Tarragon Flavoured Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe
The quantities here are to make half a litre of tarragon cider vinegar, but you can scale up or down quite easily.
Ingredients
500ml apple cider vinegar
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh tarragon, less than the height of the bottle, washed if necessary and well dried
1 sprig of tarragon for bottle identification (needed later)
Method
Heat the apple cider vinegar in a saucepan till just warm but not boiling (about 40°C). The slight heat helps brings the volatile oils containing the flavour out into the liquid. It’s not essential, but I think you get a fuller flavour if you do this.
Pop the tarragon sprigs into your chosen bottle and pour on the warmed vinegar. Cap the bottle and pop it on a sunny windowsill. Shake gently every day or so and leave for 2-3 weeks.
Take out the tarragon sprigs and replace with the fresh sprig to identify the bottle. Or just label the bottle. With some herbs you may need to strain the vinegar through muslin or a coffee filter before you re-bottle.
Uses & variations
The tarragon flavoured apple cider vinegar is great used in vinaigrettes, mayonnaise , partnered with all kinds of green beans, fish and chicken.
You can use any fresh herb you like with this technique. It’s also great for capturing the flavour of edible flowers such as lavender, pinks, nasturtiums, elderflowers, primroses, violets and roses.
