Sweet Success

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! 

Ring the bell, we have a winner. 

After our two hilarious escapades in balsamic reduction (episode #1, episode #2), I went back to the original method Chef Husband taught me about a decade ago.

Balsamic Reduction 

4 parts dark balsamic vinegar 

1 part sugar

Bring to boil and simmer uncovered until reduced by half.

Tip

Something I did learn, though, was how to finesse the consistency. Upon removing the reduction from the stove, once it cooled to room temp, it was still a tad thin for what I wanted. The quick fix was to put it in the microwave, in a glass dish covered with a microwave splatter guard, and bring it to boil in 30 second intervals at 100% power. Once it started to coat the back of the spoon a little bit thicker (just as it was reaching a point of developing foam), it was set on the counter to cool. There is however a lot of retained heat in the mixture and it can begin to thicken too much. At this point, a tiny bit of steaming super hot water (straight from the Keurig 2.0, if you have one handy) can be used to thin it down, along with a a brisk-whisk with a fork.

Isn’t it lovely? 

Until next time…

Culinarily Yours,

Mrs. Chef (Christa)