Herbes De Provence Vinegar
By: Anonymous
Published: Friday, December 4, 2009 - 2:48am

Ingredients




1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup basil leaves crushed
1/4 cup thyme leaves crushed
1/4 cup oregano leaves crushed
1/4 cup rosemary leaves crushed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns crushed
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 bay leaves broken in half
2 basil sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
2 oregano sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf

Preparation

1 1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a wide mouthed jar; cover and let stand 2 weeks in a cool, dark place, gently shaking jar occasionally. 2 2. Strain the vinegar mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a glass measure or medium bowl, and discard solids. Pour into a decorative bottle, and add basil sprigs and remaining ingredients. Seal the bottle with a cork or other airtight lid, and store in a cool, dark place. 3 Yield:1 cup. 4 Notes: This vinegar contains many of the same herbs commonly found in Herbes de Provence, the dried-herb blend used in southern France for roasting. Add a small amount to stews, soups or vinaigrettes. 5 Safety Notes:1. use fresh herbs unless otherwise stated 6 2. as a precaution: blanch fresh herb leaves for 30 sec (not more than 60 sec) in boiling water; transfer to a bowl of ice water. this will set the color and stop the cooking. - I DO THIS WITH WHOLE GARLIC CLOVES TOO, then slice or chop or leave whole for the recipe. 7 3. when aging oils or vinegars that use raw plants (like herb leaves or garlic cloves) it's important to keep these things submerged - they can and will grow molds if exposed to the air. 8 4. if possible, sterilize the jars and cruets and bottles that you use to age the vinegars (or oils) as well as the glass you give them in...