Cider Reduction
To load up your fall recipes with cider flavor, first cook down the cider to concentrate it. Piper Davis, co-owner and cuisine director at Grand Central Bakery in Portland and Seattle, starts with fresh cider pressed from her family’s orchard. She uses the concentrate to flavor salad dressing, doughnuts, and cocktails, as a glaze for meats and fix, and stirs it into apple pie filling. She reduces it even more to a true syrup for drizzling over vanilla ice cream.
How to Make It
Step 1
1
Boil cider in a 5- to 6-qt. pot over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 cups, about 40 minutes; "4 to 1 is a good place to start," says Davis, "but if someone wants a more intense flavor, they could take it further. You want the flavor to be concentrated but still bright." Let cool. Stir before using.
Step 2
2
Make ahead: Up to 1 month, chilled, or 6 months, frozen.