I Love to Cook and Bake
Yesterday was my birthday and my husband gave me a bottle of vinegar. There are probably a lot of people that would not think that is a very good gift, but for me, I feel humbled. I am totally not worthy. It's something I've always dreamed about, but just couldn't justify, so tomorrow I am finally going to get to use it.
My "everyday" vinegar is a bottle of Pedro Ximenez 16 year sherry vinegar. It runs about $20 a bottle, but it takes me 6-8 months to go through a bottle. If you taste the Pedro Ximenez and then taste balsamic vinegar that you get at a grocery store, the difference is night and day. After tasting them side by side you will never go back to grocery store vinegar ever again. The extravecchio balsamic vinegar that my husband got me for my birthday is 10 times that much for a bottle less than half the size. Ouch. But there are some dishes that just cannot be made without it.
It sounds so pedestrian for such an expensive ingredient, but the first dish I am going to use it for is avocado toast. I'm going to bake a multigrain bread tomorrow, spread it with mashed avocados, top with roasted tomatoes and drizzle it with the balsamic vinegar. I'm going to serve it as a side to gazpacho along with grilled peaches and halloumi. I really hope it all turns out so I can stop feeling so badly about him spending so much on me.
My "everyday" vinegar is a bottle of Pedro Ximenez 16 year sherry vinegar. It runs about $20 a bottle, but it takes me 6-8 months to go through a bottle. If you taste the Pedro Ximenez and then taste balsamic vinegar that you get at a grocery store, the difference is night and day. After tasting them side by side you will never go back to grocery store vinegar ever again. The extravecchio balsamic vinegar that my husband got me for my birthday is 10 times that much for a bottle less than half the size. Ouch. But there are some dishes that just cannot be made without it.
It sounds so pedestrian for such an expensive ingredient, but the first dish I am going to use it for is avocado toast. I'm going to bake a multigrain bread tomorrow, spread it with mashed avocados, top with roasted tomatoes and drizzle it with the balsamic vinegar. I'm going to serve it as a side to gazpacho along with grilled peaches and halloumi. I really hope it all turns out so I can stop feeling so badly about him spending so much on me.