How to Make Herb Vinegar
fruit and herb vinegars
Vinegar, what would fish and chips be without malt vinegar, for example. The word vinegar comes from the French vin aigre which means sour wine. Vinegar can be made form cider, malt or rice wine.
Cider vinegar is made from cider or apple pulp and has a strong, sharp flavour. Cider vinegar is great for making fruit pickles, for example.
Malt vinegar is made from malted barley and is used most often as pickling vinegar for onions and other vegetables. It can also be used for making sauces and chutneys.
Rice vinegar, common to Asian cuisines and is made from sourced and fermented rice wines.
Herb Vinegar:
Ingredients:
2 oz herbs your choice
2 cups white or red wine vinegar*
Preparation:
Place herbs in a glass jar, clean, with a clamp top lid.
Bring vinegar to a boil
Pour over herbs.
Seal and leave to infuse (about 2 weeks)
Shake now and then.
To store, strain the vinegar into a clean jar or bottle and seal with a cork.
The possibilities for making herb-flavoured vinegars are vast. *You can use either red or white wine vinegar and fresh, ripe fruit or fresh, undamaged herbs and create a wide variety of flavours.
The vinegar should be gently heated before steeping.
If you decide to make a fruit vinegar you can use frozen fruit but do not used canned fruit in syrup. Fruit vinegar works best with any soft fruit and white wine vinegar. The white wine vinegar allows the colour of the fruit to show.
Raspberry vinegar;
Ingredients:
1 lb raspberries
5 cups white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar or (honey)
Preparation;
Place raspberries into a sterilized jar that has an airtight seal add vinegar
Seal and let steep, shaking occasionally.
Strain raspberries and vinegar into a saucepan.
Press to extract flavour.
Place mixture on low heat
Let simmer ten (10) minutes
Transfer to sterilized jars.
You can add fresh berries to improve presentation.
Flavoured vinegar is best stored in a dark cool place such as a cellar. The low storage temperature is important to not only preserve the flavour but to prevent fermentation. If you vinegar should ferment it has gone beyond human use.
