Here in NYC the street fruit carts have their best prices of the year on berries and I’ve been taking advantage of this to make some new shrubs. While skimming “Shrubs” by Michael Dietsch, I found this recipe that looked unique with strawberries and balsamic vinegar. Since I’ve got literal buckets of basil growing on my balcony, I thought that this shrub deserved another layer.
? ? Strawberry Basil Balsamic Vinegar Shrub ?
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
- .5 cup sugar
- .5 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 handful basil
Instructions
1. Place strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add the basil and muddle gently.
2. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Allow to macerate for at least 2 hours or up to a day.
3. Position a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl and pour the mixture through to remove the solids.
4. Combine strained syrup with vinegar. Whisk well to incorporate any undissolved sugar.
5. You may have some sugar clinging to the strawberry solids in the strainer. If so, set the strainer with the solids over another small bowl. Pour the syrup-and-vinegar mixture over the solids to wash the sugar into the bowl. Repeat as needed.
6. Pour syrup-and-vinegar mixture into a clean jar. Cap it, shake well to incorporate any undissolved sugar, and place in the refrigerator for a week before using.
7. Discard the solids or save them for another use. Don't feel like making this? Check out @elementshrub ! Add a couple tablespoons and top with seltzer!
