(no subject)

[darchildre]

#3, the cardomon grape balsamic*, is fantastic. The white balsamic is my favorite vinegar that I've used so far - it has a beautiful flavor and just enough bite. The grapey-ness is really light and the cardomon is very prevalent in the smell of the syrup but not as much in the taste, which is pleasant. I would definitely make this again with essentially no changes.

#4 - strawberry balsamic black pepper. I made this one last week - 1 1/2 cups strawberries, 1 1/2 cups white sugar, about 12 cracked black peppercorns, 1 cup white balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar. This has a lovely bright strawberry taste but, sadly, the pepper isn't quite apparent enough for me. There's a spiciness to it, but not a real pepper flavor - Dad asked if there was ginger in it. Next time, I think I'd double the number of peppercorns.

#5, started today - pear and basil. I cut up two pears (which yielded 2 cups of pear), tore up two big handfuls of basil leaves, and covered it in 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup turbinado. The fruit is currently macerating and I'll add the vinegar tomorrow. It will likely be a mix of white distilled and white balsamic again, as I really like that.





*I'm going to have to start giving them names. That's just unwieldy.