Fruit vinegar

Just the other day, I went to reach for the red wine vinegar, and I was completely out. So, instead, I reached for this easy substitute. In fact, I think I like it better. It's fruit flavored vinegar. This one is blueberry, but other fruits work well, too (cranberries, peaches, apples), as well as herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme). I used up the blueberry vinegar in the recipe I was making, so I needed more.

It starts with plain ole' vinegar. I know, I know. It's a foodie faux pas to use white vinegar. But, we like it, and it's also good for cleaning, so I always have it around.

I find bottles everywhere. This one (shockingly) came from a walk down the street on recycling day. I run it through the dishwasher, check for cracks, and there you go.

the lighting in my new house is horrible. I'm working with it, but bear with me in the meantime.

These blueberries were frozen last summer. Just dump them in. Heat the vinegar to boiling (no pictures of this, but if you do it, remember...hot vinegar will clear your sinuses like nothing else), then pour over.

This vinegar will sit for 2 weeks or so, and it'll be ready to use. I usually keep it as is, but you can also strain out the fruit. It would make an easy, elegant Christmas gift, too. It's a great substitute for red wine vinegar, it's good in salad dressings, and it makes a nice ingredient in marinades and pan sauces.

Today, I'm linked to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. Check it out! Lots of fun stuff over there every week.