Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: rubyslippers on August 30, 2010, 06:58:17 am
-
I have all most a litre of balsamic vinegar in the pantry (I think I brought a new bottle each time I wanted to try the EDC gravy recipe - which I didn't enjoy either time).
What else can I make with it or use it for?
Many thanks
-
There was quite a few things when you put balsamic vinegar in the "search" but you have to be on the forum home page. If you didn't like the flavour of it you might not like those recipes either? :-\ I just like it over salad or strawberries. ;)
-
I use balsamic vinegar a lot. Whenever I make a tomato pasta sauce or pizza sauce of any kind (raw vege, bolognaise with meat or lentils, etc), I always add a splash of balsamic, a tsp of rapadura, and a tsp of sea salt - makes it taste so yummy! Also use it on salads, and have seen it in a mayonnaise recipe instead of lemon juice or white wine vinegar.
-
Thanks Nay-nay, I did check the search. Some of those say white balsamic, which isn't what I have, and most of the others only use very small amounts which will still take me quite some time to use it up. :) I was hoping there would be some fantastic dish/use that would use a lot all in one go. :D
What sort of flavour is it over strawberries? Do I add anything else? Heat/soak etc? Thank you
-
Thanks quirky. I'll have to try and remember to add a splash here and there. Would any other sugar work until I can get some rapadura?
The mayo could be good, DH loves mayo, so if he likes it we might use up a bit that way. ;D
-
Yes, any sugar works, raw would be the next best :)
-
The balsamic vinegar brings out the colour of the berries, and enhances their flavour. They can go with a sponge, over vanilla ice cream or with a dollop of cream.
Combine:
500g fresh strawberries, halved
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
75g caster sugar
let stand for 1 hour and if you're real adventurous add 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
;)
-
It will last for ages rubyslippers so just use it here and there. Caramelised onions is another use for it.
-
I have just made cabbage rolls using the varoma and the jug for the sauce to which I added Balsamic vinegar giving the tomato based sauce a whole new flavour which was great with the cabbage rolls.
Love Balsamic.
Gert
-
To use a big amount i have pickled whole garlic cloves in Balsamic vinegar before and there is a recipe for pickling eggs in Balsamic Vinegar that i have been wanting to try. ;)
-
Equal quantities of balsamic, soy and oil makes a lovely marinade for steak and chicken.
-
Reduce it to a thick sauce, by simmering in an open pan for ages. The thickened syrup is then lovely as a dressing.
-
Wow, thanks everyone. I am much more excited about using it now :). Such a wealth of knowledge around here. :)
Nay-nay does that mean I could decorate a sponge with whipped cream and balsamic strawberries? (just thinking ahead for the weekend).
-
Only if you like the flavour. With whipped mascarpone cream - even better!! ;)
-
Check this recipe out! It would easily convert to TMX.
http://delectablehodgepodge.com/recipes/famouscake.html
-
Or this dessert in a glass
http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/2009/01/balsamic-strawberries-with-whipped.html
-
I use it a lot just in salad dressings, but use less than normal vinegar. Use it for loads of things.
-
I made my barbeque sauce today, and realized that has 100g balsamic vinegar in it... I'll post the recipe. It's yummy! :)
-
Only if you like the flavour. With whipped mascarpone cream - even better!! ;)
Thank you, I'll give the strawberries a 'taste test' on the weekend and skip the sponge till after that. :) I'll check out the other ones too.
Thermomixer - yes, bring on 'salad season'. :)
Thanks quirky - I look forward to reading/trying it :)
-
Here it is: http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=4243.0 :)
-
There is a huge range of taste and quality in Balsamic vinegar.
The true Balsamic vinegar of Modena, rarely appears in large bottles. It is thicker than vinegar and is meant to be used as a condiment.
(Often you will see the term "condimenti" on the label of some of these products.)
There are cheaper products that are mislabeled Balsamic and some do not even originate in Italy. The term is not supposed to be used except by the products actually made in Modena but the Italian DOCG (Denominazione di origine controllata ("Controlled origin denomination") can't control everything made in every country.
It's a lot of fun to experiment with applications of balsamic vinegar, especially when used as a condiment on just about anything.
Even on egg dishes, which may seem odd. A few drops sprinkled on a wedge of quiche can add an astonishing depth of flavor to it,, especially if it contains meat and/or a cheese with some strength of flavor.
There is a site, devoted to cheeses, that has a long list of cheeses that are enhanced with the application of a few drops of balsamic. I can't find it at the moment but will post it when I come across it. Can't recall the title of the blog.
I've attended a Balsamic vinegar tasting, where more than twenty producers, with various grades and ages of the product were available for tasting. It is as interesting as a wine tasting event and a lot of money is on the line for the successful producers.
I have one Balsamic vinegar that is a 50-year-old Privilegio Mussini in a 2.4 ounce bottle!
It was a gift - spendthrift that I am, I have never paid such a huge sum for balsamic vinegar.
A local Italian market carries a few brands and my usual for desserts - steaks (just a few drops at table), etc., is a 12-year-old made by De Nigris in Modena - an 8.5 ounce bottle is usually priced at nineteen dollars but sometimes they have a modest sale.
For marinades, dressings and for cooking, I buy a 6-year-old made by Rustichella, another Modena producer. I don't bother with the younger ones, they aren't that different from red wine vinegar with a little sugar added (often this is exactly the way they are produced. Simply cooked with sugar until some of the water has been reduced - some are even colored to look more authentic.
Once you taste the real stuff, it's easy to know the difference. )
You can read more about it on this page (http://www.gatewaygourmet.com/balsamic_vinegar.htm) and here. (http://www.italianharvest.com/artisans.php/tmpl/33)
-
andiesenji, you leave me Gobsmacked as usual!! ;) :D
-
Sorry! I guess I went a bit overboard.
-
Not at all Andie. I visited one of the farms where they produce balsamico outside Modena in 2006. Very interesting with all the barrels.
We bought a small bottle of 50 yr old with an eye-dropper to dispense onto parmesan cheese and other bits. It is so thick!
But the larger bottles can add some flavour that I like.
-
Nah you didn't Andi. You always have something interesting and informative to say plus we love your funny stories.
Gretchen
-
Andie I enjoy reading your posts as I learn so much.
-
Not at all Andie. I visited one of the farms where they produce balsamico outside Modena in 2006. Very interesting with all the barrels.
We bought a small bottle of 50 yr old with an eye-dropper to dispense onto parmesan cheese and other bits. It is so thick!
But the larger bottles can add some flavour that I like.
I didn't mean to imply that the balsamic in the larger bottles can't have a pleasant flavor, I only wanted to note that there are some products sold that are really not of the best quality. Some producers slap a balsamic label on a bottle and jack up the price accordingly. I despise companies that deliberately rip off the consumer.
Several years ago, when the balsamic products first became trendy, a California producer of pretty good vinegars (and one of the few that produces verjus), began marketing a product that had Balsamic prominent on the label - in smaller type, above and below that word were the words "In the ------ of Modena tradition." The product was pretty good but it was deliberately mislabeled.
He was sued, settled and relabeled the product.
I'm very fond of vinegars of various types and have a rather extensive "collection" of different types from different fruits and etc., that I use all the time in cooking, in dressings and marinades and as a condiment.
On another foodie forum there have been a couple of lively discussions about the various types of vinegars and I learned I was not alone in "collecting" them. I really enjoy tasting them.
Some vinegars are actually intended to be made into a drink - with seltzer water and fruit syrup. The tradition of drinking vinegar goes back to Roman times, when it was safer to drink the local water if it was mixed with vinegar, which killed some of the pathogens that might cause disease.
-
No Andie - I didn't take it that way either, just wouldn't want people to throw out there bottles of the non-genuine stuff.
Something to think about with balsamico in the cheaper versions is to cook it and reduce it down with a little sugar so it becomes more syrupy and less astringent. They use that in some restaurants.
Andie - I love vinegars and fruit infused vinegar, like raspberry vinegar, has always been a favourite from early days at my grandparents.
The cousin - vincotto, is also a favourite here.
-
I think someone mentioned ice cream. I have some fig vinegar - also very much like a syrup - it is delicious on vanilla ice cream.
-
Sorry! I guess I went a bit overboard.
No! Not at all! Exactly what Gertie said - "interesting and informative, plus we love your funny stories." ;)
-
I adore balsamic vinegar!
I make a delicious salad dressing with it:
Equal quantities balsamic and oil, 3 tsp seeded mustard, 2 Tbsp honey, 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce, s & p to taste.
We also love to sprinkle it on to sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper and have it on toast for breakfast!
-
YUM! I'll have to write that salad dressing down, MeganJane!
-
I have too and will stick it on my pantry wall where I can find it easily. How much liquid would you say MJ - 1/2 cup of each or less?
-
I've copied it down as well, thanks MJ. ;)
-
I also make my own vinegar - have been keeping two vinegar "mothers" alive for several years. One is for red wine and one is for white.
I have a lot of friends who are wine aficionados and often buy wines to try that don't meet with their expectations. Rather than dump them, as long as they haven't gone off, they give me the "leftovers" for my vinegar production and in return I give them vinegar.
I don't really have any funny stories about vinegar but I have one about olive oil - sort of off topic but since this is in Chit Chat, I'll tell it anyway.
Back in the days when I was much younger and much, much thinner, I attended a wedding reception at a winery near Santa Barbara where they also crush and bottle their own olive oil.
The reception was held outside on the huge patio, under live oaks and one enormous fig tree, under which was a large trestle table that held several decorative containers as well as various little food items and etc.
Part of the display was a carboy of olive oil, sitting on top of a wine keg.
I was standing near the table with a group of people when one of the servers stumbled on one of the flagstones and bumped into the table.
The carboy of olive oil fell, hit the table, bounced and tumbled onto the flagstones where it broke showering me and the people around me with the oil. :o
I was wearing a pale peach-colored silk dress. When oil gets onto silk, it renders it transparent so needless to say, there I stood, dripping in oil with my underwear exposed to all and sundry. ;D Fortunately, I was wearing appropriate underthings but still, it was more than a little embarrassing .
A quick thinking server grabbed an extra table cloth and wrapped it around me.
Fortunately just prior to this, the bride, who had been chatting with us, had moved far enough away that she didn't get any of the stuff on her dress.
With the help of some friends and the daughter of the winery's owner, I was able to get cleaned up, into a dress belonging to the daughter and returned to the party.
The winery bought me a new dress and sent me two cases of their best wines, which in those days, I could still drink. (Before my allergy to alcohol became severe.)
For years I was forced to relive the experience every time that batch of friends got together and it did get funnier with time.
-
That's hilarious, Andie!! How embarrassing :-[ (but funny!) ;D
-
Donchya love stories you can dine out of for years!
Once when working as a waitress I was serving the much loved Governor of NSW and his Lady wife who by the way, was wearing a lovely bright yellow frock. When reaching to put the plate down in front of her something small and red leaped from the plate and bounced down the front of her dress leaving button like marks all over her sizeable bust. She never blinked and eye.
On the other hand when serving the odious wife of the Commodore of a POSH yacht club at a very high level function I accidently dumped roast beef in plenty of gravy down the back of her white sharkskin full length and outrageously expensive dress. The howl could be heard across Sydney Harbour. She stood up and called me some really exciting names and fired me on the spot. Later, of course,I was reinstated with a raise but I do believe it cost the club a considerable sum to replace the dress.
For some months I was quite the hero of the staff and of course won the bet!
Of the two only one was a lady.
Never challenge Gertbysea. 8) 8) 8)
-
I should say that as a follow up to that experience I was asked out on dates by two of the single guys who were also at the reception.
To this day I don't know if it was because of my wit or because of that accident..... I dated both of them off an on for a few years and we had lots of fun and more than a few memorable dinners.
-
They must have liked what they'd seen Andie - good story ;D :D