I’m home sick and planned to make this tonight. I just discovered I don’t have any red wine, but do have a Pinot Gris which isn’t sweet. I’m hoping this works out! I’m not telling my husband it is an appetizer...it’ll be a main dish.
And it was! My husband said if I’d told him what I was making he’d thought he wouldn’t like it. Of course, he did! I just wish I’d roasted extra grapes. Next time!
I just tasted white balsamic vinegar. There's a local shop named "Olive Groove". They offer free tastings of an expansive variety of oils and vinegars. Some are quite lovely. The white balsamic was nothing like the brown varieties. I even liked it.
Re balsamic vinegar, I much prefer vino cotto to balsamic as I find it “softer”. It is sweeter but pleasingly so. That said, a few years ago, I was in Modena and very much enjoyed tasting & learning about balsamic vinegar/s.
I adore to print out your newsletter - I can't seem to do it on substack. I am sure it is me and I am just not seeing or doing something correctly.....any tips???
You should be able to tap the Download button (in blue) just after the recipe, and that should download a PDF of it so you can print it out. Hope that helps!
I’ve made baked Brie as an appetizer for a holiday appetizer, usually en croute ( puff pastry--wrapped in it , brushed with beaten egg, then baked). I‘ve used assorted mushrooms most times, & fruit jams the last time. Allergies to mushrooms stopped using them. The grapes with balsamic do sound very interesting and will bookmark this recipe version.
I made dulce leche with direct-from-the-cow milk a couple of times. When I received the milk in a re-used plastic soda bottle I shuddered, but decided it probably cooked long enough to be safe. In Chile, fresh cheese was (is?) sold along the road to the beach. The government made selling unpasteurized cheese illegal a few years ago. In the countryside many people continue sell fresh cheese from their homes, but without a sign out front.
The thing I like most about your newsletter (besides the delightful recipes), is your willingness to express strong opinions on a variety of subjects--it's why I subscribe!
Having an opinion sometimes draws ire (online) but that's the nice part of having a newsletter and regular readers know it's not just a rant, nor is it meant to taunt. I have my reasons for not liking it : ) but I know some people like it, which is fine too!
David, it is nice to read that you are not a fan of Balsamic!! At risk of sounding a bit militant in my views I would like to say that I hate the stuff. I don't care whether or not it costs a kings ransom or a few pennies....it is not something i want on my food. I have become enamored of a zinfandel wine vinegar from a vineyard on the west coast....taking risk here at naming them but Katz has wonderful vinegars. Just wanted you to know it was nice to see that someone whom I respect very much( you) has something to say about the ubiquitous Balsamic!!
I LOVE Katz vinegars! I knew Albert Katz when he was a chef/owner in Berkeley and I was working my way through school at the Berkeley Bowl, where he shopped every Saturday morning. The owner warned me that he was exacting and cranky, but I could always answer his questions {I worked in the bulk food section} and I enjoyed his presence. A few years ago I read a cookbook that featured Katz vinegars, and I immediately guessed that this was the same Katz. I called the vineyard to ask where I could buy their products in NYC, and Albert answered the phone. I said, I'm sure you don't remember me but I worked at the Berkeley Bowl in the late 80's. He replied, "And I was a real son of a bitch back then, wasn't I?"
However like most things, you need to look at a lot of factors (such as quantity consumed, etc). I've heard good things about Katz vinegar but I buy Martin Pouret in France, when I can find it, as it's still made the old-fashioned way :)
Your notes on staples bring several things to mind:
1. I once published a recipe for Staple Soup. It was a vegetable soup. No metal staples.
2. At a country club fundraising luncheon for a day care center whose board I sat on--the first and only time I went to a country club--we were served seafood crepes. A woman found a staple in hers. This has to be nearly half a century ago, and I can still see her holding it up. Wise rule to keep staples away from food.
3. In a wonderful memoir called "Little Heathens," the author writes that her young son had swallowed a bobby pin. The medical world couldn't suggest a solution beyond abdominal surgery. She remembered a home cure: feeding the child mashed potatoes mixed with sauerkraut. The potatoes made the concoction tastier and easier for a little child to swallow; the sauerkraut wrapped itself around the bobby pin in his gastrointestinal system and out it came in the natural scheme of things. Might work for a swallowed staple! Worth a try.
This looks delish! Here, aux états unis, we have beautiful shops that sell all varieties of vinegars & olive oils. You can get literally get lost in these shops (I’ve seen them in Paris as well) & tastings are common. There are many white balsamics out there which can be used to enhance dressings, etc. without leaving the brown coloring on your greens, etc. I have a kitchen cabinet dedicated to a variety of oils & vinegars 🤪. Maybe there’s a 12-step program for people like me???
Vinegar is one of the less-discussed culinary ingredients. Marcella Hazan always said people should pay more attention to it and I still remember when i was a teenager and a friend's mother made a salad with a French red wine vinegar...and it was outstanding. (It's funny that a 16-yr old me noticed that!) You can actually get very good vinegar for not a lot of money and it lasts a while. I buy an good brand in France, Martin Pouret and the price is reasonable: https://martin-pouret.com/en/categorie-produit/our-products/vinegars/
Salads at the family dinner table were served with a cruet of olive oil and a tiny glass of red wine vinegar. So, early on we made our dressings to taste on the plate. Oh, yes, the kitchen crew (us kids) would fight over who got to drink the left-over vinegar.
I’m home sick and planned to make this tonight. I just discovered I don’t have any red wine, but do have a Pinot Gris which isn’t sweet. I’m hoping this works out! I’m not telling my husband it is an appetizer...it’ll be a main dish.
You can definitely use white wine. The color will be a bit different but it'll still be delicious.
And it was! My husband said if I’d told him what I was making he’d thought he wouldn’t like it. Of course, he did! I just wish I’d roasted extra grapes. Next time!
I just tasted white balsamic vinegar. There's a local shop named "Olive Groove". They offer free tastings of an expansive variety of oils and vinegars. Some are quite lovely. The white balsamic was nothing like the brown varieties. I even liked it.
Yum, my kind of appetizer or dessert!. Any of those photos would look great in your new book!
Re balsamic vinegar, I much prefer vino cotto to balsamic as I find it “softer”. It is sweeter but pleasingly so. That said, a few years ago, I was in Modena and very much enjoyed tasting & learning about balsamic vinegar/s.
I adore to print out your newsletter - I can't seem to do it on substack. I am sure it is me and I am just not seeing or doing something correctly.....any tips???
You should be able to tap the Download button (in blue) just after the recipe, and that should download a PDF of it so you can print it out. Hope that helps!
Balsamic brown sweet lettuce, ugh. I agree.
I’ve made baked Brie as an appetizer for a holiday appetizer, usually en croute ( puff pastry--wrapped in it , brushed with beaten egg, then baked). I‘ve used assorted mushrooms most times, & fruit jams the last time. Allergies to mushrooms stopped using them. The grapes with balsamic do sound very interesting and will bookmark this recipe version.
I made dulce leche with direct-from-the-cow milk a couple of times. When I received the milk in a re-used plastic soda bottle I shuddered, but decided it probably cooked long enough to be safe. In Chile, fresh cheese was (is?) sold along the road to the beach. The government made selling unpasteurized cheese illegal a few years ago. In the countryside many people continue sell fresh cheese from their homes, but without a sign out front.
The thing I like most about your newsletter (besides the delightful recipes), is your willingness to express strong opinions on a variety of subjects--it's why I subscribe!
Having an opinion sometimes draws ire (online) but that's the nice part of having a newsletter and regular readers know it's not just a rant, nor is it meant to taunt. I have my reasons for not liking it : ) but I know some people like it, which is fine too!
Just in time for the weekend !
(butter boards are the grossest thing ever invented. ) LOL.
It's was an, um....interesting idea (who doesn't love butter?!) but it became a "jump the shark" moment for all those 'things on boards'....
Je suis d’accord du couleur de balsamic vinaigre donc je utilise balsamic vinaigre blanc.
I have now learned there is balsamic white. Is it sweet like the brown?
Yes....but it doesn't have the viscosity of dark aged balsamic. It is light and lovely!
David, it is nice to read that you are not a fan of Balsamic!! At risk of sounding a bit militant in my views I would like to say that I hate the stuff. I don't care whether or not it costs a kings ransom or a few pennies....it is not something i want on my food. I have become enamored of a zinfandel wine vinegar from a vineyard on the west coast....taking risk here at naming them but Katz has wonderful vinegars. Just wanted you to know it was nice to see that someone whom I respect very much( you) has something to say about the ubiquitous Balsamic!!
I LOVE Katz vinegars! I knew Albert Katz when he was a chef/owner in Berkeley and I was working my way through school at the Berkeley Bowl, where he shopped every Saturday morning. The owner warned me that he was exacting and cranky, but I could always answer his questions {I worked in the bulk food section} and I enjoyed his presence. A few years ago I read a cookbook that featured Katz vinegars, and I immediately guessed that this was the same Katz. I called the vineyard to ask where I could buy their products in NYC, and Albert answered the phone. I said, I'm sure you don't remember me but I worked at the Berkeley Bowl in the late 80's. He replied, "And I was a real son of a bitch back then, wasn't I?"
In France, one of the ingredients in it is talked about being a possibly toxic: https://www.francebleu.fr/des-produits-courants-juges-toxiques-par-60-millions-de-consommateurs-1377593374
However like most things, you need to look at a lot of factors (such as quantity consumed, etc). I've heard good things about Katz vinegar but I buy Martin Pouret in France, when I can find it, as it's still made the old-fashioned way :)
Just bought the Isigny-Ste-Mer cheese from Costco so I am definitely going to make this recipe. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I just looked at the package of Brie! It has staples on the lid and in the bottom.
100% with you on adding a couple of drops of balsamic to round out the vinaigrette. Or not at all.
Your notes on staples bring several things to mind:
1. I once published a recipe for Staple Soup. It was a vegetable soup. No metal staples.
2. At a country club fundraising luncheon for a day care center whose board I sat on--the first and only time I went to a country club--we were served seafood crepes. A woman found a staple in hers. This has to be nearly half a century ago, and I can still see her holding it up. Wise rule to keep staples away from food.
3. In a wonderful memoir called "Little Heathens," the author writes that her young son had swallowed a bobby pin. The medical world couldn't suggest a solution beyond abdominal surgery. She remembered a home cure: feeding the child mashed potatoes mixed with sauerkraut. The potatoes made the concoction tastier and easier for a little child to swallow; the sauerkraut wrapped itself around the bobby pin in his gastrointestinal system and out it came in the natural scheme of things. Might work for a swallowed staple! Worth a try.
This looks delish! Here, aux états unis, we have beautiful shops that sell all varieties of vinegars & olive oils. You can get literally get lost in these shops (I’ve seen them in Paris as well) & tastings are common. There are many white balsamics out there which can be used to enhance dressings, etc. without leaving the brown coloring on your greens, etc. I have a kitchen cabinet dedicated to a variety of oils & vinegars 🤪. Maybe there’s a 12-step program for people like me???
Vinegar is one of the less-discussed culinary ingredients. Marcella Hazan always said people should pay more attention to it and I still remember when i was a teenager and a friend's mother made a salad with a French red wine vinegar...and it was outstanding. (It's funny that a 16-yr old me noticed that!) You can actually get very good vinegar for not a lot of money and it lasts a while. I buy an good brand in France, Martin Pouret and the price is reasonable: https://martin-pouret.com/en/categorie-produit/our-products/vinegars/
Salads at the family dinner table were served with a cruet of olive oil and a tiny glass of red wine vinegar. So, early on we made our dressings to taste on the plate. Oh, yes, the kitchen crew (us kids) would fight over who got to drink the left-over vinegar.