May is a busy and happy month in my family when it comes to celebrations. In every segment of my family, there is a May birthday, six of us total. When you combine that with my parent’s anniversary and throw in Mother’s day, it becomes apparent that you need a solid celebratory dessert to fall back on. (One can only have so much cake.)

And I found it! Imagine vanilla ice cream, with sweet, juicy slices of strawberry. Add the surprising freshness of basil, and drizzle it with an ingredient you are use to having in your salads—balsamic vinegar—and you have for one memorable dessert.

The trick here is to cook down the balsamic first so that you reduce it and change the chemical balance to be thicker…more syrupy. When you are finished, you have a sauce that more like honey, just as sweet, but with an unmistakable tanginess of vinegar.

Serving Suggestions

Here, I drizzle it over the ice cream, strawberries, and basil, but it works just as well over caprese salad, and over toasted baguette with goat cheese. You can also drizzle it over any fruit (think figs or cantaloupe) or barbequed chicken or beef, or over steak as a glaze.

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Balsamic Reduction

Balsamic reduction is balsamic vinegar that has been combined with honey and cooked over medium heat to reduce to a thick, syrupy sauce that is both sweet and tangy. It's perfect drizzled over salads, meats, and yes, even ice cream!

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Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: cup

Author: Four to Cook For

Equipment

1-quart covered sauce pan

Ingredients

1 cup of high quality balsamic
1/4 cup honey or agave

Instructions

Combine vinegar and honey in a sauce pan and boil over medium heat until reduced by half and thickened.
Let cool and store in a tight container in fridge. (Keeps well for a couple of weeks.)

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @fourtocookfor and hashtag #fourtocookfor on Instagram.

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