I was super excited when I had the opportunity to try another President’s Choice Black Label product. This time it was the Porcini Mushrooms Glaze with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.
Their web site claimed that it was fantastic drizzled over risotto. I am not the best risotto maker (see this post to see for yourself) in the world and it was a week night so I just used their Splendido Wild Mushroom Risotto instead. Nothing close to the real deal but better than plain rice.
I dredged two chicken breasts and used panko breadcrumbs so the crust would be nice and crunchy after I cooked them on the stovetop.
I drizzled the glaze from the easy-to-squeeze-and-pour spout over our dinner.
Woah, super strong! I liked it but very zingy. A little too much vinegar punch for Reg.
The viscosity of this glaze is crazy-thick. We are talking seriously concentrated flavour. Interesting…
Instead of using it as a finishing sauce, I glazed some chicken before cooking it in the oven. As you can see, it really burned and stuck to the pan.
Reg loved the chicken, thought there was nice flavour to it. I found it OK but kind of boring. I personally was missing the zing.
I made a steak dinner one night to try the product on two different dishes.
I used it to glaze our steak. Nothing else (except salt and pepper of course). Reg loved it, found it flavourful. I thought it was just OK.
I also love to roast portobello mushrooms (I fill them up with goat cheese) so I used the glaze on them. Be careful! This glaze loves to stick and burn.
Now these I loved. The glaze penetrated the mushrooms and that extra mushroom-y flavour boosted with the vinegar… very flavourful and delicious.
The thick and aged balsamic vinegar combined with the porcini mushrooms is excellent. Imported from Italy, this tastes like the “real deal”. My only issue is figuring out how to use it so both Reg and I are happy. Too raw, it is too harsh for Reg. Too worked into a meal, it disappears for me.
Regardless, this is a fascinating product that can be used in a ton of ways to boost the flavour of your meal with minimal effort. I give it four out of five wooden spoons.
You know how mushrooms can be sauteed in red wine? They might be nice sauteed with this too and then served over steak.
Absolutely, definitely would be good as a sauce enhancer Debra, thanks! And… yum…
You can thin it out a bit. Either with wine like Debra said, or with chicken stock. You definitely need some more liquid in the pan if it sticks and burns that badly. I have ideas running through my head of ways to use such a cool product! I wonder if I could find it here.
Definitely going to thin it out Tori. I wish the bottle had more instructions of how to use it. It’s one of my big complaints with these sauces. I wish you could find it where you are too!