Brown Sugar Apple Cider Gastrique

A gastrique is a caramelized sugar deglazed with an acid and reduced to form a sauce.
So essentially sugar + acid, reduced over heat = delicious sweet and sour sauce.
The sugar can be white, brown, honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc.
The acid can be apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, etc.
Gasteiques pair particularly well with fatty dishes as both the sugar and acid help to counteract some of the fat.

Brown Sugar Apple Cider Gastrique
brown sugar
water
apple cider vinegar

Put the brown sugar in a pot with a little water. The water just helps to melt down the sugar smoothly without it burning. Put over medium heat and melt, shaking the pan often, until the sugar liquefies. Add an equal amount of vinegar as sugar and reduce over high heat until the mixture thickens just enough to coat a spoon. That's it! 
Trickiest part is ensuring it doesn't burn, reduces enough, but not too much!

Honey Coconut Cider Marinade

Honey Coconut Cider Marinade
1 cup liquid (or melted) coconut oil
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Whisk all ingredients together well. Keep in mind the coconut oil will harden if this marinade is refrigerated, so I like to keep it in a warm place in the kitchen when in use. If it does solidify, the marinade can be gently heated to thin it out. I like to pour it into a squeeze bottle and drizzle it on items shortly before cooking. This marinade works well with fish and vegetables. It is a sweeter marinade which will not overwhelm delicate fish. 

Carrot Puree Two

Now, if you would prefer a different kind of carrot puree, look no further. This carrot puree follows the exact same recipe and procedure as Carrot Puree One in yesterday's post, the only difference being the flavors added in at the end. 

This carrot puree is definitely much lighter in color. As soon as a little bit of acid and butter are added, this lightens the color. To make a lighter carrot puree, add an acid for tanginess (any type of vinegar or citrus juice), a fat for richness (whole butter, browned butter, flavored oil, or cream), some sweetness (white sugar is best to retain the light color), spices (white pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, etc.) and salt.

Carrot Puree is pictured here with Sliced Seared Duck Breast, Grilled Asparagus, Duck Jus, Parmesan Gnocchi, and Microgreens.

The carrot puree I made here has white wine vinegar, whole butter, heavy cream, white pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. I just add these in when pureeing. This created an awesome tasting carrot puree that a few people told me was reminiscent of ketchup but much better. The white wine vinegar added a nice sweetness to balance the richness of the butter and cream. This carrot puree is also delicious hot or cold or by the spoonful.

Scallops with Apple Cider Reduction

The other day my father cooked some scallops. He pan-fried them and made a quick and simple reduction. He wanted to make another reduction using a wine or something similar, like he had done previously (see Baby Scallops with White Wine Reduction here), but we didn't really have any ideal spirits on hand to use. So I looked for some recipes and found one that incorporated a reduction of apple cider vinegar. I love apple cider vinegar, so we decided to go with that. Balsamic vinegar would also work and would provide a different flavor. This recipe can certainly be altered, increased, or vamped up. The addition of shallots or caramelized onions or fresh herbs or spices would be nice. Other flavors that could be incorporated include lemon and sesame. 

To prepare the reduction, basically some vinegar and a little water is heated over high heat until it is thickened and reduced. This concentrates the liquid and make it much more flavorful and sweet, and will also burn off any alcohol if wine or spirits are used. This makes a really simple and quick sauce made right in the pan that adds a little flavor and moistness to your meal, and also making the reduction in the same pan the fish is cooked in gives it more flavor and will loosen any bits stuck to the pan and infuse them into the sauce.