presents from the kitchen – raspberry vinegar

as i was scrolling through my blog roll the other day, i stumbled upon this easy to make recipe for home made raspberry vingar at poppy’s patisserie. once i’ve seen it, i had to make it. i can just recommend it. the vinegar gets this intense raspberry flavor, thickens to a syrupy conncoction which you can drizzle over salads. yummy!

ingredients (makes 750 ml)

• 450 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
• 625 ml balsamic vinegar (or some other vinegar you prefer)

mix raspberries with vinegar in a bowl (non-metallic),

cover with cling wrap and either leave in fridge or at room temperature for a week. after the first day use a spoon or masher and mash raspberries. do this every day for the rest of the week.

when ready, the vinegar should have changed to a deep red colour and smell of the berries.

strain through a sieve and remove any froth before pouring through a funnel into sterilised bottles and sealing. keeps for about 6 months

indonesian favorites (pt 1) – rujak

the other day i had the good fortune to get indonesian cooking lessons from putu (the chef and house manager of my dear friend rob).

usually indonesian is not one of my favourite cuisines, i prefer thai or vietnamese dishes. but putu was able to make at least some dishes tasty for me 🙂

 

since putu, just like me, doesn’t really follow recipes, but rather just follows her instincts, there might not be quantities in the recipes or are just a general indication.

the first recipe is an appetizer – rujak. this is a simple salad with a delicious dressing made out of tamarind. this can easily be prepared in large quantities for a party.