Caprese Skewers

Summer evokes all kinds of season specific food cravings for me; from anything on the grill to icy-cold drinks by the pool.  BLT’s, fruit salads, ice cream, and corn on the cob all come to mind as well.  But the food I look forward to most in summer?  A classic Caprese salad.  Traditional 'Insalata Caprese' is nothing more than fresh basil, creamy buffalo mozzarella, and the key component you can only get in summer – great tomatoes.  Purist will season with salt, pepper and olive oil and you are set, but I love the almost as classic variation of the addition of an exceptional Modena balsamic vinegar.

Here is a simple departure on the classic – why not make it into an appetizer?

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, washed and stems removed
• 1 pound bocconcini (fresh mozzarella in small balls), drained
• fresh basil, leaves only
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt & freshly cracked pepper
• Pastamoré Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar

Using small skewers (or larger ones cut in half with kitchen shears) start with a cherry tomato, followed by a bocconcini, a basil leaf folded over, another bocconcini, and finally a cherry tomato.  Arrange on serving plate and drizzle well with extra virgin olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and finally a smaller  drizzle of the Barrel-Aged Balsamic Vinegar.

These can be refrigerated for several hours, but do the seasoning & drizzling just before serving.

Alternatively, if you grocery store offers marinated bocconcini (usually in olive oil, salt & pepper) use these instead, or marinate them yourself for up to 24 hours.

‘Heated Passion’ Fruit White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Since its introduction six months ago our newest balsamic vinegar is making quite the impression.  In short order, our Passion Fruit White Balsamic Vinegar may be our best selling product second only to our other clean, crisp elegant balsamic, our #1 White Balsamic with Pear.

I love taking sweet and matching it with just a bit of heat, here we use just enough red chili pepper flakes to give this a spicy edge.  While this recipe is described as a vinaigrette, it can also be used as a marinade for pork, shrimp or chicken.  You can make this as spicy as you choose.

See the cork in the picture?  I wonder why it is there!

• 1 medium shallot, minced (about 4 tablespoons)
• 4 tablespoons Pastamoré Passion Fruit White Balsamic Vinegar
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine minced shallot, vinegar and olive oil in a small Mason jar.

(Note:  For vinaigrettes, I prefer to use a Mason jar.  It is easy to dump the ingredients into the jar, seal and shake.  You get a nicely emulsified and creamy vinaigrette in seconds, plus you can easily store the extra in the fridge.  I realize purists prefer whisks for better emulsifying, so feel free if you desire, use a bowl and whisk away instead!)

Place the red pepper flakes in the palm of one hand, and with the fingers of your other crush the pepper flakes further.  This will release the essence of the pepper faster.  Add these to the Mason jar along with some salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper.  You need  salt for this vinaigrette to bring the flavors forward, but too much will negate the fruitiness.

Set aside for at least an hour to let flavors meld.  This will cover one large bowl of salad greens and will serve at least four.

as promised

jump to the new blog!

Chocolate Raspberry Balsamic Truffles

If you haven’t tried making traditional chocolate truffles, you may be surprised at how easy they are to make.  Essentially you make a simple 'ganache' of melted chocolate and heated cream, which is then cooled.  Just by doing that, you can tell everyone you can make a 'ganache'!  The cooled filling is then formed into small balls, and coated with cocoa powder.  Truly, something this decadent doesn’t get any more effortless than this!

The twist for these truffles is the use of balsamic vinegar, which adds a punch of intense flavor.  Using the raspberry balsamic adds a back note of the berry flavor to the dark chocolate.  We chose the raspberry balsamic, but our Pastamoré Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar or our Pastamoré Dark Sweet Cherry would work just as well.

Shelf life (in this house):  About 5 minutes...

• 8 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (we recommend Valrhona)
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 teaspoons Pastamoré Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate and cream in a double boiler over hot but not simmering water.  Place melted chocolate in a small bowl.  Stir in the Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar.  Cool the chocolate in the refrigerator for one hour. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, until firm but moldable.

Use a teaspoon to scoop out chocolate. Use your fingertips to shape into balls about the size of a large cherry.  Set the chocolate balls on a parchment-lined tray.

Place the cocoa powder in a small shallow dish. Place 6 truffles at a time in the cocoa powder and roll the truffles around to coat, and return the coated truffles to the baking sheet. Continue with the remaining truffles. Place the truffles on a serving dish or store in an airtight package.

Makes about 36 truffles