Somehow I wrote this recipe to go with my peach and prosciutto salad and never hit publish on it! So we’re going on the way-back machine and adding this delicious favorite to our dressings list!
This tasty vinaigrette combines all the best tastes out there, shakes them all up together, and is perfect for pouring over your favorite summer salads, or your grilled peaches, or anything else that needs something with equal parts complementary sweet and tangy acidity! We love it on our peach and prosciutto panzanella and our peach and burrata salads, and if you thin it out just a little bit with water or broth, it makes a great grill marinade for chicken!
I make two different varieties, depending on the look and taste I want for a salad. One uses traditional balsamic vinegar and one uses white balsamic vinegar. So what’s the difference between these vinegars? Do you really need two different vinegars?
Regular balsamic vinegar is made with a process similar to wine and whiskey. Sweet white grape pressings simmer for hours until they become thick and caramelized, and then gets aged in a barrel, pulling all kinds of different character and flavor from the barrels. The real stuff is aged for at least 12 years, although you can get cheaper vinegars that haven’t been aged as long – but they lack the flavor and the sweetness of the good stuff.
White balsamic vinegar is deliberately aged less, blended with white wine vinegar, and cooked at low temperatures to avoid the darkening, and a lot of the time it is aged in stainless steel as opposed to the barrels that add flavor to regular balsamic. However, the result is pretty much the same. It’s less sweet than the regular balsamic, has a cleaner aftertaste, but for the most part, it gives you the same vinegar flavor.
It’s really just an aesthetic thing. Personally, I like that aspect of it, because it makes the punch of the balsamic flavor more of a surprise to the tastebuds. But it’s totally up to you.
[lt_recipe name=”Balsamic Honey Mustard Vinaigrette” summary=”Sweet and acidic Balsamic vinegar mixes with honey, spicy brown mustard, maple syrup, and other flavors for a delicious and tangy dressing that’s the perfect complement to your summer salads!” servings=”8″ total_time=”10M” print=”yes” image=”https://homefrontcooking.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Honey-Mustard-Balsamic-Vinaigrette-1478-1024×683.jpg” ingredients=”2 tbsp spicy brown mustard;2 tbsp honey;2 tbsp maple syrup;2 tsp lemon juice;1 tsp salt;1/4 cup balsamic vinegar;3/4 cup olive oil” ]In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients together until well combined. Or you can go with my favorite technique, which is pouring everything in a mason jar and shaking vigorously until it’s all combined.;Place into a jar or a bottle for storage or drizzle immediately on your salad.[/lt_recipe]
If the contents in the bottle or jar settle when you’re storing them, shake them up again to recombine. This recipe will keep in the fridge for about 3 weeks.
As I mentioned, this also can be made into a great chicken marinade! Will share that one soon!
Happy drizzling or grilling!
