Email: thomas@thomasoffoxrock.ie
Balsamic Vinegar
Balsamic vinegar is made when sweet white grape juice is left to ferment in wooden casks.
Originating from Modena in Northern Italy, a real Balsamic Vinegar has been left to age from 12 years to 100 years. It is a dark, sweet and intensely aromatic vinegar.
Uses for Balsamic Vinegar
Remember, a little goes a long way, so use it sparingly on your salads and pastas. Try it with pork for a real dinner party winner. And instead of serving strawberries with cream and sugar for dessert, try dipping your strawberries first in balsamic vinegar and then the sugar bowl for a change!
Check out some more recipe suggestions using Balsamic Vinegar.
Wine Vinegars
A vinegar made from wine, it is available in white, red, sparkling, rose and sherry. It is the best vinegar to use for mayonnaises, dressings and sauces. Red wine vinegars are usually aged for longer than white wine vinegars. Good wine vinegars have a good balance, subtle and complex flavour and be rich and mellow.
At Thomas’s, we stock some of the best wine vinegars available. Make sure your kitchen has some!
Truffle Oils
A truffle is a fungus that grows 3-12 inches below the ground at the base of certain trees and can only be located by pigs or dogs. Truffle oil is created when truffles are soaked in olive oil.
To preserve the taste and aroma, store your truffle oils in a dark, cool cupboard or in the fridge. Like olive oil, it will turn cloudy in the fridge, but will resume its normal colour once it returns to room temperature.
It’s best not to cook truffle oil as it loses its flavour. Instead, serve it at the table so guests can pour it over a prepared dish. Alternatively, drizzle it on salads and cold dishes.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is made from green olives and is extracted by pressing or crushing the olives. It comes in different varieties – extra virgin (from the first pressing), virgin (from the second pressing) and pure (undergoes some processing e.g. filtering).
Look after your olive oil
Make sure you look after your oil once you get it home:
- Buy in small quantities (so it doesn’t go rancid)
- Store in a cool place (not the fridge though)
- Keep the lid on the bottle
- Store in a tinted glass, porcelain or stainless steel container
Dinner party suggestion
Serve a selection of olive oils e.g. basil, garlic, chilli oils alongside a selection of fresh home-baked bread from Thomas’s – an easy, tasty dinner party appetizer.
Cooking with olive oil
Save your extra virgin and expensive oils for salads and dressings – in other words, use them where you can really get to taste them.
A nice idea is to serve your bread with olive oil instead of butter. Dip your bread into some olive oil and grated parmesan cheese – delicious! Or, add some flavours to your oil – chilli, basil, rosemary – for more exotic tastes.
Use olive oil for marinades. Drizzle it on fish, chicken or lamb. Serve it with freshly chopped mint on warm potatoes. Mix it with garlic and parmesan cheese and pour over pasta. It’s versatility makes it an essential pantry item.
Good for you
Olive oil offers a number of health benefits. It is thought to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes when combined with a healthy diet.
It is also thought to reduce the risk of some cancers.
Sherry Vinegar
Sherry vinegar is a gourmet ingredient for all you gourmet food lovers out there! It is made from sherry aged in oak barrels and the best sherry vinegar comes from Jerez in Spain. It is a full, flavoursome vinegar. Add it to salads or marinade your barbeque meats before cooking.