How to make a balsamic reduction – (10 minutes! )

Needed for this recipe:

Any Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co. Dark Balsamic.

Ingredients:

½ cup of Sunshine Coast Olive Oil Co. Dark Balsamic.
¼ tsp. water (this helps keep the balsamic from sticking to the edges of the pan and burning)

Recipe:

Mix balsamic and water in a small nonreactive saucepan, such as: enamel, glass or stainless steel*. Heat on medium-low on stovetop, choosing a temperature that encourages evaporation but that does not allow the balsamic to boil. Stir occasionally with a stainless steel spoon.

Evaporate your balsamic approximately 10 minutes**. Your reduction is ready when it ‘coats’ the back of a spoon. Your reduction will thicken further as it cools, so stop sooner rather than later. Allow the reduction to cool 5 – 10 minutes.

For a savoury reduction on meat or fish, you want to reduce your total volume by about 1/3 (leaving 2/3 of the original volume). To make masterful drizzles, pour the reduction into a clean bottle with a pour spout.

For a thicker dessert reduction, you want to reduce your total volume about 1/2 (leaving 1/2 of the original volume). This thicker reduction may not work well with some pour spouts, and you might be best to store it in a container and drizzle it on with a spoon.

*reactive metals such as tin, aluminum and copper may chemically interact with acidic foods and are not recommended for reductions.

** This process is faster if you make a smaller batch. If you use a supermarket balsamic, this process takes 45-60 minutes.