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Uses

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Dressings or Vinaigrette :

Use any of The Cruet's extra virgin olive oils or seed oils together with any of our balsamic vingars to make wonderful dressings for your salad. See our "Pairings list" to get some ideas or create your own combinations. To Make: take 2 parts of your favorite olive oil to 1 part of your favorite balsamic vinegar.  Place in a container so you can shake to mix it or a bowl and whisk it vigorously. This will create a smooth thick mixture. You can also Add: one teaspoon of Dijon and one teaspoon of honey to help emulsify the dressing / vinaigrette giving it a little tang or bite.

Sauté:

Use 2 tablespoons of your favorite Cruet extra virgin olive oil in a skillet to sauté vegetables, fish, chicken, or even scramble your eggs!  Use medium heat (350–375 degrees).  You can also drizzle a small amount of your favorite Cruet balsamic over your food once you are done sautéing to add additional flavor. 

Caramelized Coating:

Brush your meat, fish or vegetables with any of The Cruet's balsamic flavors when cooking.  The balsamic will become thicker, sticky and caramelize the surface of your food.

Balsamic Glaze:

Take 2 cups of your favorite Cruet balsamic and place into a non-stick saucepan and heat until you see it start to boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes while stirring constantly with a whisk. When reduced the balsamic will have a thicker glaze like consistency and coat the back of a spoon.  Let cool and keep in a jar with a lid.

Marinade:

Mix equal parts of any Cruet olive oils and balsamic vinegars to marinate meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, and fruit (actually called macerating when using fruit). Be sure to check our pairing list for suggestions. It’s best not to use an aluminum dish to marinate in, because of the acid content of the marinade. Use a Ziploc bag, or a glass, ceramic or stainless steel dish. Mix enough marinade to coat the meat you are marinating. Cover and refrigerate from one to four hours, turning the meat halfway through the marinating time. If marinating shrimp or seafood 15 - 30 mins. should work well.  Note: Marinate over night to get a deeper flavor and tenderize bigger pieces of meat. Before cooking remove the meat from the refrigerator allowing it to come to room temperature, for at least 30 min.

Frostings, Desserts and Ice Cream

A splash of balsamic (2-3 teaspoons) adds a pleasing sweet and pungent tang to frostings. Drizzle balsamic over any dessert or ice cream to give it that "WOW" factor ,making family and friends wonder what you used.  They will never guess that using balasamic on desserts would taste so good. Give it a try and see!

Bread Dipping:

Take any of The Cruet's extra virgin olive oils and put a pinch of sea salt, pepper, seasonings or spices in it.  Let stand for 15 mins. to allow the spices or seasoning to hydrate. For a special touch drizzle  any of our balsamics in the oil to add that extra taste and flavor.  Sure to be a real crowd pleaser at any occasion.

Baking and Cooking

Substitute any of The Cruet's fused or infused extra virgin olive oils in place of regular oils or butter, called for in any baking or cooking recipes. (See conversion chart for butter substitute).