Balsamic Syrup

[PrincessFiona60]

I while ago I made Balsamic Syrup by reducing the vinegar on the stovetop until is was reduced by half. This was the best syrup to add to grilled veggies and on fresh strawberries. Wonderful!

However, the cats mutinied and I gassed myself out of the house. Thankfully it was summer and I did this at night when I could open all the windows.

 

[Claire]

Boy, does this one make me laugh. I live in an 1854 house .... read that to mean I do not have an exhaust hood over my stove. I think the worst I've done is in the fall when I throw my dried chilies in the food processor. Whew! Dogs, husband and I all run our of the kitchen crying. I can definitely see reducing vinegar having the same effect.

 

[mcnerd]

I would think that would help with any bug problems in the house too. Ants hate vinegar and the aroma would probably penetrate into all the cracks and crevices.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My Dad used to buy a 50 pound bag of onions and chop them all at once to freeze them for the year...and he ground his own horseradish...I'm used to noxious smells in the house. To this day I cannot stand stale onion odor on my hands.

The Balsamic was the first one I ever did on my own.

 

[jackiemax]

hi.
tip for you: you can make the syrup simply by putting some balsamic into a little bowl (not plastic.), covering it with a cheesecloth so it can breathe without letting dust and the like fall into it. let it sit around on your kitchen counter, table, wherever, for a couple of days or more. it will thicken thru evaporation, become sweet and wonderful. you will not recognize it as what came out of the bottle. replenish as needed. mine lives on the counter as a permanent fixture. no heat. no smell that will drive you out of the kitchen, and it is always available. wonderful drizzled over strawberries, in a salad dressing,or whatever else you want to do with it. enjoy!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Thanks, JackieMax, very helpful tip!

 

[jackiemax]

you are most welcome! glad you liked it. works well for me.

 

[babetoo]

thanks from me too jackiemax. definitely going to try it. very clever actually.

 

[jackiemax]

babetoo, thank you for the thank you! this is so good i almost never use the vinegar right out of the bottle anymore. of course, start with a decent balsamic. right now i am using Colavita Riserva 6 Star. have used others. can't afford the 200 dollar a bottle stuff!

 

[yourstrulyewalani]

It's a good thing you said that or I might have tried it and ran out...never really thought of that. I'll try leaving it out and drizzling over strawberries!!!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I have a 6 ounce bottle I got for Christmas...I'm getting it set up. About how long does it take to evaporate? I have problems with counter space.

 

[jackiemax]

princess:
i too have problems with counter space. i put maybe a quarter cup of balsamic in a little glass bowl. cover it as i said to, with cheesecloth. let it sit until it is thick, sweet, and glossy. takes maybe 3 days or so? can't say exactly. depends on the heat in your place. you will know when it is ready when you taste it.
i am curious- what kind of balsamic did you get for christmas?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

i am curious- what kind of balsamic did you get for christmas?

Thanks again! It is Monari Federzoni, a nurse friend set up an exotic food basket for me with anchovy paste, garlic paste, basil oil and the balsamic, along with various crackers and bread. I already have two open bottles of really good balsamic, so I thought this was the best choice to experiment with.

 

[luvs]

we put the immersion blender into balsamic vinegar that we'd combined a thickeneing agent into..... soy lecithin or xanthan- the 1 we used eludes me,- thickened very well.
i nary thicken unless i'm making gravy or a bechamel, or stew or cheese sauce, so i'm gonna keep my thickening plain/simple!-..... reduction! or roux,, whitewash, slurry, oe liasions. if i get very financially cozy, then i'll delve into the other ingredients.

 

[jackiemax]

Thanks again! It is Monari Federzoni, a nurse friend set up an exotic food basket for me with anchovy paste, garlic paste, basil oil and the balsamic, along with various crackers and bread. I already have two open bottles of really good balsamic, so I thought this was the best choice to experiment with.

oh gosh- i tried several times to reply to you but it won't go thru!!!!
my email is shopknuckleheads@aol.com

 

[jackiemax]

Thanks again! It is Monari Federzoni, a nurse friend set up an exotic food basket for me with anchovy paste, garlic paste, basil oil and the balsamic, along with various crackers and bread. I already have two open bottles of really good balsamic, so I thought this was the best choice to experiment with.

trying again:
just let it sit for a few days,you will know when it is done, by taste. maybe three days or more?

 

[Wyogal]

I find that reducing balsamic is much better, taste-wise, than merely "thickening" it. It intensifies the flavor (not the vinegary taste), brings out the sweetness. It's great drizzled over pureed borscht, aong with a dollop of sour cream.

 

[luvs]

if the balsamic was properly aged..... a great balsamic is already a rather dense item & reduction often makes that type of complimentary food-item too pungent.

 

[missM]

I found this forum when looking for how to make caramelised vinegar, so there. As instructed, poured the vinegar into a small pan, heated it for a couple of minutes and oh... Heaven... never mnd the strawberries, we ate it off the spoon.
Daugher paid $18 for one bottle of the stuff and $25 for another at a food and wine festival and I found the perfect way to do with what I had in my pantry right HERE )))

 

[missM]

I did a brown balsamic and then tried the white balsamic I had... as I said....heavenly