Season: August to September. This is kitchen alchemy at its most exciting and rewarding: A mysterious-looking brew of dark elderberries, vinegar, and spices becomes a truly wonderful sauce, a secret weapon for the pantry that I don’t like to be without. According to tradition, pontack sauce is best used after 7 years, but I’m hard pushed to keep it for 7 months. Pungent, fruity, and spicy, it’s an unrivaled partner for winter stews, slow-roasted pork belly, or anything wild and gamy. Besides serving this sauce alongside meat dishes, you can add a couple of tablespoonfuls to sauces and gravies. The elderberry season is short and the berries are part of the hedgerow banquet for woodland birds, so don’t delay–gather them when you see them.
Recipe information
Yield
makes one 12-ounce bottle
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Strip the berries from the stems as soon as possible after picking–a table fork is useful for doing this. Place the berries in an ovenproof earthenware or glass dish with the vinegar and put in a very low oven (about 250°F) for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. Remove from the oven and strain through a sieve, crushing the berries with a potato masher as you do so to obtain maximum juice.
Step 2
Put the rich, red-black juice in the pan along with the sliced shallots, cloves, allspice, mace, peppercorns, and ginger. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until slightly reduced (perhaps muttering some magic charm while you watch over the dark, bubbling potion). Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve.
Step 3
Return the juice to the pan and bring to a boil, then boil steadily for 5 minutes. Pour the sauce into a warm, sterilized bottle (see p. 152) and seal (see p. 22). Store in a cool, dark cupboard.
P.S.
Step 4
This sauce grows better with age, so try to lay some bottles down for a few months if you can.
