Blueberry Vinegar

While researching blueberry vinegar I realized that there are pretty much two schools of thought. One school always cooks the berries and then strains it soon after, and the vinegar is almost always sweetened. Then there are those who don’t mind waiting, and are kind of purists. These are the ones that just mix berries and vinegar and proceed to wait a few days. One recipe even did both! Either way, it is really easy to make your own blueberry vinegar. Look for really ripe berries; the juicier the better. (If the berries are really ripe, allow them to sit out at room temperature for a few hours, as this will soften them a bit and make the juices release more readily.)  Here are both types. Although I think of one recipe as “uncooked”, the reality is that I will always boil a berry infused vinegar before storing to kill any wild yeast and other things to prevent the vinegar from coming alive.

Slow Recipe:

METHOD:

Put the berries into a non-reactive container such as a jar with a plastic lid or use plastic wrap over the opening to prevent vinegar and metal contact. Shake the jar a round to break up the berries, then use a fork to smash them up some more. Add the vinegar. Seal tightly, and shake like mad for a minute.

Set the vinegar out of light in a cool spot (refrigerator is fine), and shake once a day for three days. After three days, strain the vinegar from the berries through a cheesecloth lined stainless-steel strainer into a clean pot. Bring to a boil and boil 30 seconds. Skim any impurities that may surface. (Some folks skip this procedure. I do it just as a precaution. I have infused vinegars without pasteurizing and can not recall any of them coming alive, but I have seen some vinegars do so.) Strain again into a clean bottle and store somewhere cool and dark.

Quick Recipe:

I have seen recipes where the vinegar outweighs the berries by 2:1. This is my version.

METHOD:

Place the berries in the pan.  Lightly crush them with a potato masher. Add the vinegar and the sugar and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a vigorous simmer and cook 3 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes and transfer to a clean bottle or jar with a non-reactive lid. Let stand at least 4 hours, or when cool, put in the refrigerator and store overnight. Strain the vinegar from the berries through a cheesecloth lined stainless-steel strainer into a clean bottle. Store somewhere dark and cool.

Yield: Should make around 2 cups of vinegar.

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen