Cavedoni Botte Piccola Italian Balsamic

There is no alcohol in this so every state is in play. Plus there are no specific states listed so that means all.
Edit: the other C beat me to it.

You’ve all convinced me. I’m in for 2 (I know someone to whom I can give one as a nice gift).

Cool, and if I’m drunk when the package shows up, I can’t receive it! SWEET!

I want to buy but never had. So two questions for those who know please:

  1. Anything special to know about storage?
  2. How long is it good for (does the taste change once opened)?

1.The usual, store in a cool dark place. Cellar works. Or anything away from the hot kitchen. Don’t need to keep it in the wine fridge or anything.
2.Not sure actually. Never had one open for too long (the bottles are pretty small)

God I wish I could afford this…

There is an interesting and very underground trend in the bartending community of experimenting with vinegars instead of juices as sours in cocktails. The acids are there and produce some serious potential for drinks. I have my recipe at work and will post it tomorrow night. The quality of the vinegar is essential for these. Balsamic is pretty potent stuff, but I think I made one work…

Wow, that sounds really good (along with all the other recipes everyone else has sent, thanks!). I may try it with chourico instead of kielbasa and really kick it up! Now I just have to order some good chourico from my old stomping grounds (Fall River, MA).

Why is it that every time I but something from woot, I have to buy something else? I got a BoC and received a roomba with no charger, so it cost me 50 bucks. Now I bought some high end balsamic, which makes me buy other foods I might not normally buy.

DAMN YOU WOOT! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!!! :slight_smile:

Go for it! One of my most transcendent food experiences was the best strawberries from a Tustin, CA farmer’s market, with a bit of this pepper, and a top notch balsamic vinegar.

btw,the cuisinart ice cream maker works great. I’ve had mine for 7 years, and I make ice cream at least twice a month. I did purchase an extra freezer bowl. I’ve seen some on ebay for about $27.00.

The best way to put it: Good balsamic vinegar is to regular balsamic vinegar, what regular balsamic vinegar is to white vinegar.

Seriously, the flavor complexities of a good balsamic easily rival those of a good wine.

Eh this is only a 7 year. I know it sounds like a long time but when you consider they have 18 year and 30 year etc then this is middle-aged.
From the wiki: “Young vinegars (3–5 years) are used in salad dressing while mid-aged balsamic vinegars (6–12 years) are used to enhance sauces, pastas and risottos. Old vinegars (12 years plus), which are very rich and thick, are used sparsely to enhance plain meat or fish, fresh fruit such as strawberries or even drunk from a small glass to conclude a meal. It is also used as a topping on vanilla ice cream.”
The older ones are more evaporated and syrupy, those are better for fruit and desserts. Not that this one isn’t, just that this one is great to cook with. The cheap young stuff is not great to cook with since it will not enhance anything. It’s mostly only good for salads.

Hmm… i looked at all the bottles of Balsamic on their website, (Catalogo > Balsamici di Modena) and they are all sold in 250ml bottles. They sell some other balsamics in 100ml bottles, but I believe most of those are aged longer and are more expensive. Also, I get the feeling a little bit of this stuff will go a long way.
I’m in for 1. I look forward to trying it with some good Pizza and Italian wine. :wink:

I especially like the Smoky Blue, and I always place an order for the Rogue River Blue (released in the fall, and the 2008 is, I think, sold out).

I’ll be dropping by on my trip to Medford/Ashland immediately after the RPM trip. I only get to go there two or possibly three times a year, and they never seem to have the Smoky Blue crumbles in stock when I’m there.

I’ve suggested Rogue Creamery to WD for a non-wine wine.woot…

In for 2.

Love it

Thank you. I am going to try one. I am a vegetarian but sounds like plenty of uses that do not involve meat.

In my opinion,balsamic vinegar like this is best used to drizzle,not cook with. Get a nice hard cheese,parmesan is good,and some fresh tomatoes and drizzle a little of this on top and enjoy with a good crusty bread.

I`m not familiar with this brand so I cant say how sweet it is but most aged balsamics are great drizzled over fresh berries.

Im in for 1.

Good point; duly noted.

One question I have, I didn’t notice an age on the maker’s site. The only other source for this I found listed it as a 10 year balsamic (a European site selling it for 30 Euros - about $47). Is it definitely a 7 year?

Oh you will love it then. Just google some recipes. I like it on grilled or baked asparagus with shaved parmesan and olive oil. It also works well on thin long slices of zucchini or eggplant with olive oil and salt right on foil on the grill. You can add also add capers for some extra flavor and bite.

Balsamic vinegar is incredibly versatile, and works in most things as an overall flavour enhancer, sort of like salt or MSG or soy sauce in Asian cooking - it deepens the innate flavours of whatever it seasons. Here are some of the ways that I use it:

-Drizzled lightly on strawberries, nectarines, or to flavour creme brulée.
-50:50 with soy sauce, then extra sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper for a 30 second steak seasoning that creates a delicious crust on the meat and sauce as well - just apply seasonings directly to steak of your choose on each side, and grill or broil. If you want to get more complex, you can do a longer marinade with equal portions soy sauce, balsamic, and strong red wine (cabernet is what I typically use), a load of roughly chopped fresh garlic, sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and coarsely chopped fresh rosemary - this is the more complex and time-consuming version.
-Salad dressings, obviously; my basic dressing is balsamic, olive oil, a bit of dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. It’s also great in honey dijon dressing.
-In pasta sauces and dishes. It can be used simply in combination with grilled vegetables (such as zucchini, peppers, eggplant, onions), kalamata olives, fresh basil and a freshly grated parmiggiano, added right before serving with some high quality extra virgin olive oil, tossed, then topped with the cheese. Or it can add some a less distinct but very deep complexity to tomato sauces; a favourite is red pepper flakes, garlic, olive oil, fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, balsamic and fresh rosemary,but it can even improve as simple marinara. It’s great for cold pasta salads as well; the grilled veggie dish is excellent cold.
-Many people like a simple dip made of balsamic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs for fresh crusty bread.
-It flavours hummus (especially made with white, fava, or gigantes beans) wonderfully.
-It adds an umami-like depth to soups, both hot and chilled, and especially vegetarian and vegan soups which often lack flavour. I love it in minestrone or basic summer vegetable soup, black beluga or french green lentil soups, to add intensity to french onion soup, as well as drizzled on cream of mushroom, creamy potato-pancetta, or puréed butternut squash soup.
-It’s great in beef stew; can be used to deglaze in place of an alcohol in the case of those sensitive to alcohol, or both the vinegar and an alcohol (I like red wine) can be used for extra complexity.
-To flavour sautéed greens, such as spinach or arugula.
-As a base (brushed in combination with olive oil) for cheeseless pizzas or flatbreads.
-Sauté an assortment of wild mushrooms in butter, sherry, and a touch of balsamic.
-Add a splash when making caramelized onions to aid the caramelization process and intensify the flavours.

Note: a medium-rare grilled ground aged sirloin burger, seasoned itself with balsamic pre-cooking, with the last two ‘condiments’ on homemade toasted, buttered brioche? HEAVEN.

ETA:

-Broiled zucchini. Slice very thinly in long slices, seasons with olive oil, balsamic, sea salt, black pepper, and freshly chopped garlic - broil until the zucchni is almost falling apart and melts in the mouth.
-As a substitute for worcestershire sauce if a vegetarian version cannot be found.
-Season French green or other fancy small lentil types, along with caramelized onions, fresh thyme, and pancetta.
-Flavour the filling of dark chocolate truffles, or ganache icing.
-It intensifies the sweet-burnt flavour in caramels and caramel sauce wonderfully.
-In warm quinoa salad, along with just barely cooked crisp green beans, fresh oregano and/or mint, minced red onion, toasted walnuts, toasted walnut oil, pomegranate or pomegranate syrup, sea salt, fresh pepper, and crumbled feta or goat cheese…
-It’s amazing with any goat cheese application, savory or sweet, such as crostini with herbed goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of balsamic, or goat cheese cheesecake with blood orange and balsamic garnish.
-Mix it with bit of honey and rosemary and brush on chicken or cornish hens, or mix with maple syrup and brush on turkey breast and roast.

It goes well with creamy dishes as its acidity and intensity cut through the richness nicely, and it also pairs well with other intensely flavoured and smoky ingredients like mushrooms, onions/garlic, red meats, pancetta, strong cheeses, smoked meats. It can overpower milder flavours, so if you want allow them shine, don’t use balsamic. For example, it’s blasphemous to me when people season insalata caprese with balsamic, as it will overpower the delicate milkiness of a a true buffalo milk fresh mozzarella. If you do want to use it in such situations, at least use sparingly! (please)

In for two, one for me, one for my evil stepmother’s birthday. Waiting for my orders to process!
D-=

Oh man, I forgot my favourite way to eat zucchini! Slice very thinly in long slices, seasons with olive oil, balsamic, sea salt, black pepper, and freshly chopped garlic - broil until the zucchni is almost falling apart…it will seriously melt in your mouth. Thanks for reminding me Cesare. :slight_smile:

You’re making me hungry at 2am! Excellent suggestions thanks. I never thought of creme brulee or hummus and I love both of those. A lot of those things you mentioned work well with worcestershire sauce and balsamic is along the same lines as that. So if anyone wants an analogy to something you know there you go. Glad you mentioned Umami. I always forget about that, it’s like another dimension of taste and balsamic is a good example of it.