1/2 cup Sparrow Lane Cabernet Vinegar
3 tsp lemon juice
2 T honey
2 T salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup Sparrow Lane extra virgin olive oil
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil.
Ingredients
4 cup chicken stock
1 cup whipping cream
2 T butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh corn niblets from 1 cob of corn
2 T white wine, for deglazing
1 & 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 & 1/2 cup medium cheddar, grated
1/4 cup fresh thyme and rosemary, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
1. Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper.
2. In a pot, bring stock and cream to a simmer and set aside.
3. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft but not colored. Add garlic and corn niblets and sauté until corn is tender, about 3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine.
4. Add the stock and cream mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a slow, steady stream, add the cornmeal and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheddar and fresh herbs. Season with salt, to taste.
5. Pour mixture into pan. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Turn out the polenta and cut into desired shapes.
6. Pan fry the pieces in olive oil and a little butter until lightly browned on both sides or broil in the oven until browned.
Ingredients
1/2 small onion, cubed
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 T Sparrow Lane Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 medium zucchini, skin on, cut in large chunks
32 oz reduced sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 T Sparrow Lane Champagne Vinegar
2 tsp reduced fat sour cream
sea salt and pepper, to taste
fresh grated parmesan or asiago cheese if desired for topping
Instructions
1. Coat bottom of pot with olive oil on medium heat, add garlic and onions. Stir them until translucent or they soften. Careful not to let them brown. Add Chardonnay vinegar, zucchini and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and purée with an immersion blender, add the sour cream and purée again until smooth.
3. Finish off with grated cheese, ground pepper and salt to taste. A drizzle of your favorite olive oil gives a nice kick.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa or natural cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp espresso powder (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 T Sparrow Lane Vanilla Bean Vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cold water
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8×8 or 9” round pan that’s at least 2” deep. If you don’t have a 2”deep pan in either size, use a 9”square pan
Traditional Method: Measure all dry ingredients into the prepared pan. Blend together thoroughly with a fork or whisk and scoop out three holes, or indentations. Pour the vanilla into the first hole, Vanilla Bean vinegar into the second, and vegetable oil into the third. Take the cup of water and pour it directly over everything in the pan. Stir all the ingredients together with your fork until well blended.
Updated Method: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Whisk the vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil, and water in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
2. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
3. Serve the cake right from the pan, warm from the oven, or once cool, frost the cake with this simple chocolate frosting:
Icing
Heat 1 ½ c chocolate chips with 1/2 cup half & half until the chips melt. Stir until smooth and spread over the cake. For a non-dairy icing, substitute 1/3 cup cold brewed coffee (or water) for the half & half.
Yields about 16 servings.
Ingredients
½ lb romaine lettuce, rough chop
1/2 lb napa cabbage, shredded
4 scallions, sliced on diagonal (1/2 inch)
1 can water chestnuts – drained and sliced
1 can mandarin oranges (slices) – thoroughly drained
1 small package of slivered almonds
3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, grilled, chopped into thin slices or 1 inch pieces
rice noodles
Dressing:
3-1 ratio on oil (canola and 1 tsp sesame oil) to vinegar (any seasoned rice vinegar)
kosher salt & pepper
1 T honey
Instructions
1. Cook rice noodles according to package directions – or fry them until they puff up.
2. In a large mixing bowl add all of the ingredients except rice noodles and lightly toss.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients Lightly toss with salad. Place on salad plates and top with crunchy rice noodles.
Ingredients
3 cup vegetable stock
1 T Sparrow Lane Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, medium thinly sliced
3 T calvados or apple juice
4 lb butternut squash, peeled seeded and cubed (approx. 6 cups)
1 T butter
2 apples, not to tart, peeled, cored sliced (about 2 & 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup crème fraiche
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add onions, salt and white pepper. Sauté over medium heat, until start to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add little stock scrape pan, add 2 T of Calvados and cook until pan is dry, 1 or 2 minutes.
2. Add squash and 1 T salt to the onions. Add just enough stock to cover the squash. Cover the pot and cook at medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes until the squash is soft. Puree the soup in in blender, return to the pot and cook on low for 30 minutes
3. While the soup is cooking, melt butter in medium sauté pan add apples. Sauté over medium high heat stirring to coat with butter. Once they are heated add remaining Calvados and cook until almost dry. Add apple juice and cover on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft, uncover for 8 minutes to reduce liquid.
4. Stir in half the apples into the soup, save rest for serving. Season soup to taste, add apples and crème fraiche to each.
Ingredients
2 cups fresh raspberries
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 lb angel hair pasta
2 cups shredded red cabbage
2 cups torn watercress
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup snipped mint
1/4 cup snipped parsley
1/8 cup Sparrow Lane Blackberry Balsamic Vinegar**
1/4 cup low fat mayonnaise
Instructions
1. Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain.
2. Combine everything except Blackberry Vinegar and mayonnaise in a large salad bowl. Whisk together the Blackberry Vinegar and the mayonnaise till well blended.
3. Gently toss the dressing with the slaw mixture to evenly coat.
** Can easily substitute with Sparrow Lane Pear Raspberry, Golden Balsamic, or Champagne Vinegar
6 oz chilled club soda
1 oz of your favorite Sparrow Lane Vinegar (we recommend Pear Raspberry, California Peach, or D’Anjou Pear)
2-3 drops of agave syrup (optional)
ice cubes
Pour vinegar and club soda into an 8 oz glass & stir. Add ice if desired. Add agave syrup and stir for additional sweetness.
vanilla ice cream
Sparrow Lane 25 Year Imported Balsamic Vinegar
fresh figs
fresh blueberries
fresh mint (optional)
Place a small scoop of ice cream on a dessert plate. Arrange 2-3 fig pieces and some blueberries on the plate. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar. Garnish with fresh mint.
Ingredients
3-4 medium beets, peeled and halved
Sparrow Lane Golden Balsamic Vinegar
2 cups baby arugula
Sparrow Lane Champagne Vinegar
Sparrow Lane Extra Virgin Olive Oil
crème fraiche
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prep
1. Place beets cut side down in baking dish. Pour the Sparrow Lane Golden Balsamic Vinegar so that the liquid is just touching the beets. Add about 1/2 cup water and a splash or two of the Sparrow Lane Champagne Vinegar. Cover with foil and roast at 200 degrees until fork tender. When beets are done remove and let cool. Reserve the liquid.
2. When beets are cool to touch, cut them into 3/4 inch pieces. Cover and chill in refrigerator.
3. Place liquid from step 1 into small sauce pan. Add 1/4 cup of the Blackberry Blasamic Vinegar and reduce over medium heat until it thickens into a syrup.
Assembly
1. Place 1-2 T crème fraiche on a small plate and spread into an even thin layer. Place the chillen beets on top of the creme fraiche.
2. Lightly toss the baby arugula with a splash or two of the Champagne Vinegar and about 2 tsp of olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Garnish the edges of the plate with baby arugula mixture and then drizzle the beets with the syrup reduction.