Easy Balsamic Reduction

Easy Balsamic Reduction

I love vinegar so much. Balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar. . . . Each of them are so good. I even almost named this blog after vinegar. Vinegar is amazing, but somehow this balsamic reduction is even better.

Reducing vinegar takes what is already good about the vinegar and amplifies it. Reduction takes all the sharp edges and smooths them away, leaving with you with honey’s dark and acidic cousin. The more you reduce the vinegar, the sweeter and thicker it gets. And luckily, reducing it only takes about fifteen minutes!

In making this easy balsamic vinegar reduction, you can also really enhance the taste of a less expensive vinegar. I wouldn’t buy the very cheapest balsamic, but pretty much anything above that will be improved by reducing it to a glaze. You can also add honey, other sweeteners, or fresh or dried herbs to infuse your reduction with a different flavor of your choice.

Now, what should you do with balsamic reduction once you’ve made it? The possibilities are endless! Use it as a salad dressing (my personal favorite), drizzle it over garden-fresh tomatoes, whip up a Caprese salad, or even dip strawberries and blackberries into it. It would be a great substitute for the balsamic dressing on a Harvest Chicken Salad, or for the honey lemon dressing on this Roasted Beet Salad. Either way, you’re bound to have fun with this balsamic reduction.

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey, optional
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary, optional

Instructions

Bring your vinegar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Allow it to boil for a few seconds before reducing the heat to medium. Let the vinegar simmer for 15-20 minutes until it begins reducing.

Allow it to reduce by half (or more, if you prefer a thicker glaze) and then set it aside to cool. Add the honey and/or rosemary at this point if desired. This reduction should keep in the fridge for about two weeks. Enjoy!



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