How do you use Balsamic Vinegar?

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Zhizara

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I love the taste of Balsamic vinegar, it's really good on tomatoes, and would make great salad dressings, but living alone and cooking for one, I don't make salads often.

I'm looking for recipes you can add this to for that extra pizzazz.
 
Put some in a saucer with olive oil and a little fresh rosemary. Run bits of warm french bread through it on the way to your mouth :)

Drizzle over anything fried.

Make a fresh slaw from parnips, carrots and some apples (all shredded). Toss with Balsamic. Top with toasted slivered almonds.

My local bar tender wipes some martini glasses with balsamic and also serves a wicked vodka lemonade with splash of balsamic topped with a strawberry. I can personally recommend this with grilled cheese sandwiches :)
 
believe it or not, it's good with whole stuffed trout!

this is one of my creations from watching too many cooking shows, then mixing up some of the recipes and ending up with something really good.

thinly slice an onion and a small bulb of fennel into strips and put into a large bowl. add sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, a little evoo, and a healthy splash or three of balsamic vinegar.

dress a couple of good sized trout (gut, scale, rinse, remove fins and head), place a few sprigs of lemon thyme into the body cavity of each, then stuff with the onion and fennel mixture. loosely tie the body closed, put trout into a glass baking dish, then stuff any remaining mixture into the fishes until they're overflowing.

drizzle trout with a little more evoo, and sprinkle with more sea salt and pepper. bake at 375 for 25 minutes, or until the trout is just cooked through.

to eat, cut away the strings and gently peel back the skin on top. the meat and onion/fennel will fork away easily leaving the ribs and spine intact. then, flip over and fork the meat from the other side.

serve with baked spuds and good bread.

i've made this many times and there's always a battle for who get the biggest or the most fish.

:chef:
 
Worth knowing about balsamic vinegar is that there are two basic types, and the flavor is worlds apart. True balsamic is aged in oak for at least 12 years from a trebbiano grape juice reduction of about a third, with texture of a syrup. This is very expensive and is used sparingly. A few drops goes a long way.
The vinegar labeled as Modena balsmic is a much more commercial product and is often found in supermarkets and is not aged.

Wickipedia has this to say regarding balsamic.

There are three types of balsamic vinegar:

  1. Authentic traditional artisan balsamic vinegar, the only kind that may legally be described as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.
  2. Commercial grade balsamic vinegars produced on an industrial scale.
  3. Condimento grade products, which are often a mix of the two above.

Commercial grade balsamic vinegar is used in salad dressings, dips, marinades, reductions and sauces.
In Emilia-Romagna, tradizionale vinegar is most often served in drops on top of chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano and mortadella as an antipasto. It is also used sparingly to enhance steaks, eggs or grilled fish, as well as on fresh fruit such as strawberries and pears and on plain crema (custard) gelato. Tradizionale vinegar has excellent digestive properties[citation needed] and it may even be drunk from a tiny glass to conclude a meal.


Contemporary chefs use both tradizionale and condimento vinegars sparingly in simple dishes where the balsamic vinegar's complex tastes are highlighted, using it to enhance dishes like scallops or shrimp, or on simple pastas and risottos.
 
I pan-fry onions in balsamic with sage and black pepper and serve them with pork chops marinated in Balsamic and drizzled with EVOO. Very easy and tasty. I also occasionally do the onions then fry the chops on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil.
 
Worth knowing about balsamic vinegar is that there are two basic types, and the flavor is worlds apart. True balsamic is aged in oak for at least 12 years from a trebbiano grape juice reduction of about a third, with texture of a syrup. This is very expensive and is used sparingly. A few drops goes a long way.
The vinegar labeled as Modena balsmic is a much more commercial product and is often found in supermarkets and is not aged.

Wickipedia has this to say regarding balsamic.

There are three types of balsamic vinegar:

  1. Authentic traditional artisan balsamic vinegar, the only kind that may legally be described as Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale.
  2. Commercial grade balsamic vinegars produced on an industrial scale.
  3. Condimento grade products, which are often a mix of the two above.
Commercial grade balsamic vinegar is used in salad dressings, dips, marinades, reductions and sauces.
In Emilia-Romagna, tradizionale vinegar is most often served in drops on top of chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano and mortadella as an antipasto. It is also used sparingly to enhance steaks, eggs or grilled fish, as well as on fresh fruit such as strawberries and pears and on plain crema (custard) gelato. Tradizionale vinegar has excellent digestive properties[citation needed] and it may even be drunk from a tiny glass to conclude a meal.


Contemporary chefs use both tradizionale and condimento vinegars sparingly in simple dishes where the balsamic vinegar's complex tastes are highlighted, using it to enhance dishes like scallops or shrimp, or on simple pastas and risottos.
Spot on Big J, this is a mate of mine's balsamic ect site in the UK, I used to be on his olive oil taste panel for new products, I get very favorable prices for cash;)Buy Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Pasta and Pasta Sauces Online from The Gift of Oil
 
Looks like everyone has it covered! I L-O-V-E balsamic vinegar and tend to put it on anything I can get away with. It's kind of a joke at our house, I have my balsamic vinegar, and dh has his Montreal steak seasoning :)
 
Looks like everyone has it covered! I L-O-V-E balsamic vinegar and tend to put it on anything I can get away with. It's kind of a joke at our house, I have my balsamic vinegar, and dh has his Montreal steak seasoning :)

Yeah, I guess they do. I didn't know about strawberries. I do like to drink a tablespoon on occasion. Love the taste. I'll try on salmon next time.
 
I just made 2 batches of roasted garlic/balsamic vinegar/white wine jelly for Christmas presents. Not for your peanut butter and jelly--but a couple tablespoonsful stirred into pan sauce for chops or chicken--mmmmm.

Roasted Garlic Jelly Recipe - Food.com - 244323

One note--it makes a very stiff jelly. Next time I make it, I will use only one packet of liquid pectin, and see what happens. I used dark balsamic, because that is all I could find.
 
I just made 2 batches of roasted garlic/balsamic vinegar/white wine jelly for Christmas presents. Not for your peanut butter and jelly--but a couple tablespoonsful stirred into pan sauce for chops or chicken--mmmmm.

Roasted Garlic Jelly Recipe - Food.com - 244323

One note--it makes a very stiff jelly. Next time I make it, I will use only one packet of liquid pectin, and see what happens. I used dark balsamic, because that is all I could find.

That sounds tasty! Right up my alley!:)
 
A lot of it depends on the grade. Artisanal grades are used in drops generally to accent other foods. It lacks the acidity to work as the primary grade of balsamic in a salad and the cost would be prohibitive too. But a little bit to accent a dressing, sure.

Condimenti and commercial grades are better suited for dressing and marinade and such but taste before using as they're certainly not all equal.

The commercial grades are sometimes reduced to a syrup for accenting meat and such.
 
my sister just made salad dressing.

splenda, vinegar, oil, herbs

tossed with spinach, walnuts and cranberries.
 
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