This has become a staple at our house ever since I bought a bottle of Fig Balsamic Vinegar at a winery in Napa Valley, California several years ago. Now that the airlines have lowered the weight limit from America I no longer bring a bottle back to Bali from our annual trek to the States. If dried figs are not available you can use only the dates. This makes a thick jam like spread that goes great with soft cheeses such as goat, blue, brie, or cream cheese. I also cook it for less time for a thinner consistency to use in salad dressings and over steamed vegetables. It is especially good on beets.
Orange Fig Date Balsamic Vinegar
Makes about 1/2 cup
- 1/3 cup combination of chopped pitted dates and dried figs, (or all dates)
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp. grated fresh orange peel - the orange part only
Put all the ingredients into a small pot, except the 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer stirring often until it is thick and leaves the bottom of the pot a bit when you stir. Add the remaining 1 Tbl. Balsamic vinegar stirring well.
Let cool. Put the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. It will be a soft jam like consistency. Store in a small bottle in the refrigerator.
Note: This will keep for weeks refrigerated.
If you want a thinner consistency simmer for only three minutes
For salad dressing: use 1 Tbl. Date Orange Balsamic Vinegar, 2 -3 Tbl. olive oil, a pinch of salt, a shake of Tobacco, and a bit more Balsamic vinegar to the tartness you like. Shake in a bottle or beat with a fork in a small bowl.
Indonesian Vesrion:
Cuka Balsamic dengan Jeruk, Kurma & Ara
Untuk 1/2 cangkir
Bahan-bahan :
- 1/3 cangkir campuran kurma dan ara kering, dipotong kecil ( buang biji dari kurma) atau bisa pakai hanya kurma tanpa ara
- 1/2 cangkir + 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cangkir jus jeruk - sunkis
- 1 tsp. kulit jeruk diparut ( hanya kulit luarnya saja, tidak sampai yang putih )
Cara Membuat :
Masukkan semua bahan ke dalam panci kecil kecuali 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar. Kemudian direbus, kecilkan api. Sekali-sekali aduk sampai cairan di panci tersisa sedikit. Keluar dari api, tambahkan 1 Tbl. balsamic vinegar, aduk pelan sampai semua tercampur bagus.
Biarkan dingin, kemudian masukkan dalam blender. Blender sampai halus dan kental. Masukkan dalam botol yang kecil dan simpan di kulkas.
Bisa simpan selama berberapa minggu.
Note : Kalau mau saos lebih cair hanya masak 3 menit.
Untuk saos salad, gunakan 1 Tbl. cuka Balsamic dengan Jeruk, Kurma & Ara, 2-3 Tbl. minyak olive, garam secukupnya, satu tong tong di Tobacco, dan tambahkan cuca balsamic biasa kalau anda suka lebih asam. Kocok semua bahan ini dalam botol atau aduk dalam mangkok.
All recipes are available on the Bali Advertiser website in both English and Indonesian versions. You can easily copy and paste and print. Paste as unformatted text.
