Balsamic Vinegar
A thick, sweet-tart Italian vinegar aged long enough to coat a spoon, ready to use straight from the bottle with no cooking required.
What It Is
Balsamic vinegar comes from Modena, Italy, where cooked grape must is aged in wooden barrels, sometimes for years, growing sweeter and more concentrated over time. The four-star grade sits in the middle of the quality range: noticeably thicker and more complex than basic grocery-store balsamic, without the steep price of the very oldest bottles. It has enough natural sweetness to dress a salad without added sugar, and enough body to work as a finishing drizzle rather than a background ingredient.
The flavor is a balance of sweet and tart with a mild sharpness that mellows when cooked and deepens when reduced.
What To Do
Drizzle it over sliced tomatoes, fresh strawberries, or a chunk of good cheese and you are done. For a quick pan sauce, pour a few tablespoons into a hot pan after cooking chicken or pork, let it bubble and thicken for about a minute, then spoon it over the meat. It also makes a fast salad dressing: two parts olive oil to one part balsamic, a pinch of salt, shaken together.
For a simple glaze, simmer a quarter cup in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for five minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Store at room temperature, away from direct heat.
