Fruit Infused Vinegar

Ingredients

• 3 cups white balsamic vinegar
  
  
• 2 cups fresh berries like raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, mulberries, or cherries
  
  
• 1 cup herbs like basil, mint, citrus zest, or shallots
  
  

Instructions

Infuse the vinegar

Warm the vinegar in a pan on the stove, until it just begins to steam. Don’t let it simmer or boil. Place the berries in a clean and sanitized wide-mouth mason jar. Use a muddler to tamp down the fruit to release a little juice. Chop the herbs finely, to release their aromatic essence. Add them to the jar. Pour the warmed vinegar over the herbs and fruit in the jar. Cap tightly.

Place it in a spot on the counter where you’ll remember it. Shake the jar gently once a day.

Pasteurize the vinegar

After two weeks, strain the gourmet vinegar. Reserve the liquid. Set the fruit aside to use in another recipe. (The leftover fruit can be used as a marinade or fruit basting sauce for meat, poultry, or fish.)

Place the strained vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and hold it there for 10 minutes. Don’t let it boil. Turn off the heat. Allow it to cool slightly.

Clean and sanitize a glass bottle. Warm the bottle in the oven at 150°F while the vinegar is pasteurizing. You can use the bottle that the vinegar originally came in.

Pour the pasteurized vinegar into the warmed bottle, using a funnel. Cap with a cork or a screw cap. Once this is pasteurized, keep the infused vinegar at room temperature. The high acid value of the vinegar means that botulism spores can’t develop. This vinegar lasts indefinitely if kept at room temperature in a cool, dark place. If the vinegar is not pasteurized it should be kept refrigerated and used within 3 months.