Sweet, crisp corn. Fragrant melon. A rainbow of heirloom tomatoes. Velvety figs. Late summer offers an abundance of produce so ripe and tasty it needs little help to shine.
Just a splash of vinegar and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil can brighten the flavor of fresh fruits and vegetables without adding a lot of fat or calories.
We particularly like this recipe from Kai Restaurant at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Arizona. Featured in The New Native American Cuisine by Marian Betancourt (Globe Pequot Press), it’s an easy addition to your warm-weather menu.
Lavender Berry Vinegar
Makes 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups vinegar (white distilled, white wine, or rice wine)
- 2 tbsp. dried or fresh edible lavender buds
- ½ cup fresh berries
DIRECTIONS
- Find a Mason jar or other glass container in which you can store the vinegar. Be sure there are no cracks and that the top fits snugly. Wash the jar. Next, simmer it in hot water for about 10 minutes, then turn it upside down on a towel to drain. Do this just before you make the vinegar so that the jar is warm when you begin.
- In a stainless steel pan, bring the vinegar, lavender, and berries to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into the jar.
- Store the vinegar in the refrigerator, gently shaking the jar every 3 or 4 days to help meld the flavors. After 1 or 2 weeks, strain the vinegar through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter and use as desired.
Editors’ Tip: You can find edible lavender at Dean & DeLuca. For a beautiful gift, decant the vinegar into a pretty bottle and add a fresh sprig of edible, organic lavender.
Text adapted from The New Native American Cuisine: Five-Star Recipes From the Chefs of Arizona’s Kai Restaurant by Marian Betancourt, Images by Ron Manville, © 2009; reprinted with permission from Globe Pequot Press
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