Forest Apple Cider Vinegar

Every once in a while, I taste something new that stops me in my tracks. Something so good that I want to run up to strangers on the street to tell them they need to drop everything and try it immediately. This cider vinegar was one of those foods.

I know that probably sounds bonkers. But believe me when I say this isn’t your average grocery apple cider vinegar to use as a hair rinse or household cleaner. For starters, instead of a harsh acidity, the flavor is beautifully balanced between tart and sweet, like a balsamic. The real kicker, though, is the nuttiness. To make it, Benoît and his team at La Paulmier in Normandy, France, macerate local apples with nuts from nearby forests: chestnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns. After aging slowly and gently, the apple flavor is joined by a pronounced nutty quality I’ve never encountered in another vinegar. From the first sip, I was transported to a crisp, sunny autumn day in the woods.

This is a vinegar you can and should use for vinaigrettes—it would be amazing on a salad of arugula with hazelnuts and curls of parmesan. But where it really shines is as a splash used at the end of cooking for a special holiday meal where you want to show off a bit. It’s magic on roast squash or sauteed mushrooms. It sparkles on a rack of venison or pork. It’s superb in sparkling water for a quick mocktail.