTHER RECIPES: adapted from recipes by Natalie Haughton – published in the Daily News - August, 1988.
"Variation" technique for Peach-Infused Vinegar adapted from Martha Stewart Living magazine, August, 2008.
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