I recently visited the House of Balsamic for a balsamic tasting.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I tasted some amazing vinegars, but my favorite by far was the Balsamo di Arancia – the orange balsamic vinegar.  Since I purchased it, I’ve used it over pancakes and waffles and added it to Patron for a wonderful after dinner drink.  But it was watching an episode of Top Chef that I came up with the best idea yet.

In case you’re not a fan, Top Chef is a reality show on Bravo that pits professional chefs against each other with the goal of being the last chef standing and winning $100,000. I love watching this show because not only do I get to watch great chefs come up with wonderful recipes, there’s also plenty of drama and cat fights to make the show truly popcorn-worthy. 

Well, a few weeks ago the Quick Fire Challenge was to make the best cookie.  While Dale won with his Pretzel & Potato Chip Shortbread Cookie with Salted Caramel Chocolate Ganache, Tiffany made a delicious looking Shortbread Cookie with Lemon Zest, Rosemary and Thyme.  Her cookie got me thinking… what if I used orange zest instead of lemon and my awesome new orange balsamic vinegar instead of vanilla extract?  A delectable new cookie was born. 

Now all I needed were some cookie cutters.  Yes, I know, a baker without cookie cutters… it’s hard to believe.  But now that I had a new recipe brewing inside me I had reason to run out and get some.  I of course brought my little monkey along, which is why I didn’t just have pretty round cookies, but a few airplane-shaped ones as well.  But no matter the shape, the cookie was just as scrumptious as I imagined.

Aren't they flying in nice formation?

 Orange Balsamic Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 7 oz butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp orange balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups flour
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 bar (about 4 oz) dark chocolate, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in orange balsamic on medium speed.
4. Gradually add flour until just combined.  Then mix in the orange zest.
5. Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment.
6. Cut the cookies using a cookie cutter and place on well-greased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.  Let cool. 
7. While the cookies are cooling, melt the chocolate in a double boiler over medium-high heat.  Once the chocolate’s melted, dip the shortbread cookies half-way into the chocolate.  Lay on a sheet of parchment paper and let cool completely.  Serve.

This giveaway is now closed.

What do you think of when you hear the word “balsamic”? Vinegar right?  I always did.  That is until I was invited to the House of Balsamic for a vinegar tasting.  Little did I know I was in for a lot more than just vinegar.  

Did you know that balsamic actually comes from the word balsam? And that balsam means “an agency that heals, soothes and restores”?  Neither did I.  But it turns out that soothing and restoring is the House of Balsamic’s specialty.  

Not only do they sell a variety of delicious vinegars, jams and oils that restore your faith in good food, they also have a gallery, vacation packages, and cooking classes; all designed to achieve their mission of providing “a warm and approachable space where members can engage in rare experiences, taste incredible food and wine, and take part in cultural activities.”  While all of these opportunities aren’t available yet, they should be by the time House of Balsamic officially opens on March 26th. In the mean time, they gave me a serious schooling in balsamic vinegar. 

The barrels in which the vinegar is aged.

I discovered that most of the balsamic vinegars I see on the shelf at the grocery store aren’t traditional.  Only 100 families in Italy are actually licensed to make traditional balsamic vinegar. What makes it traditional you ask?  The vinegar has to be aged at least 12 years before it’s tested and approved for bottling.  So, in order to provide the best balsamic Italy has to offer, House of Balsamic has teamed up with one such family – the Malpighi family.  

For five generations the Malpighis have been passing down their secret family recipe for the perfect balsamic vinegar.  Like all balsamic makers, they start with Saba, a grape juice that has been aged 72 hours.  Then they place the saba and their own special ingredients in barrels much like those in the photo above.  Over time the family moves the liquid into smaller and smaller barrels until it’s ready to be tasted by a consortium.  The vinegar is then decanted straight from the oldest and smallest barrel, and if the vinegar meets all of the consortium’s criteria, the seal of the consorzio is placed on the bottle with the Italian government designation of D.O.C. (Denominazione di Origine Controllata).  This is how the Malpighis create not only a 12 year-old balsamic, but also a 25, 50, 80, and even 100 year-old vinegar. 

The vinegars I tasted.

I was lucky enough to taste the 12, 25, and 50 year-old balsamics along with some of their condiment balsamic vinegars. These are the vinegars that have only been aged a few years.  They’re just as delicious, but can be mixed into marinades or added to sauces without feeling guilty. After all when a 3.5 ounce bottle of vinegar costs $159, I really don’t want to use it as a marinade for my flank steak.  

My favorites were the Prelibato, a white balsamic vinegar that goes perfectly with seafood, the Balsamo di Arancia, an orange balsamic which is great on pancakes and makes one hell of a shortbread cookie (that recipe will appear here in the coming weeks), and the Prelibato Jelly which is also made from the white balsamic vinegar and is scrumptious thickly spread on an english muffin. 

When I asked Maria Marking, the academy director, what her recommendations for cooking with the traditional balsamics were, she told me considering the cost, most people sip them, like a really good wine.  After tasting them I can see why, they were amazing.

Don’t they look luscious?  Aren’t you just dying to try each and every one of them?  Well, there’s good news.  House of Balsamic was nice enough to send me home with a bottle of their Saporoso Riserva – a balsamic that has been aged in barrels for eight years – just for you, my fine, balsamic-loving fans. Which brings me to…

The Giveaway!

How do I win?  This GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED. 

Head over to the House of Balsamic website and browse their store, then come back to this post and tell me which of their delicious products you’d love to have. 

Want extra entries? Each of these will get you one chance to win.  And if you already do any of these, they count! So make sure you let me know and leave a separate comment for each one for a total of 5 extra entries. 

1. Follow @kitchycooker and @houseofbalsamic on Twitter.
2. Tweet the following statement: I just entered to win a bottle of balsamic vinegar from @kitchycooker. Have you? http://bit.ly/fPzxj0 #Giveaway
3. Like Kitchycooking on Facebook.
4. Like House of Balsamic on Facebook.
5. Sign up for my RSS Feed/Email Subscription

This giveaway is open to US residents, 18 years or older and will end on March 9th, 2011 at 6 pm PST. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. I will email the winner and they will have 48 hours to claim their prize.