Seasonal Recipe: Raspberry Vinegar


I picked the last of this year's 'Autumn Bliss' raspberries at the weekend and instead of scoffing them as usual, I decided to try making some raspberry vinegar. I eventually plumped for Nigel Slater's recipe via The Guardian. His version uses much less sugar than the others I found and is strained, so it has no pips :)

I substituted cider vinegar for the recipe's white wine vinegar and I steeped the raspberries for 5 days instead of the minimum two. The recipe also calls for a stainless steel saucepan for the cooking stage because the acid from the vinegar will react with aluminium ones. I don't have one, but I found the ceramic pan from my slow cooker was a good substitute.

I only had 250g of raspberries instead of the 450g given in the recipe, so I've adjusted the rest of the ingredients accordingly.

Ingredients

  • 250g  raspberries (good ones - I found I had to sort through mine to pick out the best)
  • 250 ml white wine vinegar (cider vinegar for me - NB the vinegar should be a minimum 5% acetic acid so it'll keep)
  • 45g sugar (I used granulated which seems fine)

Method

  1. Place the raspberries in a stainless steel or glass bowl and crush lightly with a fork or potato masher
  2. Pour over the vinegar, stir then cover and set aside for at least 2 days (other recipes say 5-7 days)
  3. Give the fruit an occasional stir
  4. Drain the fruit through muslin and leave for 2 or 3 hours – longer if you have time (I left it overnight)
  5. Pour the liquid into a stainless steel saucepan and add the sugar
  6. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, scraping off any foam. 
  7. Leave to cool, pour into sterilised bottles (I heated mine in the oven at 100oC for 20 minutes) and store in a cool dark place. 
  8. Leave the vinegar for 2-3 weeks before use. It will last for a year.
What the recipe doesn't mention is the rich ruby red colour of the resultant vinegar, which glows with goodness and promise :)

As well as mixing with olive oil and some crushed black pepper to make a salad dressing, Nigel Slater suggests raspberry vinegar can be poured over ice cream to make a piquant fruity sauce, or over ice and topped up with mineral water or lemonade to make a refreshing drink. It can also be added to a pan to deglaze meat juices.

Some of the other recipes I looked at mention raspberry vinegar is good for soothing coughs. I'm looking forward to this taste of summer helping to beat future winter ills :)

NB next week is Salad Days - I'm looking forward to hearing how you're getting on with your salad growing or eating :)

Comments

  1. Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax!16 November 2012 at 16:59

    Gracious. A first ever reason for looking forward to winter chills!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous16 November 2012 at 17:03

    I think you'll really like this. I've made blackberry vinegar, which makes a grown-up alternative to Ribena and is also good on ice-cream. And these vinegars are great for a sore throat. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lucy Corrander Now in Halifax!16 November 2012 at 17:22

    Seen this, VP?

    http://gardenamateur.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/my-freebie-salad-bowl.html

    ReplyDelete
  4. Liz18 November 2012 at 07:37

    I have yet to flavour vinegar but i do have a lot of tarragon in the garden at the moment so i might give that a try. Raspberry sounds lovely and i would never have thought of having it with ice cream.

    ReplyDelete
  5. VP18 November 2012 at 10:45

    Lucy - it's easy enough to do when you're feeling well. I may think differently later on! Thanks for the link as well :)

    Helen - it's wonderful stuff. I haven't made anywhere near enough.

    Liz - I've heard tarragon vinegar is really good. I'll be trying herb flavoured vinegars next year.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sandie Anne22 November 2012 at 10:53

    This year I made flavored, medicinal vinegar using raspberries, the leaves and canes. I used apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 6 weeks. The vitamins are supposed to be extracted from the plant material creating a delicious, medicinal vinegar for salads. It came out as a beautiful red also!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP27 November 2012 at 14:06

      Sandie Anne - hello! I'm intrigued by your ingredients list - I knew leaves could be used, but not the canes.

      Delete
  7. Janet/Plantaliscious22 November 2012 at 13:08

    Oooh, delicious! I will bookmark this for next year, when hopefully I will have raspberries to pick myself again. Assuming I make up my mind where to plant them...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP27 November 2012 at 14:07

      Janet - I do hope you make up your mind, this has been such a worthwhile project.

      Delete
  8. Tuckshop Gardener25 November 2012 at 22:39

    Can't look at fruit vinegars having been dosed with them as a child - I'm sure they're delicious but the thought of them mixed in with margarine and a teaspoon of sugar was always enough to make me cough into my pillow to the point of suffocation rather than face them. Maybe I should revisit them without the other bits of hideousness and give them another go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VP27 November 2012 at 14:05

      Tuckshop Gardener - welcome :) That sounds awful. The raspberry vinegar tastes wonderful - I hope you can overcome childhood traumas to try some...

      Delete

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