[gbhunter]

What is best to make borscht sour? Lemon juice, or vinegar? maybe even both?

[chinds85]

I think when keeping an authentic borscht in mind, a touch of vinegar would be a better thing to add for sour taste. I'm not sure if many borscht recipes call for lemon juice (that would be more towards the mediterranean). If you arent going for authentic, I would imagine that either choice would create an equally delicious outcome, though I do not have very much experience with this slavic soup. Good luck and perhaps someone else will be able to give you much better information.

[lifer]

i have always used the brine from a jar of pickles

[shroomgirl]

I've twisted a beet and chevre salad to make a borscht.....
cook beets in water, puree, add salt to taste, dillweed, scallions or chives then top a reduced sherry viniager/syrup and chevre.

The Crossing boys did a salad with beets, chevre and sherry viniagrette.....
I just took the combo and twisted it.

[chrose]

Perhaps you can add Sorrel which is used to make Schav another Russian dish. It's funny but when you look up Schav you can find all sorts of stories about no one in the family particularly liking it except Dad who would suck it down like a beer from the fridge, and that was my Dad to a T!
Anyway here's a link that might help a bit?
http://www.thefoodmaven.com/diary/ar.../00000027.html

[Suzanne]

When my mother made borscht, she added Sour Salt, which is just crystals of citric acid. I don't know if it's still available in the spice section, because my jar (French's brand) is still fine after maybe 20+ years.

I like the idea of using pickle brine, especially if it's dill pickles; gets the flavor without changing the color. To me, the color is the best part, and adding anything that could muddy it would make it much less appealing (sorry, chrose! borscht is borscht and schav is schav and never the twain shall meet, at least not in my kitchen )

[chrose]

Originally Posted by Suzanne

(sorry, chrose! borscht is borscht and schav is schav and never the twain shall meet, at least not in my kitchen )

Actually you're quite right, and I couldn't agree more!

[Mikeb]

Distilled white vinegar...