Balsamic Vinegar

Rabbits-Love-Rainbow Carrots with Maple-Balsamic-Orange Glaze….Don’t They? E.A.T #28

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 8 Comments

I think I might be part rabbit…my ears are kinda pointy….I twitch my nose at good and bad smells…I have been accused of hopping around all over the place…not to mention my affinity for carrots. I like them shredded, cut into coins, added to soups and salads, fresh from the ground with a little bit of dirt still clinging to them and roasted lightly glazed with a quick maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and fresh orange juice concoction. Spring carrots tender and sweet lend themselves to such a simple, easy-as-this, recipe. A very appropriate addition to an Easter dinner.

One bag each of large and/or small, easy to find and trendy rainbow carrots sliced down the middle from top to bottom, tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with Flower Pepper from Food Sheriff and flakey Maldon sea salt…..a great finger food or side dish. Roasted, glazed and served garnished with toasted, chopped pecans. It’s as easy-as-this.

Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Life.

Rainbow Carrots with a Maple-Balsamic-Orange Glaze

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 bags of rainbow carrots, any size, tops trimmed and peeled, cut in half lengthwise
  • olive oil, a few tablespoons
  • Flower Pepper or any other good freshly ground pepper
  • flakey sea salt such as Maldon
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup real maple syrup
  • the juice from one small orange
  • Garnish – toasted and chopped pecans

Directions:

  1. Turn oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Toss prepped carrots in olive oil and spread out on one or two baking sheets.  Season with pepper and salt to taste.
  3. Roast for 10 minutes.
  4. While carrots are roasting mix together the balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and orange juice.
  5. After 10 minutes remove baking sheet with carrots from the oven and drizzle with half the glaze. Return pan to oven to roast carrots just until “fork-tender”. Remove pan from oven.
  6. Serve carrots with remaining glaze and pecans.

Teresa Blackburn    http://www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com

 

(Almost No Cooking) E.A.T. Late Summer Salad with Crowder Peas, Homegrown Tomatoes & Cucumbers

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 29 Comments

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 The so-called “dog days of summer” have gotten to me and when it comes to cooking I am giving in. Salads and variations-on-the-salad will be my mainstay for a bit. Cool foods that I can quickly and easily put together with ingredients  that are readily and locally available. I will make foods that do not require breaking a sweat.

This colander of fresh Crowder peas in where we start today. I quickly cooked them in a plastic bag in the microwave…no hot water steaming up the kitchen on this 90+ degree day,  then I rinsed them in cold water and let them drain for a bit.

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Hmmmm….homegrown tomatoes & cucumbers from the Duren-Kemp garden of earthly delights. (That’s my son-in-law and daughter’s garden.)

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A splash or two or three of this fab balsamic vinegar purchased down the street from Lazzaroli’s Pasta emporium.

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Easy as this Lemon Salt  & freshly ground black pepper added to taste… served with glass of chilled white wine and a baguette from Dozen’s Bakery.

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 A late summer, no oven or stove-top dinner, healthy & fresh, cool as a cucumber meal! Keep it simple, don’t work up a sweat with this “Crowder Pea, Homegrown Tomato & Cucumber Salad”. It’s another “E.A.T. ” (easy as this) meal brought to you from my little Food on Fifth kitchen.

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(Almost No Cooking) E.A.T. Late Summer Salad of Crowder Peas, Homegrown Tomatoes and Cucumbers

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: E.A.T. (Easy as This)
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Ingredients:

  • 2-3 cups fresh, shelled Crowder peas, lady peas or any other summer pea
  • 4 medium size home-grown tomatoes cut into bite-size chunks
  • 1-2 fresh smallish size cucumbers, peeled or unpeeled, sliced or cut into chunks
  • a good balsamic vinegar, as much as you like to coat
  • lemon salt & freshly ground black pepper (or just regular sea salt)

Directions:

  1. Rinse & drain peas & put in a zip-lock bag left slightly open. Cook in microwave for about 8 minutes on high. Dump into a colander and rinse with cool running water. Leave to drain for 10 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl toss together the cooled peas, tomato chunks & cucumbers.
  3. Season with salt & black pepper. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve at room temp or chilled. Delicious with a crusty baguette and, of course on a hot day, a glass of chilled white wine. Bon Appetite.

Teresa Blackburn   teresablackburnfoodstyling.com    foodonfifth.com

When a Shrub is not A Bush! – Drinkable Strawberry Shrub, E.A.T. #16

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 6 Comments

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I am always amazed why it takes me so long to get around to trying something that I have known about for so long.  I have read about “shrub”drinks over the years, but had no idea how easy they are to make and how zesty & wonderful they taste, especially if you are a fan of vinegar drinks.

Before bottled colas & other sugary drinks became a ubiquitous part of our cultural landscape people made vinegar based fruit drinks commonly called “shrubs”. Mixed with carbonated water, Prosecco or even a Belgium Lambic beer results in one perfect warm weather cooler. I tried all three and found each deliciously appealing.

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A few simple ingredients are all you need to make your own bottle(s) of shrub to keep in the refrigerator chilled and ready to enjoy.  Fresh berries or other fruit, sugar, white wine, red wine & balsamic vinegars….simple and inexpensive.

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If you are a fan of kombucha, then I think you will find this recipe for strawberry shrub a new and interesting way to get your vinegar based drink fix. It truly is as “easy as this”! Give it a try,  let me know what you think.

Strawberry Shrub Drink

  • Difficulty: easyasthis
  • Print

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Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs fresh, sweet strawberries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, peaches), wash, hulled & chopped
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, dark or white
  • 2 cups white wine vinegar
  • 2 cups red wine vinegar

 

Directions:

  1. Mix fruit and sugar in a bowl. Crush berries with a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon. Cover for 1 hour or chilled overnight allowing fruit and sugar to meld and juices to be released from the fruit.
  2. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth, pressing the fruit to get out all the flavorful juice.
  3. Add balsamic, white wine and red wine vinegars to the strained juice. Store “shrub” in a lidded glass jar chilled until ready to use.
  4. For Mocktails put some of the shrub in a glass with ice and top with fizzy water. For Cocktails mix with Prosecco or a Peach Lambic Beer. Add a squeeze of lime or orange if desired. Adjust the amount of the shrub depending on your particular taste. I enjoy a very zesty drink with lots of that full-bodied fruit vinegar flavor. Experiment to come up with you own combinations.

Teresa Blackburn Food Styling

“Balsamic-Brown Sugar Infused Peach Frozen Yogurt”

~ Teresa Blackburn ~ 27 Comments

frozen yogurt peach

If you live in Nashville you might have seen “The Peach Truck” around your neighborhood? A few weeks ago they were parked  in front of the coffee shop next door to our house, The Red Bicycle, selling their Georgia fresh peaches. Bagged in paper sacks for proper ripening these Freestone Peaches, soft & fuzzy on the outside, juicy-sweet on the inside, were soon to be combined with a bit of Balsamic & Brown Sugar & churned into a soft serve frozen yogurt.

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Here is how you easily peel a peach….Cut an “X” in the bottom, plunge into hot boiling water for a few seconds….

Georgia Peaches

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….Remove from water & drain. Skin will easily peel away using the edge of a knife.

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Here is what you will need to for a batch of “…Peach Frozen Yogurt”:

5 peeled peaches, 1 1/2 generous cups of raw or brown sugar, 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar & 1 quart of full fat Greek Yogurt

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Here is how you make it:

 Cut peeled peaches into bite-sized chunks. Put into a glass or stainless bowl.

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Sprinkle brown sugar & balsamic vinegar over peaches.

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Stir to combine. Cover & chill overnight.

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I used this Balsamic vinegar which I purchased at Lazzaroli’s Pasta and Italian Market. It is almost like a glaze, but not quite…thicker than regular, a bit sweeter and a bit more expensive. I use it sparingly and for special recipes. It is a fine thing.

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This is what your peaches will look like the next day. They are ready for the ice cream freezer. I use a 2 quart electric Cuisinart freezer which works just great. Any ice cream freezer will do.

Here is what you do next:

In a large mixing bowl combine the Greek yogurt with the peaches & juice. Mix well. Pour into your ice cream freezer and churn according to your machine’s directions. Eat immediately or within an hour or so for a soft serve which is just the best way ever to enjoy it.

frozen peach yogurt

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Ripen peaches in a paper bag for a day or so to bring out their natural flavor & juice.

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