The Olive Oil Hunter News #98

Spotlight on Pear Balsamic Vinegar

A modern-day creation from vintage fruit

If you’ve ever sampled flavored vinegars, prepare to be blown away by the taste difference in a vinegar crafted from real fruit with time-honored traditions. Alois Gölles Jr., whose father started their orchards in Riegersburg, Austria in the late 1950s, initially began creating fruit wines, juices, and spirits. A trip to Modena, Italy, in the early ’80s inspired him to create a balsamic vinegar from apples rather than grapes. Within a few years, word spread about this unique vinegar, and Alois then set his sights on making a pear balsamic. Interestingly, to preserve the wonderful pear notes, the Pear Balsamic Vinegar is not aged as long as the Apple Balsamic Vinegar in last year’s collection, yet it has the same depth of flavor.

This enchanting vinegar starts with one of the local cultivars, the Hirschbirne pear. At the time Alois first started using it, the Hirschbirne had almost disappeared from markets because of its astringent taste, but ironically, that’s exactly what makes it perfect for making top-notch vinegar.

It’s not surprising that this Pear Balsamic Vinegar has the sweet taste of a traditional balsamic as well as its richness: It’s made according to the traditional balsamic vinegar method. First, the fruit is sorted and washed, then it’s crushed and pressed. The resulting pear juice is carefully reduced over low heat until it is quite concentrated before being naturally fermented, first through alcoholic fermentation to produce wine, and then through vinegar fermentation to turn the wine into vinegar. What follows is four years of barrel aging to reduce the vinegar in a very slow fashion—that accounts for the thickness not seen in regular vinegars, the sweetness, the golden-brown color, and the mild taste.

Food Pairings

Enjoying Pear Balsamic Vinegar

This vinegar brings an element of sweetness to bitter greens, to salads with fruits and/or nuts, and to the classic caprese salad. It adds depth of flavor to any dish that includes fresh or poached pears (add it to the poaching liquid!). Include it in your favorite pork recipes. Just a few drops brighten savory dishes, especially winter vegetables, like sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, fennel, acorn squash, and hearty beans. Drizzle it on blue cheeses and on Brie and other white rind cheeses; yogurt and granola parfaits; carpaccio, terrines, eggplant caponata, and bruschetta; grilled fish; and panna cotta-type puddings and vanilla ice cream. It’s perfect for deglazing and making a quick reduction—whisk it into pan-melted butter and you’ll have an amazing sauce.

Healthy Kitchen Nugget

Pairing vinegar varieties with extra virgin olive oils

While I don’t believe in any hard-and-fast rules, I do like to pair milder vinegars with milder oils so that one doesn’t overwhelm the other. If you’re using a bold selection from the Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club, go with a bold red wine vinegar. If you’re using a fruitier, milder olive oil, pair it with a fruit-based vinegar. Think about the foods on your plate, too. If you’re making a salad with bitter greens, add sweetness with a sweeter vinegar like a classic balsamic. If you’re making a chopped salad with provolone and salami, a tangy vinegar will balance the richness of the meat and cheese.

I also like to combine vinegars. For a vinaigrette with great complexity, use half balsamic for sweetness and half red wine vinegar for tartness along with your extra virgin olive oil. The beauty of having a collection of flavorful vinegars is that you can have fun discovering the pairings you like best.