Recipe: Verjus vinaigrette

verjus grapes

Verjus is the juice from unfermented and unripened wine grapes.  It is quite a bit more acidic than juice from table grapes, but that makes it all the more interesting.  It can be used in place of vinegar in multiple applications and lend the characteristics of the wine grapes to the product.  In this case, we'll use white verjus and reduce it to concentrate the flavours.  I actually used this on a fish station on a scallop dish as a "broken sauce" - aside from a great flavour, it had a nice way of marbling around the plate as the verjus and oil separated.   As a plate sauce, it is best managed with a squeeze bottle - you won't be able to emulsify it, but by shaking it up you will be able to dispense the sauce with the right proportions.

You will need:

750ml            white verjus

1                     lemon zest

6 sprigs          thyme

250ml            honey

500ml            grapeseed oil

Method:

 - place the verjus, lemon zest and thyme in a pot and set to reduce by 1/2

 - at the halfway mark, add the honey, mix well and allow to cool

 - mix with the grapeseed oil

 - transfer to a squeeze bottle and store in the fridge till use