Spicy, savory undertones from apple, cardamom, cinnamon, curry, mint, create a type of liquid chutney in a bottle ready to flavor a bevy of soups, stews, and sauces, which I applied as part of the flavoring profile in my vegan Worcestershire sauce along with other select vinegars.
For other recipes, I reduced it into a glaze for grilling. But I didn’t stop there. As a glaze, it’s perfect for drizzling over desserts and ice cream.
Recipe notes: What you will need: 1-qt Mason jar and strainer. Active prep time 10-minutes. Inactive time 1-2 weeks for curing. Vinegar yields 2-cups. Gastrique yields 2/3-1/2 cup. Cooking time 15-20minutes. Difficulty level: Very easy
Ingredients:
- 2-apples (preferably granny smith or gala), cored and cut
- 4-sprigs fresh mint
- 2-sprigs fresh thyme
- 1-shallot split lengthwise
- 1-garlic clove split lengthwise
- 1-sm turmeric root split lengthwise
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger
- 3- whole cardamom pods, halved
- 1-clove
- 1/2-cinnamon stick
- 1/2-vanilla bean split lengthwise
- 2-dry arobol chiles broken, or 1/4-tsp dry chili flakes
- 10-peppercorns
- 2-slices fresh orange
- 1/3-cup black currants or raisins
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- 2-cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar
Preparation:
- Place fruit and aromatics in a jar.
- Heat vinegar in the microwave and pour over ingredients.
- Allow to cool before securing the lid.
- Let cure for 7-10 days.
- Strain and transfer to the desired jar.
For gastrique/reduction:
- Pour vinegar into a 2-qt saucepan, add 1/4-cup Stevia and cook on high heat.
- Bring vinegar to a roaring boil and allow to boil for 5-minutes.
- Remove from heat and swirl pan till bubbles recede, and steam completely dissipates. Do not stir.
- Return pan to heat, continuing to swirl reduction in intervals between boiling points. Reduce vinegar by 3/4 or till you see a syrupy consistency developing approximately 15-20 minutes. The last 5-minutes are crucial, this is when the sugars are caramelizing, and the vinegar needs close attention.
- If starting with 16 ounces of liquid, you should end up with about 4-oz, or 1/2 cup.
To test the reduction:
- Allow reduction to cool completely and trail a tablespoon through it, if syrup coats the spoon like honey, then you’ve reached the desired consistency. If still too, runny, return pan to heat and bring to a boil one or two more times. Better to error on the side of caution and stop there; otherwise the syrup will be too thick and turn to tar when it cools
- Allow to cool before transferring to a glass bottle.