Almost everyone has heard of the benefits of apple cider vinegar. So it’s always nice to be able to include such a healthy ingredient in daily cooking.
Most French home cooks use a high-quality, artisan-made apple cider vinegar. It’s often produced in the Normandy region, home to many apple orchards.
For a quick starter or side dish, they mix herbs like tarragon or crushed aniseed with an apple cider vinaigrette to make a simple green salad taste special.
Is there a difference between an artisan-made and a mass-produced vinegar?
There are two main differences between artisan-made and mass-produced vinegar:
-the quality of the base product used to make the vinegar
-the time required to make it.
The Base
An artisan-made apple cider vinegar will use a good quality cider as it’s base whereas a mass-produced vinegar uses a low-quality cider as its base.
All products that contain sugars can be used as a base for making vinegar. Red wine, white wine, or apple juice can be used.
First, the sugars are converted into alcohol by using yeast.
Next, the alcohol is transformed, using the presence of oxygen, to acetic acid by the acetic acid bacterium “Acetobacter.”
The Fermentation Process
Vinegar is produced either by a fast or a slow fermentation process.
Fast Fermentation Process:
Large quantity, industrially produced vinegar uses an acetator- a machine that speeds up oxidation through a constant stream of air bubbles. This speeds up the fermentation so that vinegar can be produced quickly in 1 to 3 days.
However, it also causes the vinegar to lose the flavour characteristics of whatever was used to produce it, like a good cider in an apple cider vinegar. It will no longer have the innate flavour profile of the source used to make it.
The Slow Fermentation Process:
Slow methods are used in traditional vinegar production, where fermentation progresses throughout a few months to a year or longer.
Traditional, slow processes, such as the French “Orleans” method, demand a lengthy aging process in oak barrels.
This process yields a naturally stable product that doesn’t need preservatives or sulphites. Yaay!
Read more about a master artisan vinegar maker and his techniques here.
Where to buy High-Quality French Apple Cider Vinegar On Amazon.com
J. Leblanc French Cider Vinegar 16 oz Bottle on Amazon.com
Bragg USDA Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar, With The Mother, 16 Ounces on Amazon.com
Two French Recipes with Apple Cider Vinegar
1. Leeks with Coconut Milk and Apple Cider Sesame Oil Vinaigrette
For 4:
• 2 Leeks
• 3 TB of Sesame Seed Oil
• 2 TB of Coconut Milk
• 1 TB of Sesame seeds
• 1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
• Salt
Instructions:
-Cut the leeks in 2 lengthwise and rinse well
-Cook 30 minutes in boiling, salted water
-Mix the sesame oil, sesame seeds, coconut milk, and apple cider vinegar together
-Drain the leeks, place in a serving dish and sprinkle with salt
-Drizzle the vinaigrette over the leeks and serve while still warm
2. Traditional “Poulet au Vinaigre” or Chicken with Apple Cider Vinegar
For 4:
• 4 Chicken Thighs
• 800g of Potatoes
• 50g of Unsalted Butter
• 20 cl of Liquid Cream
• 2 Medium White Onions
• 1 TB of chopped parsley
• 10 cl of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 cube of Chicken Bouillon
• 5 cl of White Wine (dry)
• 5 cl of oil (for frying)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions:
-Peel and chop the onions
-Dilute the chicken bouillon cube in 10 cl of boiling water
-In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the chicken thighs until golden brown, then remove and set aside
-In the same pan, sauté the onions until tender
-Return the chicken to the pan and add half the vinegar, all of the white wine and the diluted chicken bouillon
-Salt and pepper to taste, cover and let simmer lightly for 20 minutes
-Remove the chicken and keep warm
-Reduce by half the cooking liquid on high heat
-Add the remaining 1/2 of the apple cider vinegar, the cream and whisk in the butter slowly in small pieces one by one.
-Serve with boiled potatoes or rice topped with the chopped parsley
Conclusion:
A well-made apple cider vinegar has little to do with the mass-produced vinegar sold in supermarkets.
It has more flavour and, as with
I try to buy an unpasteurised organic apple cider vinegar so that it has full flavour without all the chemicals and preservatives. Add to that the high-quality apples used in producing it, and you’ll realize it’s healthier for you and your family.
It goes very well in vinaigrettes for simple French vegetable recipes and adds a special something to traditional cream-based sauces.
You can read more about French vinegar-making here and all the varieties of vinegar the French use at home.
And now you: What vinegar do you use? Have you ever tried apple cider vinegar in cooking? Send me an email and let me know!
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