Short answer If you're unfortunate enough to be the owner of some bitter pesto, then sugar or honey might be the first thing you reach for. They both work well at masking bitterness in foods, but there are several other ingredients that help too, including acid, salt, and fat.
Long answer We've written extensively about why your pesto may taste bitter, but here we're more concerned with fixing the problem once it has been identified. The truth is, there's no way to get rid of bitterness from food; it's more a case of counterbalancing the bitter notes with other sweet flavours. Here are some of the most useful ingredients you can use:
Sugar Adding a little sugar is the most obvious way to dampen down any bitterness from pesto. Anything sugary will work: granulated white sugar, honey, fruit juices, even sweet dessert wines.
Acid Acid in the form of vinegar or citrus juices can make a pesto taste less bitter and could even enhance the flavour of the sauce at the same time.
Salt In low concentrations, salt can be used to suppress bitterness, which is why people have been adding tiny amounts to coffee for decades. Always go easy to start with. You can always add more salt later, but you can never take it away.
Fat Fat is surprisingly good at masking bitterness, which is why, in some parts of the world, people add cream to coffee. In the case of pesto, though, because it's already quite fattening, we're not overly enthusiastic about adding yet more fat to it.
How Do I Fix Bitter Pesto? If you're unfortunate enough to be the owner of some bitter pesto, then sugar or honey might be the first thing you reach for. They both work well at masking bitterness in foods, but there are several other ingredients that help too, including acid, salt, and fat.
Actually the best way to get rid of the bitterness starts at the plant: cut out the flowers and buds as they form. It makes a huge difference. I noticed the smell and taste of my basil changed when the green beginning of the flowers started.
Adding a small amount of acidity (lemon juice or vinegar) and balancing that with a little sweetness (sugar or honey) is the best way to take the edge off a pesto that tastes overwhelmingly of garlic. Almost every cuisine on earth makes use of garlic, and it's a vital component in pesto.
Rocket has an inherent bitterness and not much sweetness, so any pesto you make from it will have that quality. You can try and balance it with sweetness, acidity, etc but that will only go so far.
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