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More Recipes for Flavored Oils and Vinegars
Flavored vinegars can be used in place of any recipe that calls for vinegar, such as vinaigrettes. Flavored oils make great marinades, and they can be brushed on bread before toasting or drizzled over vegetables before roasting or grilling.
FLAVORED VINEGARS
Cranberry Vinegar
1 bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup vanilla scented sugar syrup, recipe follows
Pinch salt
3/4 cup champagne vinegar (6 percent acidity)
Put cranberries, syrup and salt in a pan and heat over high heat until cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat, let cool and then puree in a blender.
Add vinegar and taste for balance.
Add more vinegar and thin with water if necessary.
Strain through a fine strainer into a bowl or pitcher. Store in a sterilized jar or bottle and refrigerate. Use within one month.
Vanilla Scented Syrup
Keep this syrup on hand to add to iced tea and other cold drinks or for poaching fruit. It does not need to be refrigerated. The vanilla is minced to make sure all its flavor is extracted into the syrup.
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 vanilla beans, minced or 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
Put the sugar, water and vanilla beans (if using) in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower heat to a simmer and cook about 4 minutes. Stir occasionally. Let cool. Puree syrup in a blender until vanilla beans are thoroughly chopped into the syrup. Strain through a fine strainer into a jar. If using vanilla extract instead of beans, add extract after the sugar syrup has cooled and pour into a jar. Seal tightly.
Vinegar Base for Infused Vinegars
Ingredients:
1 small bunch parsley
1 tsp. peppercorns
1/8 tsp. salt
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 quart of vinegar (cider, white distilled, rice wine, white wine or red wine)
Procedure:
Place parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in large ceramic or glass bowl.
Bring vinegar to a boil and pour over herbal mixture in the bowl.
Cover and let mixture stand for two days.
Strain and decant into a sterilized bottle.
Add one to three sprigs of herbs of your choice.
Seal the bottle with a cork or lid. Refrigerate and use within a month.
FLAVORED OILS
Basic Recipe for flavored oils
1 tsp. peppercorns
8 to 10 springs of your choice of herbs
Olive oil to fill container
1 sterile bottle or wide-mouth canning jar
Place the herbs and peppercorns into the sterile bottle or wide-mouth canning jar.
Use a funnel to decant the olive oil into the bottle to cover the herbs.
Seal, refrigerate and use within one month.
Great flavor combinations*
Lemon and dill
Tarragon and dill
Lemon and garlic
Cilantro and lime
Rosemary and marjoram
*Oil flavored with garlic, herbs or dried tomatoes or combination of these must be kept refrigerated and used within a month.
Hot Infusion is the superior method for creating infused oils with dry spices, and is also good with roots and woody herbs. Combine the oil and the flavor ingredients in a saucepan and heat over a moderate flame. Monitor temperature with thermometer – between 180 and 200 degrees is sufficient to release the essential oils of flavoring ingredients. Strain oil, if necessary, and bottle in sterile containers while still hot. Seal and allow to cool. Refrigerate oil after it has reached room temperature. Use within one month.
Source: California Energy Commission
