This infusion is more suited for a gastrique/reduction than as a vinegar. It reminds me of apricot jam. When reduced, its thick as honey, the tartness of apricots, the sweetness of mango, and the cleansing punch of ginger makes it ideal for glazing summer fruit tarts.

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:

• 1-cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried mango
• 1/3-cup black currants
• 1/4-cup dry candied ginger
• 1-vanilla bean split
• 1-shallot split
• 1-garlic clove split
• 4-sprigs fresh thyme
• 10-black peppercorns
• ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
• 2-cups white wine vinegar

Preparation:

What you will need: 2-qt Mason jar and strainer.

1. Place fruit, herbs and aromatics in jar.
2. Heat vinegar in microwave for 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour vinegar over ingredients. Allow to cool before securing lid.
4. Let cure for one week. Because the fruit is dry, the vinegar will rehydrate it.
5. In strainer, press fruit with back of spoon to extract vinegar.

For gastrique/reduction:

1. Pour vinegar into a 2-qt saucepan, add 1/4-cup Stevia and cook on high heat.
2. Bring vinegar to a roaring boil and allow to boil for 5-minutes.
3. Remove from heat and swirl till bubbles recede and steam completely dissipates. Do not stir.
4. 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, pour vinegar into heat-proof measuring cup. If it measures closer to 3/4 cup, return pan to burner and continue cooking and swirling. If it is only slightly over a 1/2 cup, better to error on the side of caution and under-reduce than over-reduce. Otherwise, the consistency will turn from a syrup to jelly when it cools. When in doubt do a spoon test. Allow reduction to cool completely and trail a tablespoon through the reduction, if syrup coats the spoon like honey, then you’ve reached the desired consistency. If it’s still too runny, return reduction to heat and bring to a full boil swirling in intervals between boiling points one or two more times. When completely cooled transfer to desired bottle