SWEET & SOUR GLAZE
A versatile glaze to serve drizzled over meats ready in just 5 minutes.
A versatile glaze for meats that takes just 5 minutes to make, this sweet and sour glaze is your go-to when you're in a hurry or want to switch things up. In French cuisine, caramel-like sauces known as "gastriques" are used as a base to make many sauces but here I am tweaking it to bring you 4 sauces. This recipe uses raw brown or coconut sugar for a rich caramel color and viscosity with minimal effort.
This glaze is a 4-in-1 powerhouse: enjoy it on its own, drizzle or use it as a base to create three unique sauces.
INGREDIENTS for the base glaze
125 g (4.4 oz) raw sugar or coconut sugar
10 ml (0.34 fl oz) white wine vinegar
50 ml (1.7 fl oz) water
Method to make the base glaze:
Pour the sugar into a small saucepan and add the vinegar and water. Heat over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken, stirring occasionally. This should take no more than 5 minutes. Once the glaze has thickened, immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. (You can reheat the sauce over the stove just before using).
That's it—your glaze is ready to drizzle over pulled pork or slow-cooked lamb, or you can use it as a base for creating delicious variations.
Glaze Variations
Orange and Lemon Glaze:
· Juice of 2 oranges
· Juice of 1 lemon
· 1 1/2 tsp sweet and sour glaze
Method: Add the orange and lemon juice plus the glaze in a saucepan and reduce until syrupy. The glaze can be brushed over duck breast after frying or grilling.
Mint-Flavored Glaze:
Perfect for slow-cooked lamb.
Method: Add 1 tablespoon of chopped mint to the glaze while still warm then leave to rest for 15 minutes to infuse when ready to serve. Filter the glaze through a sieve to discard the mint. If the glaze has cooled you can warm it up a little before filtering.
Port and Orange Glaze:
· 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) ruby port wine
· Juice of 1 orange
· Juice of 1/2 a lemon
· 3 tsp sweet and sour glaze
Method: Add the port wine, orange and lemon juice. Bring to a light boil then lower the heat and reduce until syrupy. This version works well drizzled over prime beef cuts such as filet steak (chateaubriand).