Cooking with Verjuice by Maggie Beer

The last few years have seen the steady revival of verjuice after nearly a century of dormancy. It will be this year though that sees this classic ingredient reaching cult status, putting it on a par with balsamic vinegar. Maggie Beer, an Australian chef and food writer living in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, has been wholly responsible for its renaissance and with the publication of her book, Cooking with Verjuice, by Grub Street, the future looks rosy.

Maggie has been making verjuice since 1984 but it wasn't until 1993 that she turned her full attention to commercial production. Its rise in popularity has been slow and this amber liquid is worth investigation. The likes of Anthony Worral Thompson and Simon Hopkinson are singing its praises so it is now only a matter of time. For those of you who are ignorant of its wonderful qualities, read on.

Verjuice is the sour (green) juice extracted from crab apples or unripe grapes. In England, it was sometimes made from gooseberries or cress. It has been used in cooking, added to sauces, for centuries. Maggie Beer believes it to have been around since Roman times. The first written account of it appears in 1375 in the recipes of King Charles V's French master cook, Taillevent. It was used widely in England during the Middle Ages, finally disappearing in the Nineteenth Century when lemons became more widely available.

In commercial production, this acid juice is extracted from unripened grapes, when vines are thinned. These grapes grow high on the canes and are high in acid and low in sugar and will never ripen. Today, verjuice makers pick their grapes early in the season rather than rely on thinnings. Commercial production in France hasn't really got underway until recently. There have been problems with stability but these have largely been overcome and its production is more widespread. Vine growers in America have also joined the fray.

But what are its uses and why should it be propelled into stardom? Verjuice is used to sharpen sauces instead of vinegar or lemon juice. It has the tartness of lemon juice and the acidity of vinegar but without the bitterness of either. Verjuice can bring out the flavour of the ingredients it is added to, making it hugely versatile. Remember that it was used in the kitchen as frequently as soy sauce is used in a Chinese kitchen.

A similar liquor can be found in several cuisines from around the world. The Italians have agresto, which was always to hand in the kitchen so much so that it also doubled as a painkiller and disinfectant. In addition, it is believed that it had aphrodisiac qualities. Alan Davidson refers to the Iranian abghooreh in the Oxford Companion to Food. The Spaniards have agraz where larger grapes are used, producing a liquid that it sourer than vinegar. During the Eighteenth Century, an innovative mustard maker added verjuice to Dijon mustard, which gave a finer flavoured mustard. Maggie Beer has been unable to substantiate as to whether this practice is still adhered to.

Home production is a little vague and trial and error is probably the best approach. Maggie Beer suggests picking grapes while still green (very easy in this country if you have your own vines) squeeze the juice and freeze immediately in ice cube trays. You could do the same with crab apples, passing the juice through muslin a few times in order to get a clear liquid.

Maggie Beer has got to grips with verjuice in no uncertain terms and her book is full of useful recipes, which are worth trying. Try cheat's verjuice hollandaise, which gives the sauce a smoother, fuller finish. For a walnut oil dressing, using two tablespoons of verjuice, two teaspoons of lemon juice and 125ml of walnut oil. For winter dried fruit salad, poach the dried fruit in verjuice and some water, along with some sticks of cinammon. For a quick supper dish, fry some chicken breasts in nut-brown butter until cooked. Drain off the excess fat and then deglaze the pan with verjuice. Simple as that.

Verjuice is good with so many ingredients that you should just buy a bottle and play around with it. Have it to hand in the kitchen and experiment. Excellent with game, big enough to stand alone as a sorbet, its uses are endless. Verjuice can be bought from Verjuice.co.uk.

Maggie Beer also has her own website, www.maggiebeer.com.au, where you can find out about her books and recipes.

Publication details:
127 pp. £14.99.
Published by Grub Street.
ISBN 1902304829.
2001

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