Melissa Clark joins us to talk about our latest Food Fridays listener challenge: Infusions! The process of enhancing vinegars and sauces with infusions has always been an integral part of cooking, and during Food Fridays, Melissa Clark is going to teach us how it's done. Listen to our first installment, and send us your creations on Facebook or Twitter. We might just invite you on the show to talk about it!

Recipes:

Infused Vinegar

Makes about 3 cups

3 cups mild vinegar, such as white wine or Champagne

Aromatics, use any of these alone, or whatever combination you like:

Several branches rosemary, sage, mint, or other organic herbs, rinsed and patted dry

Spices – a few cinnamon sticks, 3 to 4 star anise pods, a clove or two

4 smashed and peeled garlic cloves

1 to 4 fresh or dried chile peppers, depending upon how hot you want your vinegar

2 cups organic berries

Zest of one or two lemons, limes or oranges

1. Sterilize a quart sized glass jar in the dishwasher, or by placing washed vessels into a pot of just boiled water and letting them sit for 30 minutes. Dry the jar well but use it while still hot.

2. Meanwhile heat the vinegar until just below the boiling point – about 190F. degrees.

3. Put the aromatics in the hot jar and cover with the vinegar and screw the cap loosely on the jar. Let cool completely.

4. Put the jar in the refrigerator and shake it every day for 2 to 4 weeks, until it tastes infused to you.

5. Strain the vinegar through a sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecoth into another clean sterilized jar and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.

Garlicky Red Chili Hot Sauce

Time: 20 minutes plus 3 days’ standing

4 hot red or orange chili peppers, such as habanero

2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, roughly chopped

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Wearing rubber or latex gloves, roughly chop chilies. Combine all ingredients in a small pot over medium-high heat. Once mixture is simmering, reduce heat to low, cover and continue to simmer until peppers are tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Do not inhale vapors; they will sting.

2. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree. Pour into a medium jar and allow to cool uncovered. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least three days before using to allow the flavors to mellow. Keep stored in refrigerator; sauce will last for several weeks or months.

Yield: 2 cups 

Preserved Lemons

Time: 10 minutes plus 1 month

8 lemons

1 cup kosher salt

Juice of 3 to 4 lemons

1 to 2 cinnamon sticks (optional)

1 bay leaf (optional)

Handful whole peppercorns (optional)

1. Scrub lemons. Trim ends of the lemons, quarter lengthwise almost to the ends, but leaving quarters still attached at one end. Remove the seeds. Rub insides of lemons with salt, about 2 tablespoons per lemon.

2. Pack then into clean quart-sized jar, squishing lemons down to bottom. Add fresh lemon juice to cover lemons completely. Add cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, and peppercorns (optional).

3. Cover jar and leave out on counter for about a week, giving the jar a turn every day or so to help dissolve the salt. Let jar sit in fridge for another month or so, with an occasional turn and shake. Will keep refrigerated for at least a year.