Honey Balsamic Syrup today. Here’s how we got here.
Years ago at my previous place of employ, my coworker S somehow convinced me and my other coworker P to spend $35 on a bottle of balsamic vinegar. Not quite the food snob that I am now, and having just gotten to a position where I had the disposable income to afford such an extravagance, I couldn’t believe that I was even considering it. Still, we both relented and quickly became converts. Besides the ordinary other things one would do with some balsamic vinegar, he implored us to give it a go as a topper for vanilla ice cream. Dear God. It was so good, it was like I’d never look at vinegar the same way again. P took to hiding her bottle from her then-boyfriend for fear that he’d eat it all himself.
It’s that good. Really.
But, since I know that not everyone is inclined to spend so much on so little, I had to come up with a way to get this flavor into your hands without emptying your wallets, using run of the mill balsamic. I did it and it’s simple and it works.
And passes muster from even the harshest of critics.
Reduce it! Add a bit of honey to sweeten the pot (literally) and you’ll end up with concentrated flavor minus the bitterness. Still, it is vinegar, so expect a bit of tang.
Also, fresh whipped cream finishes it off nicely. The end result is not as heavy as a traditional ice cream sundae (which is still the best thing ever, IMO) and really, should you eat berries without a bit of cream? Not in my book, and I can thank my grandparents for that, who served us often, for dessert, fresh raspberries from the garden, sprinkled with sugar and topped with a bit of good old cream from the happy cows of Canada. I can still taste it in my memory.
I really can’t think of a better topping for a simple dessert of ice cream and berries. With the season of plenty upon us, best to have a plan in place to make the best of it.
One note: this will reduce quite quickly and my first ride on this merry go round had me accidentally reducing 1/2 cup of vinegar to 2 TB of what I can only describe as some sort of balsamic tar. Not so good. A low simmer for about 20-30 minutes should do the trick.
Written while cuddling with the harshest critic.
Honey Balsamic Syrup
May 16, 2018
: 1/3 c
: 30 min
: 30 min
: Easy
Balsamic vinegar is reduced to a thicker syrup with a touch of additional sweetness to make this honey balsamic syrup, a perfect topping for ice cream or fruit..
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 TB honey
Directions
- Step 1 In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and bring to a simmer. Keep an eye on it, and let it reduce to about 1/3 of a cup. Stir in the honey until it’s melted in and incorporated and set aside to cool.
- Step 2 Serve with some good vanilla ice cream and your favorite berries.
