The Most Scrumptious Balsamic You’ll Ever Eat, And What You Can Put It On!
My mother in law has been following a new food lifestyle recently. She has several different autoimmune diseases and has seen a lot of improvement with the application of a SOS free diet (no sugar, no oil, no salt). Among her research, she came across a company that specializes in creating delicious balsamic vinegars that are SOS free. California Balsamic has a unique variety of balsamic vinegars and from the ones I have tried, let me tell you- they are AMAZING. I don’t even follow a SOS diet, but these vinegars are absolutely delicious!
Here are some of their flavors:
- Peach
- Very Cherry
- Island Pineapple
- Teriyaki
- Ruby Red Onion
- Cilantro Herb
- Chocolate Orange
- Smoked Hickory
- Coconut
- Gilroy Garlic
And that’s just some of them! They are so uniquely flavorful and delicious! After just trying a couple, I want to try them all! My family loves to make a copycat Macaroni Grill bread recipe and dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but honestly, with some of these flavors I feel like I could just eat it by the spoonful! Since that could be a little overpowering, here are some other things you can do with balsamic vinegar if you just love it to pieces, or are looking for new ways to incorporate it in your diet!
- Drizzle on your pizza for a much healthier (and tastier!) option than ranch
- Use as a salad dressing! These are so tasty on their own, you won’t need to add oil or anything else. They can stand on their own!
- Add to your stir fry. The teriyaki seems like an obvious choice, but I wouldn’t mind mixing garlic and Sweet Heat in that mixture as well!
- Mix with mayo for a unique and flavorful sandwich spread!
- Drizzle across fresh fruit. Strawberries or peaches would be divine!
- Drizzle across grilled fruit. I’m pretty sure that’s all you would need for dessert to be complete! (Especially if you added just a tiny bit of ice cream or vanilla Greek yogurt).
- Speaking of dessert, put some on ice cream! I’ve never tried this but I’ve heard more than one person swear by it. I think one of the sweet flavors of balsamic would be divine! (I’m thinking coconut or very cherry!)
- Pour over bruschetta. Another classic way to use balsamic, but you can change things up by trying new flavors!
- Drizzle on your avocado toast to take the flavor to a whole other level!
- Flavor your grilled meats- either with a marinade or by drizzling over the finished product.
- Mix in with your deviled egg mixture. A tangy way to change it up! I bet the Garden Dill Mustard Seed flavor would pair with this spectacularly!
- Flavor your roasted vegetables. Forget salt and pepper- with a little help from these tasty vinegars, you won’t need them! I can’t think of a tastier way to eat asparagus or brussel sprouts!
For more ideas, simply use your Cook’n app! Search for vinegar in the recipes you already have (using the search bar, and choosing to search just your Cook’n database). When the list pulls up, you’ll have tons of ideas to incorporate these tasty balsamic vinegars! Simply substitute for any vinegar in your recipes.
California Balsamic also has several recipe ideas on their website, using their unique and fun flavors. I’ve also included 3 recipes below that look delicious and would be so fun to use for experimenting!
Bacon Wrapped Grilled Peaches with Balsamic Glaze
These bacon wrapped, juicy grilled peaches drizzled with balsamic glaze are the perfect marriage of sweet and savory and make for a delicious summer appetizer. The first bite of recipe creating inspiration for me often
Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 668.084
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 668.084
4 large peaches
12 ounces bacon
60 large basil leaves, plus more for garnish
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar glaze, storebought or homemade
Directions:
Set a grill to low heat and preheat for 10 minutes or so, brush the grill grates with a paper towel dabbed in oil. I use grapeseed oil.
Wash and dry peaches. Cut each peach in half and then each half into 4 quarters. Place one large basil leaf on each side of the peaches. Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each peach slice and basil leaves with a slice of bacon. Pin the loose end of the bacon slice with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining peaches.
Brush the bacon wrapped peaches lightly with olive oil so the bacon doesn't stick to the grill. Grill the peaches until the bacon is cooked, turning so all sides are evenly cooked, about 20 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter and remove toothpicks. Drizzle with store-bought or homemade balsamic glaze.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Source: sfoodiecrush.com
Wash and dry peaches. Cut each peach in half and then each half into 4 quarters. Place one large basil leaf on each side of the peaches. Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each peach slice and basil leaves with a slice of bacon. Pin the loose end of the bacon slice with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining peaches.
Brush the bacon wrapped peaches lightly with olive oil so the bacon doesn't stick to the grill. Grill the peaches until the bacon is cooked, turning so all sides are evenly cooked, about 20 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter and remove toothpicks. Drizzle with store-bought or homemade balsamic glaze.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Source: sfoodiecrush.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
White Balsamic Blueberry, Corn and Feta Salad
Serving size: 10
Calories per serving: 44
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 44
8 medium ears sweet corn
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, plus more for garnish
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions:
Carefully peel back corn husks to within 1 in. of bottoms; remove silk. Rewrap corn in husks; secure with kitchen string. Place in a stockpot; cover with cold water. Soak 20 minutes; drain.
Grill corn, covered, over medium heat about 20 minutes or until tender, turning often. Cut string and peel back husks. Cool slightly. Cut corn from cobs; transfer to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, chives, salt and pepper. Pour over corn; toss to coat. Gently fold in blueberries and feta. Garnish with additional chives as desired.
Source: stasteofhome.com
Grill corn, covered, over medium heat about 20 minutes or until tender, turning often. Cut string and peel back husks. Cool slightly. Cut corn from cobs; transfer to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, chives, salt and pepper. Pour over corn; toss to coat. Gently fold in blueberries and feta. Garnish with additional chives as desired.
Source: stasteofhome.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Damper Rolls
Serving size: 1
Calories per serving: 2,298.973
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 2,298.973
25 grams butter, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup grated vintage Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk, plus extra for brushing
50 grams butter, extra, melted, cooled
Directions:
Step 1
Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until onion is soft. Add sugar and vinegar. Cook, stirring for 5 to 8 minutes or until mixture is caramelised. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan-forced. Grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Step 3
Combine flour, salt and 1/2 cup cheddar in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Make a well. Add egg, milk and extra melted butter. Mix well. Add onion mixture. Knead gently until combined.
Step 4
Divide mixture into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Arrange balls on prepared tray about 3cm apart. Brush with a little extra milk and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and rolls sound hollow when tapped. Cool on tray. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.
Source: staste.com.au
Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until onion is soft. Add sugar and vinegar. Cook, stirring for 5 to 8 minutes or until mixture is caramelised. Set aside to cool completely.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan-forced. Grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Step 3
Combine flour, salt and 1/2 cup cheddar in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Make a well. Add egg, milk and extra melted butter. Mix well. Add onion mixture. Knead gently until combined.
Step 4
Divide mixture into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball. Arrange balls on prepared tray about 3cm apart. Brush with a little extra milk and sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and rolls sound hollow when tapped. Cool on tray. Serve warm or at room temperature with butter.
Source: staste.com.au
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Here’s to tangy, sweet, delicious balsamic!
Camille Hoffmann
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! camille@dvo.com
