Spiced Apple Cider Reduction Sauce (Caramel)

Ingredients

A versatile reduction sauce (fruit caramel) for use as a topping, plate decoration, or to super-charge home-made vinaigrettes.  The addition of exotic five spice sends this simple recipe over the top in flavour.  Naturally, caramelly sweet, not sugary.

• 1 gallon (4 litres) unfiltered apple cider (juice works just fine also)
• 1+ teaspoon DM Chinese Five (10) Spice Blend
• small square of double-up cheese cloth to make spice bag, plus kitchen string to tie.

Experiment with different juice and spice combinations:  Try Cherry juice and DM Chinese Five (10) Spice Blend; Pear or Apricot and DM Thai Spice Blend

Methodology

Pour apple cider into a large non-reactive or stainless steel pot.  Add spice bag, submerging to wet contents fully.  Bring to a full boil then reduce to a gentle boil.  Reduce for 60 minutes, then remove spice bag with a slotted spoon. 

Cool the bag until it can be handled and then squeeze contained spiced cider back into the pot, and discard the bag.  Continue reducing the cider at a gentle boil for 30 to 60 minutes more or until the mixture thickens and is reduced to a volume of about 2 cups (500ml).  See before and after volumes above.  You can increase or lessen the reducing time to suit your preference - simply test sauce thickness as you go, by dropping small amounts onto a plate to cool.

Once reduced to satisfaction, let cool almost completely, and while still slightly warm, pour into food-grade squeeze bottles and label with water-soluble label tape.  Refrigerate until needed.  The reduction sauce will keep for several months in the fridge, but our never lasts long enough to determine exactly how many. 

✭ ✭ ✭Service tip:  If you plan on using the sauce to decorate a plate, be sure to chill the plate first and use the sauce straight out of the fridge.  Otherwise, as the sauce design warms up, it may lose its shape somewhat on its way to the table.

✭ ✭ ✭Service tip:  For a more dramatic presentation when drizzling over fruit, snip the squeeze bottle tip down a bit (as shown in strawberry photo top of page) and squeeze the caramel when cold, over cold fruit.  The effect is similar to Quebec maple syrup candy drizzled over snow..... so delicious and beautiful.

Submitted by:

C@H Kitchen