A Whiter Shade of Balsamic

The Chinese call 2003 the Year of the Goat. Foodies will be calling it The Year of White Balsamic Vinegar. Every year there’s a new sexy ingredient – remember rocket, the sun-dried tomato, the kiwi fruit? White balsamic is the new black and chefs everywhere are mixing up their own secret potions, combining it with single estate extra virgin or walnut oil in slick salad dressings or mixing it with stock, wine and herbs and reducing it to a sticky ‘jus’. Balsamic vinegar is just what it says – wine vinegar that’s been infused with the herb balsam. Usually it’s caramelised and aged in oak casks – the longer the ageing, the more expensive. White balsamic hasn’t been given this treatment, so it’s colourless – important if you don’t want your reduction to end up looking like Marmite – and more fragrant.

You might like to try this: chop a shallot or small onion very fine. Fry it in a spot of olive oil, just until it changes colour. Add 3 tablespoons of grape or apple juice, 2 of white balsamic (or white ) vinegar, a tablespoon of honey, half a chicken stock cube, a sprig of thyme or rosemary and a cup of water. Boil until it reduces by half. Strain and serve with robust meats such as pork, venison or one of the excellent French guinea fowl that cost not much more than a flabby battery chicken.