In The Pantry
I love to share the things I have in the pantry and I love to learn what others use too. Like finding the best balsamic or the best olive oils, its often so hit and miss, so here’s a collection of what I think are the hits!
Balsamic Vinegar
So many different uses for vinegar, my favorite for salads is a good 5 years old balsamic, it’s sweeter and not so tart, if you’re making a dressing from scratch that calls for honey or sugar, you don’t need it with this vinegar, it’s sweet enough. If you find the 5 year too sweet, go with the 3 year old which is a little more tart. This Leonardi is a favorite if you can source it. We get ours online from Market Hall Foods
If you really want to push the boat out and try something mind blowing.. invest in a bottle of this stuff! Traditionally made in Modena in small quantities and aged 25 years in wooden casks. It’s not always easy to find, they release 100 bottles a year, and it will cost a pretty penny.. but it goes a very very long way.. drizzle a tiny amount on a fresh little nugget of parmesan and your senses will be forever changed.. it’s divine indulgence! You can google it to find sellers, often its out of stock in one place so you need to be persistent to find a bottle! Try here and see if they have it.
Balsamic Pearls
These little gems are divine! sprinkle them on crostini or top your salad for a bit of extra pizazz! I first got into balsamic pearls while visiting Provence, we went to a small village called Roussillon and there was a store called Provence Delicatessen Maison Bremen 1830 it was like a cooks heaven, so many oils and vinegars and pearls! You can get them shipped to the US but I recommend getting a larger order together s it costs 40 Euro’s in shipping – totally worth it if you’re ordering a bunch of stuff or clubbing together with friends on the shipping cost.
In the meantime if you don’t want the heavy shipping cost – these are an excellent California based equivalent from McEvoy Ranch, I buy the balsamic Perls and the lemon pearls. All their vinegars are wonderful.
This fig glaze is widely available, you can get it on amazon.. its thick and delicious and a perfect drizzle on top of bruschetta or salad!
Dijon Mustard
I love mustard on and in everything.. dijon makes everything better! There are so many good ones out there, Maille and Grey Poupon are also staples in our house, but the best one we’ve found is a traditional French table mustard Amora. Its the right mix of heat and flavor for me. You can google it to find it, we get ours on amazon.
Sushi Ginger!
I absolutely love ginger.. and with sushi it’s a match made in heaven. This is our go to for sushi night, it’s from a company called the ginger people, their products are amazing!
Sushi Seasoning
There are a few good brands of sushi seasoning, mizkan is available in a lot of stores and is a go to for me. Its the perfect vinegar ratio.. you only need a little sprinkle of this on the sushi rice before you roll it, it lasts forever!
