Chive blossoms are a bittersweet flower for me. Candy as a result of their lavender dandelion-like pompoms herald hotter climate–and after the blunt-force snowstorm we had final October, they definitely are a welcome sight. Bitter as a result of our yard backyard mattress has been the positioning of numerous murders, our Satan Cat escorting much less nimble animals to their maker.
Deaths apart, The One and I’ve grown chives for 15 years. At first, we used to rush to eat them early within the season earlier than their annoying puffs began to bud. We mistakenly thought the crops had been spent when that occurred, and so left them to the wildlife.
A number of years later, we went to On Rue Tatin Cooking College, headed up by La Dame Susan Herrmann Loomis. One afternoon, whereas I tossed a salad for the category, she pulled me into the herb backyard and instructed me to pluck these puffy lilac blossoms.
“You imply you eat them?” I requested.
“Oh, David,” she mentioned, me as if I had been a mentally challenged cocker spaniel. “Bien sûr.“
Since then, each Might, The One and I virtually pull our chairs as much as the aspect of the backyard and look forward to the blossoms. As soon as they burst, we sprinkle them over inexperienced salads, spritz them on potato salads, and toss a single puff right into a Gibson (when now we have a Gibson lover visiting).
This yr, impressed by my spate of DIY tasks, we’re steeping them in vinegar to lend a touch of onion to all types of dishes. And each time we shake the infusion on French fries or make a lemon French dressing, we are saying slightly prayer for the dearly departed.
Notes on Elements
- Vinegar–For the perfect taste, use Champagne or white-wine vinegar.
- Chive blossoms–These fairly purple flowers are finest picked proper after they’ve opened earlier than they start to fade. Don’t embrace any of the stems in your vinegar.
Widespread Questions
No, refrigeration isn’t vital when you plan to make use of it inside 3 months. Merely retailer in a cool, darkish place, away from direct daylight.
In case you’d prefer to lengthen the lifetime of the vinegar, retailer it within the fridge for as much as 8 months. The flavour of it is going to fade over time.
Use it wherever you’d use white wine vinegar, notably when you’d like a touch of onion taste. It’s notably well-suited to salad dressings and marinades, and we find it irresistible on this marinated lentil salad.
Chive crops bloom in late spring or early summer season, relying on the area.
Chive blossoms can be utilized any manner you’ll sometimes use chives. Strive including them to a cheese omelet, tossing them right into a salad, or mixing them with butter to create a surprising compound butter.
Professional Suggestions
- Plastic canning lids or self-sealing jars with rubber rings additionally work nicely for storing the vinegar whereas it infuses.
- This chive flower vinegar makes a beautiful do-it-yourself meals reward.
Extra Superb Selfmade Condiments
Write a Assessment
In case you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, think about leaving a assessment, a star ranking, and your finest photograph within the feedback under. I really like listening to from you.–David
This was such an exquisite manner to make use of my chive blossoms earlier than they light away! It’s a fantastic factor to decorate up salads, and the colour is simply SO fairly. Thanks for this recipe!
ashley
-
Warmth the vinegar in a small saucepan over low warmth till simply heat. Hold an eye fixed out in order that it would not boil; you need the heat of the vinegar to seduce the coy, refined taste out of the blossoms, not immolate them.
-
In the meantime, plunge the flowers in a bowl of chilly water and delicate swish them round to flush out any grime and bugs which have taken up residence. Dump the flowers right into a colander and thwack it towards the aspect of the sink to shake off the surplus water.
-
Stuff the pint jar with the blooms. Do not be too Martha about this. It is okay if the blossoms get crushed a bit.
-
Pour sufficient of the nice and cozy vinegar into the jar simply to submerge the blossoms, utilizing a steel spoon to push down any errant blooms that wish to float up excessive. You won’t want all the vinegar.
-
Let the vinegar cool, then place a sq. of parchment paper over the opening of the jar and screw on the highest. You wish to be certain that the vinegar would not are available contact with the steel lid, because the acid will erode the end of the cap and do nasty issues to the style of your infused vinegar. After all, you may make quick work of this through the use of a glass-lidded canning jar–I simply can by no means discover them. Place the container in a darkish, cool spot that is so hidden you may overlook about it. This infusion advantages from a protracted steep–1 to 2 weeks minimal. Belief me, the vinegar will bless you abundantly to your persistence–or your forgetfulness.
-
If you’re proud of the chive-y energy of the brew, pressure it by way of a high-quality sieve and toss the spent blossoms. Pour the vinegar into your favourite (ideally glass) sterilized bottle with a rubber stopper and show prominently. Its hue–the blush of a really embarrassed Rosé–is a good dialog starter. Simply remember to make use of it.
Serving: 1 tablespoonEnergy: 4 kcalCarbohydrates: 1 gProtein: 1 gFats: 1 gSaturated Fats: 1 gMonounsaturated Fats: 1 gSodium: 1 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 1 g
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
Recipe © 2012 David Leite. Images © 2023 David Leite. All rights reserved.
