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Sauce

Balsamic Glaze

A sweet and tangy sauce made from balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, olive oil, tomato, salt, and pepper.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Balsamic Glaze

1 cup of 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients

Directions

Make the glaze

  1. Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until just pureed.

  2. Transfer to a nonstick saucepan.

  3. Bring mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to moderate.

  4. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is slightly syrupy.

  5. Check taste and if glaze seems too acidic, stir in slightly more honey.

  6. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Serve and store

  1. Drizzle over hot, cooked vegetables and serve immediately, or to store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days.

  2. Reheat and chill glaze before using.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

220Calories
2 gProtein
14 gFat
25 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Honey1 tbsp (21g)64
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Garlic + olivetop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Garlic + gingertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  5. Tomato + peppertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Balsamic vinegar
Provides the sharp, acidic base that the reduction concentrates into a syrupy glaze.
Honey
Adds sweetness that balances the acidity and helps the glaze thicken as it cooks.
Tomato
Adds body and moisture to the puree, giving the glaze a fuller texture.
Extra-virgin olive oil
Adds fat that carries flavor and gives the glaze a smoother mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Cooking until slightly syrupy. Sugars and liquid concentrate as water evaporates, so the glaze thickens as it cools. Cooking too long can make it sticky or scorch the sugars, while stopping too early leaves it thin and watery.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, honey, garlic, olive, tomato, pepper):

  1. Basilfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Rosemaryfits better
  4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, honey, garlic, olive, tomato, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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