We tasted a whole menu at the Balsamic Vinegar of Modena at the restaurant The Liberty of Milan, in the company of Maria Livia Manicardi, owner of the wine producer and Balsamic Vinegar, which bears his name.

The dessert with an extra touch

Among the dishes designed and prepared by the chef Andrea Provenzani, we tasted a ralmond milk isotto, pumpkin and Modena Balsamic Vinegar and a blacking fondant cod with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, but the scope that surprised us most was precisely the cburnt with vanilla flavored berry salad with Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena PDO. It is not the first time that we talk about Balsamic Vinegar in combination with dessert: if you have not already done so, try using it on a fresh ice cream with cream and get ready for a surprising blend of flavors.

Burnt Cream and Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

We won't reveal the chef's recipe, but if you want to try it at home, here's how to prepare a burnt cream (creme brûlée) perfect for the intense taste of Balsamic Vinegar.

Ingredients

400 g milk
350 g sugar
200 g fresh cream
2 eggs
6 egg yolks
lemon

Method

To prepare the burnt cream, heat the milk and cream together, flavored with a lemon peel. In a bowl, mix the eggs and the egg yolks with 200 g of sugar, mix the mixture with the warm mixture of milk and cream, mix, then pour into the individual pyrexins. Dip the receptacles in two fingers of cold water, then put them in the oven at 160 °, letting the cream thicken, in a bain-marie, for about an hour (it must absolutely not boil). Once cooked, let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for two hours. Before serving, sprinkle the surface with brown sugar and caramelize it with the kitchen torch. Alternatively, leave the oven under the grill for a few minutes, until the sugar has completely caramelized. Add fresh fruit to taste as decoration, such as wild berries. Serve and finish at the last moment with a few drops of Balsamic Vinegar.

The raw material, wood and romance

Manicardi born in the heart of Emilia Romagna, in a suggestive medieval village, Castelvetro di Modena. It is here that Maria Livia's father, Enzo, created his farm in 1980, which still cultivates the two historic and most representative vines of the area, the Lambrusco Grasparossa and the Pignoletto, besides producing Traditional Balsamic Vinegar.

THE secrets of the Vinegar of Modena Manicardi? First of all we play with the raw material, starting from the grapes Trebbiano is Lambrusco di Castelvetro: the must of grapes is cooked for 24-26 hours. The wood it is the second fundamental characteristic: in addition to the use of woods typical of the area, are used very small barrels. These two elements ensure the final product a unique concentrate of aromas, flavors and the unmistakable color of traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. And the romance where is it? In the love of father Enzo for the fruits of his land, dedicated to mamma Ginevra with rosè Fabula and handed down to the daughters, engraving their names on one of the barrels.