Flavors of Lonato del Garda Balsamic Vinegar Creams Highly Recommended by Whom You Know

Balsamic Vinegar is one of my favorite ingredients in a salad dressing. I have even enjoyed it as a sauce for grilled meats. That is why I was so excited to try out three Balsamic Vinegar Creams made by Flavors of Lonato to see how I could use this product in more exciting and delicious ways! The three I sampled were the Regular Balsamic, Truffle, and Raspberry flavors. I was really eager to try the creams not just on savory dishes, but sweet ones as well! The company has worked hard to ensure that each of these creams is prepared just as it would be in a professional kitchen. This is clearly evident in the refined flavors of each cream. They were absolutely heavenly on my tongue! Another great feature of this product is the bottle it comes in. The special tip allows you to specially decorate each dish you prepare in your own unique way. I used the Truffle Cream on some ice cream and the Raspberry Cream as a topping for some fresh fruit. Each dish came out far better than I could have imagined. These balsamic creams are a true enhancement to any meal!

In recent years, Balsamic vinegar has become the go-to staple of Italian sandwiches and salads. It's become so popular that it would be easy to overlook the subtlety and texture of a really great Balsamic vinegar. Lonato del Garda's Balsamic Cream flavors are exactly that, a great Balsamic. As a dressing for salad, the classic Balsamic over a Romaine lettuce with some fresh tomatoes and olives (with Extra-Virgin olive oil of course) makes for a light and flavorful dressing. Getting a little fancier, I used the Truffle flavored Balsamic cream as a drizzle over some Parmigiano cheese. The sharp and grainy Parmigiano is beautifully complimented by the sweet and yet tart Balsamic. As you chew and the two flavors reconcile themselves to one singular shade of delight, a hint of truffle breaks through and surprises your taste buds. Lonato del Garda also offers a Raspberry flavored Balsamic cream. The fruity taste of raspberry allows you to use the Balsamic to either sweeten up a savory dish or add some tart to a sweet dish. Drizzling Raspberry Balsamic over some raspberry sorbet is a great way to add some tart to your dessert. Lonato del Garda's Balsamic creams are a delicious twist on a classic Italian staple.

These Balsamic Vinegar Creams – the regular balsamic, truffle, and raspberry – are heavenly! If you think you’ve tasted excellent balsamic vinegars, you MUST try these, and you’ll never settle for any other balsamic again. They all have a deliciously sweet taste with tons of flavor! I tried the raspberry over chocolate and vanilla ice cream. The raspberry balsamic cream was flavorful and delicious, tasting just like real raspberries, but even better! The regular and truffle balsamic vinegar creams are fantastic for salads, homemade salad dressings and dipping. I used the regular balsamic on an avocado, tomato and mozzarella salad, and it was amazing! The sweet and savory balsamic taste perfectly highlighted the fresh mozzarella and the ripe avocado and tomato. The truffle balsamic is absolutely delicious as well, and the perfect thing to drizzle over bread, pizza or just about anything you can think of. There are several other flavors to choose from, and I think I’m going to need to start working my way through them. The only challenge is deciding which one to try next!

Flavors of Lonato is a fantastic company, created by 2 friends on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, dedicated to bringing the flavors of Northern Italy to the United States. The products they import to the U.S. come from the Garda region of Italy, which is known for its high-quality products, created by small, family-owned growers. One of the product lines they've created is a line of Balsamic Vinegar Creams, which are simply out of this world! They were created with the collaboration of a team of international chefs, and the results are outstanding. These tasty, easy-to-use creams are created using the finest balsamic vinegar and other ingredients which are meticulously selected, so as not to clash with the taste of the balsamic vinegar. They impart maximum flavor with a minimum of effort, and are must-haves for any at-home or professional chef. I had the pleasure of sampling a few varieties, and was very impressed with how much they elevated the taste and presentation of my food, especially since they were so incredibly easy to use! The plain balsamic flavor has a classic, rich, balsamic taste, and is a great addition to salads, dipping oils, or any dish for which a balsamic glaze would be appropriate. I drizzled the raspberry balsamic cream on top of crackers topped with goat cheese and pear, and it was the absolute perfect addition. It would pair well with countless other dishes as well, especially those involving fruit and/or cheese. I used the truffle balsamic cream to top a caprese salad and it was so tasty, I had to refrain from licking the plate afterward. Again, this cream would also pair well with many, many other dishes. So, for any chef, professional or not, do yourself a favor and add these fantastic balsamic creams to your pantry - I know I will be keeping them in stock!

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Flavors of Lonato del Garda was started by two very dear friends, each on the opposite side of the great pond. As the world has transformed from what we know as round, separated only by distance and culture, these friends took an idea to bring a small part of Italian culture with its rich history and passion for healthy cooking to a world that is now flat. With trust and determination, this friendship over the years inspired the idea which you now see before you: “Flavors of Lonato.” Our idea, a little taste of Northern Italian fare, is represented by the finest products from the small villages exclusive to the Garda region of Italy. This region is known for the exceptional high quality of products produced by small family owned growers with over a millennium of expertise that has been passed down from generation to generation. “Flavors of Lonato” now proudly brings this rich historic culture to the US consumer for all to enjoy!

Is it possible that we have brought food down to the lowest common denominator? Much of our food is processed, pasteurized and homogenized until it becomes bland and indistinguishable. Many of us have come to accept mediocrity, telling ourselves these products are “good enough” because that’s all we have come to know. But when you’ve tasted food created from an artist’s own hands, made with patience and love, with all of it’s complexities and cultural identity intact, good enough is no longer part of our vocabulary. Great food makes life worth living, even if it is just for the sweet taste of grapes, a bite of cheese that is so good there are no words to describe it. Balsamic vinegars that have been lovingly created and aged for 25 years or a piece of freshly baked bread dipped into a fresh press olive oil. Great food brings people together to share the experience of a region, culture and the lives of those who thoughtfully grew it. Good enough can never do that, and Flavors of Lonato del Garda, Inc. (“FLG”) never accepts “good enough”. In recent years, a controversy has been arising regarding the labeling of food items as a “Product of Italy” or substandard olive oil as “Extra Virgin”. When a product is labeled as a “Product of Italy”, most people assume that this means the product was grown, processed, packaged and shipped from Italy but the product itself could have been purchased anywhere and shipped to Italy for processing. By the same token, if a label of olive oil reads “Extra Virgin” it does not mean that it has been processed and prepared according to the strict guidelines established to ensure the quality that the label implies. FLG standards guarantee that our products are grown, processed, and shipped from Italy only and that they are of the highest quality and standard because “good enough” is not good enough!

About Our Featured Product:

Balsamic vinegar Creams: This product was developed in collaboration with a team of international chefs who set the basic principles for a balsamic cream. Our vinegar creams are comprised of 90% balsamic and do not run when decorating or dressing a warm plate. A bottle of Crema di Balsamico allows a chef to decorate and dress approximately 500 dishes with 12-14 cm of decoration. The velvety taste of balsamic vinegar cream combines with the intense aroma of truffles, fruits, basil from Ligurta, vanilla, red hot peppers, soy, ginger and wasabi for a taste sensation like no other.

Flavors of Lonato del Garda, LLC acts as an importer and wholesaler of specialty products imported from the Garda region in Northern Italy. All of our products have either been certified as organic by the Italian government (a designation that is not easy to achieve) or have either a DOP or IGP certification. Each manufacturer is required to provide copies of certifications, safety inspections and audit results and keep a copy of a current certificate of insurance on file with our company. Our products include balsamic vinegars, balsamic vinegar creams, liquid salts, apple vinegars, flavored vinegars, Italian roast coffee and quality olive oils. More information about Flavors of Lonato can be found at www.flavorsoflonato.com