what to do with vinegar old bottle -- reduction -- what called

I'm trying to remember the term for a sauce made with a vinegar reduction -- Stumped!!!! ( found a very old bottle of lemon vinegar at the back of the cabinet from Huilerie Beaujolie -- reduction seems like a good way to use it) so if you can jog my recall or have a suggestion re this bottle of vinegar I'm all ears!!! Thx

porchapples
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7 Comments

Lori T.
Lori T. May 20, 2019
Are you by chance thinking about a beurre blanc? That's usually done with a white wine vinegar, but a lemon one should taste wonderful as well. Otherwise, you can reduce the vinegar and use it as a glaze for seafood, or for a salad dressing, or sprinkle over crudites.
 
porchapples
porchapples May 20, 2019
Thankyou I finally realized I was thinking about a ‘Gastrique ‘ or ‘Agrodulce ‘
 
Smaug
Smaug May 20, 2019
Agrodulce I can deal with, but how would you translate "gastrique"?
 
Lori T.
Lori T. May 21, 2019
Medically speaking, it is a French term for things involving the stomach. Taken from the Greek word for the stomach, English speakers would use a "c" instead of the "que". Culinarily speaking, it is the same sort of sauce as an agrodulce. It is a sweet sour sauce made with equal parts of vinegar and sugar most often, though it can also rely on the sweetness of other ingredients to add sweetness. These sauces go back to Medieval times, when food choice and preparation were considered as important as medicine to keep you healthy. The humors could be kept in balance by careful choice of food and preparation of it.
 
Smaug
Smaug May 21, 2019
That's what I was afraid of- while I'm all in favor of balanced humors, I doubt that Gastric Sauce would sell on American menus.
 
Lori T.
Lori T. May 21, 2019
Well, you do find it on American menus- just under a different name. As you observed, the term gastrique becomes gastric, and that's pretty unappetizing to read. But call it a sweet/sour sauce, or an agrodulce, and watch the patrons post to Snapchat and Facebook.
 
Smaug
Smaug May 20, 2019
I've usually just heard them called "vinegar reduction sauce"- they're very popular with balsamic vinegars (a category that's become pretty shadowy), you'll find recipes all over the place under that name.
 
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