I used to be reluctant to open a bottle of wine at home unless I was entertaining, because I’d drink a glass or two and then have to contend with the leftover vino. There are various ways to deal with it (see sidebar, page 23), but once I discovered this idea from blogger Michele Humes on SeriousEats.com, it was a problem no more. Even lesser-quality wine becomes a deeply flavored condiment good for drizzling on ice cream, chocolate desserts, or citrus segments. It can be used for layering in a parfait with Greek-style yogurt (see page 161) or for hydrating dried cherries in a tart with almonds (page 163). I tend to use whatever spices strike my fancy at the time; with red wine, I like this particular combination, but whole cinnamon, cloves, and/or allspice, for example, could be used for a more pronounced flavor. The best thing about this syrup? Once you cool it, it can be refrigerated in an airtight container indefinitely.
Ingredients
Makes 1/2 cup
Step 1
Combine the wine, sugar, vanilla bean, star anise, and peppercorns in a wide pot or skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium; cook until the liquid becomes syrupy and has reduced by about two-thirds, about 10 minutes.
Step 2
Use a fine-mesh strainer to strain the syrup into a small container; discard the spices and let cool. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Variation
Step 3
Use white wine instead of red, and use 1 vanilla bean and five or six 1/4-inch slices of fresh ginger.
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