Prep Time : 15 Minutes | Cook Time : 15 Minutes | Total Time : 30 Minutes | Difficulty : Easy
Hello my lovelies! Gastrique. Sounds pretentious. But you should totally get in on the action. Quick and simple to prepare. Packed with balanced flavour. Ready for your salad, grilled meats, roasted meats. Your everything. Shake up with a little oil for a salad dressing that packs a punch. Drizzle onto roasted everything. It’s even great on vanilla ice cream. The contrasting flavour notes are fabulous. Gastrique is a vinegar based sauce. I learned about it from one of my favourite books – Beyond Canning by Autumn Giles. I had forgotten about it. I made a lovely plum version probably a year ago. This one is close to the original recipe which is also made with raspberries. I put a twist on it with thyme. Balancing out the fruit with some herbs. Perfect. Just make this up, pop it in a jar in the fridge and use at whim. It will last for ages in the fridge. If you want to make a bigger batch and keep it in the pantry, you will need to sterilise jars and follow proper canning procedures. If you can get it, I highly recommend using part thyme flower honey.
Thoroughly wash and rinse a 1 cup sauce bottle or canning jar. Heat the honey gently in a small saucepan.
Bring it to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. The hone will have darkened a bit.
Add the vinegar and salt. Be careful that you don’t get spattered.
Add the raspberries and thyme.
Bring the pan back to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
You will notice that it has reduced slightly and is a bit syrupy in texture. It should almost coat the back of a spoon.
Using a funnel and a small sieve, pour the gastrique into the prepared bottle. This is a bit tedious. Why are there so many seeds in raspberries?
Cap the bottle and let it cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge. You are now ready to improve every meal. Go forth and drizzle like you’ve never drizzled before!
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Honey, Raspberry + Thyme Gastrique
Prep Time : 15 mins | Cook Time : 15 mins | Total Time : 30 mins | Difficulty : Easy | Makes : approx. 1 cup
Sweet, fruity and herbaceous – this is your new go-to salad dressing!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup honey (preferably 1/4 cup thyme flower and 1/4 cup regular)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup fresh raspberries (or 3/4 cup frozen)
- 2 small sprigs of thyme
- pinch salt
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Small Saucepan
- Funnel and small sieve
- 1 x one cup canning jar or sauce bottle
Directions:
Thoroughly wash and rinse a 1 cup sauce bottle or canning jar. Heat the honey gently in a small saucepan.
Bring it to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes. The hone will have darkened a bit. Add the vinegar and salt. Be careful that you don’t get spattered. Add the raspberries and thyme.
Bring the pan back to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. You will notice that it has reduced slightly and is a bit syrupy in texture. It should almost coat the back of a spoon.
Using a funnel and a small sieve, pour the gastrique into the prepared bottle.
Cap the bottle and let it cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge. You are now ready to improve every meal. Go forth and drizzle like you’ve never drizzled before!
Cook’s Notes:
- Experiment with different flavours. Leave out the thyme and add a little chilli pepper. Use blackberries and add a little tarragon.
- Mix a small amount with an equal volume of olive oil for a quick delicious salad dressing.
– This delicious sauce will keep for months in the fridge –
Adapted from Beyond Canning by Autumn Giles.
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Looks delicious!
Thanks! It’s worth trying – you won’t regret it 🙂