Balsamic Glaze

This is the third Core Ingredient, is simple to make, versatile, inexpensive and an incredible condiment. Bursting with exotic flavors; this glaze makes almost everything better. I frequently use it to flavor to roasted vegetables, meats and poultry, added to vinaigrette dressing and drizzled on Caprese Salad.

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (Italy) is the common balsamic vinegar sold in stores today. Although it's a substitute for the original and very expensive "Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena", both names and their origins are protected. The most popular size sold are 16.9 oz., 500 ml bottles.

Like fine spirits, aged balsamic can be pricey. My local store retails 8.4 oz. bottles (250ml) aged 20-years for $26.99.

For glaze, I usually buy balsamic vinegar in bulk when on ad or on close-out. Bottles that regularly retail under $10 are bought as low as $4.99 on sale. Although some require deeper reductions than others, all produce good results.

After testing many batches with different brands and quality of balsamic vinegar and with different additions, this procedure includes an extra step but was the most foolproof. It also has my favorite combination of ingredients. Add a generous tablespoon of fig preserves when glaze is reduced by about half (see picture above right). Continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Test for sweetness. If needed, drizzle with honey or more brown sugar. Cool to room temperature (can use an ice bath to hasten), and refrigerate. Test for thickness. Simmer a little longer if needed. This also prevents over thickening.

Balsamic Glaze, Low Cost Experiment

As discussed above, moderate to low priced Balsamic Vinegar of Modena can be made into a great glaze. However, could I make reasonable

good glaze with 500 ml bottles of imported Balsamic Vinegar of Modena that retailed for under $2.00 each? I randomly selected 4 bottles and used the same proportions of vinegar to dark brown sugar as above and followed my standard procedures. Could I still produce an enjoyable Balsamic Glaze?

Test Results: The mixture did require longer reduction time to form an adequate syrup consistency. The glaze needed more sweetening and was adjusted with the equivalent of a tablespoon of honey per bottle just before final reduction. To my surprise, taste was more than acceptable (especially the batch that incorporated fig preserves) and was reasonably thick. Because of the extra reduction, the original 4 bottles filled about 4 1/2 half pint (8 fluid oz. ea.) mason/preserve jars. I haven't had any negative feedback from any of our 4 friends that were gifted jars.