All about balsamic

Entertaining extras

Drizzle on a dime
Use a bottle of the inexpensive stuff to make a reduction. Empty a 500 mL bottle into a deep saucepan and add ¼ cup real maple syrup or honey. Simmer over low heat, gently stirring often, until the liquid has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Set it aside to cool. As it cools, it will continue to thicken. Using a funnel, transfer the reduction to a squeeze bottle and keep refrigerated. Kept cold and covered, it should last just about forever. Use this sweet and savoury syrup to dress grilled veggies sprinkled with goat cheese, fish dishes or even desserts. Yes, desserts – read on.

Not just for salad
In Italy, a traditional dessert is made from fresh strawberries, a sprinkling of cracked black pepper and a drizzle of the finest balsamico the cook can afford.


The mother of all vinegars

Have you ever gone to use your vinegar only to be horrifi ed by a slimy blob floating in the bottom of the bottle? Well, don’t panic. It’s just mother of vinegar. All vinegars are started the same way – with bacteria produced by sugar-eating yeasts. That bacteria, acetobacter, is known as mother of vinegar. It’s completely harmless, so there’s no need to throw the bottle away.

Read more in Food & Entertaining and Food Tips