Our Coffee & Vanilla ‘Special Reserve’ Aged Balsamic Vinegar is highly unusual & a great way to experiment with unique flavour combinations. Coffee has many aroma properties including those of blackberry, coriander, clove, vanilla & chocolate. It also does something wonderful to red meat dishes, accentuating the flavours further & giving it a rich intensity. The vanilla gives a subtle sweetness, with a rich aroma & extra depth of flavour. We use our GREAT TASTE AWARD WINNING Gran Riserva ‘Special Reserve’ Aged Balsamic Vinegar as the base for this infusion. This is what the judges had to say about this base balsamic: Glossy, with good consistency; the ageing has done its work Real molasses notes; complex sweetness & lovely balance of acidity A dark & rich balsamic with good consistency & beautiful sheen The key differences between our stunning, authentic aged balsamic vinegars compared with cheaper imitations are: WE DON’T use watery, thin balsamic vinegar; ours are thick enough to use as a glaze but with NO artificial sweeteners or thickeners. WE DON’T do ‘reductions’ – cheaper vinegars that have been boiled to reduce them (sometimes even with sugar) & make them thicker. WE DON’T add a grain of sugar, caramel (E150) or sweeteners anywhere in the process – all the sweetness comes from the passing of time & from the fruit itself. This is unlike any ‘supermarket balsamic’ or cheap, watery vinegars made with 40-50% sugar. This also means it’s ‘free’ on all the slimming plans we know of! Instead, our Coffee & Vanilla ‘Special Reserve’ is a stunning, authentic aged balsamic from Modena, home of the World’s finest balsamic vinegars, aged for years in barrels until just the right balance of sweetness is attained, then infused to give a depth of flavour both surprises & delights. Use it to boost flavour in stews, casseroles and chillies. Add a few drops to a stir fry, gravy or jus for an extra special sauce or make a marinade by adding a dash to oil, crushed garlic, thyme and whatever else you fancy: marinate pigeon or game for a few hours before cooking as usual & you’ll have a dish sure to become a favourite. Try a few drops on ice cream too: the proteins in the dairy bind to the tannin in the coffee to mellow the taste somewhat & provide an interesting flavour combination. Add some crushed meringue for a complimentary chewy crunch!
