Root Source: Champagne Vinegar
Root Source: Champagne Vinegar
what you should know
Red and white wine vinegars, while often good, tend to taste like a single note. Champagne vinegar, more aromatic and complex, tastes like a chord being played in your mouth.
The word vinegar comes from the French phrase "vin aigre," which means sour wine. Wine and Champagne vinegars are formed by the fermentation of their alcohol into acetic acid.
so bad it's good Does that just mean that vinegar is wine gone bad? Yep, that's pretty much what it means. Except that the process is controlled to make its "gone bad" taste good.
champagne for one Champagne vinegar is an obvious choice for French-leaning vinaigrettes. But it's also flavorful enough to use by itself for drizzling over hot, roasted potatoes, a creamy soup or a composed salad.
fan dom One of the greatest quotes ever -- Ever? Yes, ever! -- is attributed to the Benedictine monk Dom Pérignon, who, upon tasting Champagne for the first time, supposedly yelled: "Come quickly, brothers, I am drinking the stars!"
what you need
Ever wanted to know how bubbly gets it bubbles? Girard Liger-Belair's Uncorked: The Science of Champagne exhausts the subject in a highly readable way.
At the top of Chip's reading list for the spring is Benjamin Wallace's upcoming The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine.
You can spend a lot of money on a single whisk, but we've never come across a task that this no-frills set of three stainless steel whisks by Norpro couldn't handle.
what you do
One of Brys' favorite ways to start (or end) a big, rich meal is with this slightly bitter, palate cleansing frisée salad.
We love to pair Champagne vinegar with walnut oil. In this beet, escarole, walnut and goat cheese salad with orange vinaigrette, we stick with olive oil but mix in the walnut itself.
Lately, we've been on the hunt for simple recipes that somehow taste bigger than the sum of their parts. This Bibb lettuce and avocado salad is a perfect example of that.
A healthier and, we would argue, tastier way to make a classic side dish: potato salad with capers and parsley.
The coarse crust of peppercorns and the tangy sauce play off the rich, tender strip in this riff on the traditional steak au poivre.
what you should know
Escarole is a pale, broad-leafed type of endive.
Delicious and crisp when eaten fresh, this bitter green is also excellent when braised, wilted, grilled or cooked in soups. (Always be sure to give the leaves a thorough washing.)
easy green The Bittman challenge: close your eyes and try to distinguish between escarole and its trendier, more expensive, red-tinted cousin, radicchio.
A+ Escarole is a great source of folic acid, vitamin K and fiber, and when it comes to vitamin A, escarole tops even spinach. One medium head of escarole yields about seven cups of torn leaves.
wintergreen Escarole is a winter green (along with chard, collards, mustards and kale) that thrives late in the growing season. The heart of a head of escarole is less bitter because it's been deprived of sunlight.
what you need
Everyone should own a copy of Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. (Be sure to check out her recipes for escarole torta and escarole and rice soup.)
A brightly colored shallow pan is perfect for quickly sautéing escarole and then bringing the dish right to the table to serve.
Tongs, our favorite kitchen tool, will do right by your escarole, whether hot or cold.
what you do
Juicy, tangy and still slightly crisp, wilted escarole with lemon is simple and soothing.
Escarole's salad possibilities are virtually endless: serve it with chicken and mint; with beets, walnuts, and goat cheese; or with golden raisins and Dijon mustard.
Parmesan and bread crumbs make a richly contrasting topping for braised greens.
Grilling season is coming to a close, but fire it up one last time for some charred escarole.
If you're craving something warming, try escarole soup -- with kale or with sausage.
Find more escarole recipes at Cookthink.com. And if you haven't yet signed up for a free account at Cookthink, do it now!
