Shrub was the thing to drink in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Anyone who was feeling parched could add this acidic-sweet fruit syrup to cold spring water, or splash a shot of it into rum or brandy. It had real appeal in those days before refrigeration and sodas. But shrub has merit even in this Sub-Zero world, and as much more than a beverage.
The odd name comes from the Arabic word sharab, meaning drink. A vividly flavorful shrub begins with a fruit (or a spicelike ingredient, like ginger) that has a naturally clear and incisive taste. Raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, red and black currants and cranberry are ideal candidates. Citruses like orange, lemon and lime will also work, as will exotics like pomegranate, passion fruit and lemon grass.
The main flavoring is usually boiled with vinegar, then steeped for 24 hours to create an infusion. A second boiling with sugar turns it into a syrup. Tart fruits like cranberries need more sugar; sweeter ones, like oranges, need less.
Shrub can be a stunning dazzler of saturated color: deepest scarlet, from raspberries, or shimmering red-purple, from blackberries. But when a tablespoon or two is stirred into a glass of seltzer, it becomes demure, turning a tall tumbler into a column of the palest pink, apricot or melon hue. The result is a fruity fizzy beverage that swings gently between sweet and acid extremes and needs only a sliver of lime and a sprig of mint for garnish.
A spoonful or two of shrub can add a bright touch to just about any food. A saute pan can be deglazed with a shot of shrub to start a sauce, or you can create a light glaze for a bird by basting with shrub mixed with broth. Shrub can be substituted for the sugar and vinegar in a barbecue sauce. A deeply flavored berry shrub mixed with maple syrup becomes quite the topping for waffles, especially with creme fraiche. Pecans and walnuts tossed in shrub and toasted in a 350-degree oven emerge shiny and crisp, tasting faintly fruity.
Stirring in a spoonful of orange or ginger shrub adds subtle flavor to sliced beets in butter, and carrots glazed in shrub pick up a nice acid edge. Black currant or blackberry shrub makes an intriguing replacement for balsamic vinegar in vinaigrettes, and not surprisingly, a splash of shrub gives sweet support and verve to fruit salad. Brushed over the top of just-baked quick breads, shrub adds punch. Pulverized ice with drizzles of shrub could almost pass for a granita.
Shrub also still has a place at the bar. Ginger shrub can be used as the foundation of rum punch cocktails. Raspberry shrub can be mixed with Champagne and Cognac, while cranberry shrub is a solid match for vodka.
City Tavern in Philadelphia has served shrub since its first incarnation, in 1773, mixing it with Cognac, rum or Champagne. Today the kitchen also offers a duck sausage with sweet and sour cabbage, with raspberry shrub contributing to the sweet and sour flavor.
John Guattery, corporate executive chef of Clyde’s in Washington, says he uses shrub in sauces because its balance of fruit and acidity instantly adds complexity. When shrub is substituted for the traditional Marsala in sabayon, the simmered, sweetened egg-yolk sauce resonates with berry flavors.
Shrub also can be made without vinegar, with just water, sugar and fruit juice. Two taverns in Colonial Williamsburg serve that type: the King’s Arms Tavern and Christiana Campbell’s Tavern. Anyone who orders a frosted cranberry shrub or frosted mango shrub as an appetizer or intermezzo gets a tall glass filled with the shrub and topped with sorbet–raspberry for the cranberry and lemon for the mango. Alcohol is added on request.
Patricia Yeo at AZ in Manhattan makes what might be considered homages to shrub: her fruit syrups, like rhubarb or gooseberry, are not built on vinegar but have the same intense flavor. Gooseberry syrup forms the sauce for her salmon baked in parchment on leek confit with sweet and tart gooseberries.
Shrubs are easy to make, but they also can be ordered in various flavors from Tait Farm Foods, a small, family-owned farm in Pennsylvania. Fourteen years ago it was looking for a new way to preserve a bumper crop of raspberries and stumbled onto shrub as an old solution. The shrubs come in six flavors, and are $4.95 for 5 ounces, $7.50 for 12 ounces, and $11.50 for 25 ounces from 800-787-2716 or taitfarmfoods.com.
GINGER SHRUB
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Standing time: 24 hours
Yield: 1 cup
1 cup cider vinegar, about
1/2 cup peeled, finely chopped ginger
1/2 cup sugar
1. Heat vinegar and ginger in small, non-reactive saucepan over high heat until it boils around the edges. Transfer to glass or stainless-steel bowl. Let cool; cover. Set aside at room temperature for 24 hours.
2. Pour mixture into strainer set over bowl; let drain 5 minutes without pressing on it. Measure liquid: you should have about 2/3 cup; if not, add more vinegar. Discard ginger and transfer liquid to small, non-reactive saucepan. Stir in sugar; set over high heat to heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to very low and simmer 2-3 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until sugar has completely dissolved and shrub is clear. Cool, cover and refrigerate.
Variation: For berry shrub, substitute two 6-ounce boxes raspberries or blueberries for ginger. Reduce vinegar to 2/3 cup for raspberries or 1/2 cup for blackberries.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
Calories …………. 26 Fat ………… 0 g Saturated fat …. 0 g
% calories from fat … 0 Cholesterol … 0 mg Sodium ………. 0 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 7 g Protein …….. 0 g Fiber ………… 0 g
GRILLED SHRIMP WITH GINGER SHRUB
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Marinating time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
2 unpeeled shallots, cut lengthwise into wedges about 1/2-inch thick
2 unpeeled garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 dried hot red peppers
6 tablespoons coconut milk
3 tablespoons plus 4 teaspoons ginger shrub, see recipe
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, mint or basil, or a mixture Lime wedges
1. Combine shallots, garlic and oil in small, heavy skillet over very low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until shallots have browned and begin to soften, 8-10 minutes. Stir in dried peppers; cook, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes, to toast them lightly. Transfer to plate; let cool.
2. Peel off shallot and garlic skins; trim and discard shallot roots. Place in blender with peppers, coconut milk, 3 tablespoons of the shrub and fish sauce. Puree into smooth sauce; add lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Dry shrimp well on paper towels; transfer to bowl. Add half of the sauce; toss until coated. Cover; refrigerate 45 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, soak 4 wooden skewers in water to cover. Prepare medium-hot grill or heat broiler. Drain skewers; thread with shrimp, leaving a small space between each so heat will penetrate. Lightly brush hot grill rack with oil. Grill or broil shrimp, turning skewers once, until browned, firm and just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
5. Slide shrimp off skewers onto warm plates. Drizzle each serving with 1 teaspoon of remaining shrub, sprinkle with herbs, spoon remaining coconut sauce alongside, garnish with a lime wedge.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 190 Fat …………. 5 g Saturated fat .. 2.6 g
% calories from fat .. 29 Cholesterol .. 240 mg Sodium …….. 455 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 8 g Protein …….. 27 g Fiber ………. 0.3 g
