What can you do with vinegar, a very versatile condiment that can be used in very simple ways to add a touch of vibrancy to many dishes? Without exaggerating, you can add a small amount to almost any dish. Often, the key is to use just enough to add freshness and vibrancy, without making it overly vinegary.
Here are a few suggestions for simple uses…
Cucumbers: Gently drizzle our cucumber slices with a little salt and pepper.
Tomatoes: Our balsamic vinegars on tomatoes, with a little oil, salt, and pepper, taste heavenly! Adding fresh mozzarella, burrata, or bocconcini makes it sublime. Try it with Pléaides, among other things.
Oysters: Our favorites on oysters are Rasemotte, Métis, and Les Voiles. The latter, our maple balsamic vinegar, enhances the briny flavor and adds an incredible boost to the oysters’ taste. A must-try!
Lettuce salads (mesclun, green, or romaine, it doesn’t matter): Place your lettuce leaves in a bowl and moisten with vinegar (about 1 tablespoon per serving), a little salt, and pepper. Toss everything together and let it sit for a few minutes. Toss again, then add a drizzle of oil before serving. Don’t add the oil at the beginning, only at the last minute. This allows the lettuce to absorb the vinegar. Your salads will never have tasted so fresh, and you’ll never have to make vinaigrette again. It’s the easiest way to have a flavorful salad in just a few minutes.
Colander salad: Green cabbage, bok choy, Savoy cabbage, it doesn’t matter, our approach is pretty much always the same: Shred the cabbage, put it in a salad bowl with salt and pepper, and toss. Let it sit, tossing occasionally. Then, shortly before serving, taste it. The cabbage will have released some water and diluted the vinegar. We then adjust the seasoning, sometimes adding a little honey or maple syrup, or even sesame, olive, or camelina oil. But when we make them with one of our balsamic vinegars (Courtepointe, Les Voiles, Nocturne), we often add nothing at all because it’s just to our taste.
Soups, broths, stews: a teaspoon of vinegar in your bowl of soup softens the salty taste and adds freshness. Even a good old-fashioned chicken noodle soup made from a packet or can gains vitality with the addition of acidity. The same goes for a pot-au-feu broth or other simmered dish. In a vegetable stew, a small amount of vinegar can be sprinkled over the bowl to enhance the flavor.
Soups: we like to drizzle a few drops of one of our balsamic vinegars over soups, especially those made with squash, sweet potato, or carrot. You can complete the garnish with croutons, a drizzle of oil, coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds, and a little chive or green onion. Sometimes you take a spoonful with more or less vinegar, a bit of crunch or not, and it adds depth to the whole thing.
Yogurt: This is really curious, but a little vinegar in yogurt adds magic. We can’t quite explain it, but it makes the flavor more harmonious. For a serving, we generally use a teaspoon of vinegar. You can add honey, jam, or maple syrup to round things out, then top with granola, fresh or dried fruit, nuts, etc.
Gin and tonic: A teaspoon of fruit vinegar in a glass of gin and tonic is simply amazing! It adds flavor and freshness. Just be careful not to drink it too fast!
Tomato juice: A few drops in tomato or vegetable juice give a little kick that we really appreciate.
Cheers!