Balsamic Reduction, Syrup, Sauce, Glaze, What Have You…
Many years ago, in a Kitchen Not Too Far, Far Away:
I was standing in the kitchen by the stainless steel work table where a demo plate sat in front of me. A squeeze bottle in hand, I drizzled a thin line of a black, syrupy glaze over the small stack of tomato, pesto and mozzarella. I finished the dish by topping the miniature food tower with a shiny, translucent, green leaf of fried basil. I stood back, pleased with my handiwork. Then I heard a voice.
“How did you thicken that? Did you use cornstarch or Wondra?” asked the Chef as he walked in, eyeing the bottle in my hand.
My eyebrow raised. Why would I do something like that?! I hesitated, nearly insulted, wondering whether his question was a joke or some kind of test. I set the bottle down gingerly and turned around. I answered slowly, enunciating every word with a slightly sharp undertone:
“…..No. Its a straight-up reduction of balsamic, Chef.”
“Oh? Cool.”
*sigh*…..Stay calm and don’t roll your eyes. He doesn’t know you yet. Still though, does he think I’m some kind of a shoemaker?”
What can I say…I’m a little sensitive about some things in this culinary life.
I got over myself. Eventually. But seriously, why would someone make balsamic glaze with cornstarch, let alone Wondra flour, when a plain reduction produces a superior flavor? Balsamic vinegar plus heat equals glaze. That is all. One can add sugar, but the vinegar’s got its own natural sugar, so that step is unnecessary. Sugar will just make the glaze thicken faster. This can be advantageous if you want to use less vinegar or save some time, but in the end, this addition will subtract from the final product’s flavor intensity as a result. I’ve done it and found that it is kind of pointless.
There are some bottled balsamic glazes out there, but from the few I’ve tried, they just don’t compare to homemade. They are either too light in color or the flavor is just flat out repugnant. A balsamic reduction should be sweet, tangy and intense, with a drizzable consistency, slightly thicker than molasses. Which brings up another advantage of making it at home: you can control the consistency and make it as thick as you like by increasing/decreasing the reduction time.
Balsamic glaze has infinite applications: drizzle a few lines over a salad, or squeeze some decorative dots on an amuse bouche plate of melon and prosciutto. Maybe spoon a little syrup over a chunk of high-quality Parmesan, or garnish some puréed soup with a few drops or a swirl. Its one of those embellishments that can elevate a dish to another level.
Anyhow, this fancy-schmancy garnish is so easy to make: Reduce, cool and play with. It just requires patience in regards to the cooking time. Probably the hardest part is making sure that the reduction doesn’t burn. Just keep a vigilant eye towards the end. Lastly, beware: your house will smell strongly of vinegar when making this, and do not, under any circumstances, put your face directly over the pot of bubbling liquid, whether by accident or temptation. Unless of course, you actually enjoy the sting of acidic fumes in your respiratory passages and eyes…
BALSAMIC GLAZE
Whatever amount of vinegar you decide to reduce, you will end up with about less than a quarter of the original amount in syrup. I am basing this recipe on a 3 cup reduction.
MISE EN PLACE
3 C balsamic vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Place the vinegar in a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot. Heat on low, so that you have a light simmer. Reduce until syrupy, or to desired consistency, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
To test the consistency, I like to take a spoon and drizzle a few drops onto a cool plate, or better yet, take a dry pastry brush and brush some glaze onto the same plate. I’ll then run my finger right over the cooled glaze to see how sticky it is. If the consistency is too thick, add a little water to the glaze, stir it up, and test again. If its too thin, return the pot to the heat. Whatever happens, don’t let it burn…
Once cooled, it can be stored at room temperature. If for some reason it is stored in the fridge where it will harden quite a bit, just place it in its container into a hot water bath, this will soften it up quickly.
TIP: Cooking time will vary, according to the size of the pot. Surface area makes a difference.
TIP #2: If vinegar is reduced too far for your use without being burnt, a little water can be added to thin it out again. The easiest way to do this is while the reduction is warmed over the stove.
NOTE: This technique can also be used for wine reductions and other vinegars, although the yield and cooking times may vary according to the natural sugar content.
p.s. Credit for the first photo in this post goes to my husband!
17 comments
how long does the glaze last for?
@William: Hi, William. In my experience, the glaze lasts a very long time, at least several weeks, if not longer. As long as no other food particle contaminates it, it should be fine. It is ok to keep it in the fridge, just pull it out a few hours before use, or use the hot water bath as I mentioned above. Maybe even a microwave could be used, although I’ve never tried that before.
This is amazing! I had no clue this is possible! I love that the glaze is only made with one ingredient!
I always wondered how they got those perfect and neat dots of sauce at fancy restaurants, now I can see the squeeze bottle helps. Thanks for this recipe!
@Hillary: Yes, squeeze bottles are an indispensable tool in professional kitchens. (In fact, a lot of cooks hoard them, especially the tips!) Piping cones made of parchment paper work too, with tiny holes cut for the piping (that’s how pastry cooks pipe “Happy Birthday” in chocolate on plates
)
@veggie wedgie: I love that its only one ingredient too!
Love your blog!
@Carol: Thank you!
I just loved the pic of the glaze drops. They look just fantastic!!!
Your husband did a stellar job with the photo. Simple, but it makes a statement. Thank you for showing me how to do this. Duh. It is simple, as long as someone explained how– which you did well. Thanks!
Thanks, everyone, and my husband will be happy to hear about the photo!
This is brilliant and something that I have been wondering about for a while! Thanks for the lesson! And the photos are beautiful!
add some brown suger and cooking red wine while reducing for alot better result
Great, thanks for the how to. Just got back from Portugal where a chef had ‘drops’ of balsamic syrup surrounding a perfect piece of ribeye steak. The combination was fantastic. He said all it was is reduced balsamic that took about three hours. Wanted to try this at home.
This is a great base for launching to other reductions. The sugar content does add to thickness of the reduction. In addition, I believe Full bodied Italian Reds work well as reduction compared to Napa Valley variants. Great tip!
Ivan: Thank you, I like your insight on the wines. Definitely something to consider and play around with. Straight-up wine reductions are pretty awesome (unless of course its a really bad wine).
Do you have any favorite balsamics for this?
Tim: I actually don’t have a particular favorite (I think I used Alessi for the post, though). I tend to get a different brand every time I buy it, mostly because the selection is so varied and different everywhere. For reductions, I would say stick with the cheaper to mid-priced balsamics. Check the ingredients to make sure there is grape must in there, not just red wine vinegar with caramel coloring (which is typical for probably all commercial grade balsamics, not the expensive gourmet stuff which needs no tweaking in any fashion.) Hope this helps.
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