The One Where Condiment Grrl Eats Her Words

A while back, I blogged about three condiments that I had purchased with a sense of hope and high, heady anticipation, only to have my dreams crushed with a cement motar and pestle. I, however, just had a fresh experience with one of these condiments that has caused me to rethink my initial position. In one fell swoop I will do what the Bush Administration stubbornly refuses to do in the face of all available evidence - admit I was wrong.

I was wrong, wrong, wrong about Blackberry Peppercorn Zinfandel Vinaigrette by Earth & Vine Provisions.

Here's a picture. I've given up on my own food photography skills and am turning to the product website, except that I can't seem to make it bigger:

 

Tonight, Mr. Mustard (who does all the cooking. I'm exhausted from twisting open condiment jars all day) prepared a simple meal of barbequed chicken and a salad of mixed greens with feta cheese. When I went out to the barbeque to observe what sauce he was going to baste on the chicken, I saw nothing. "I just put my own collection of spices on it. No sauce." After asking Mr. Mustard why he hated America, I quickly retreated to the kitchen to get out some barbeque sauce for my portion.

I was completely out of barbeque sauce. Clearly, there is a serious rent in the time/space continuum.

But Condiment Grrl will not be denied! I quickly flung open my refridgerator to review what I had that I could mix into a barbeque like sauce. My hand stopped at this Blackberry Peppercorn Zinfandel Vinaigrette; I could mix a sweet, spicy tomato-esque sauce with it for an interesting blackberry experience. I opened the bottle and dumped some in a bowl, when there was a ginormous sploosh and a chunk of the sauce, which I had complained was sludgy, hit the bowl and a thinner liquid poured out after. I mixed it up, tasted and the vinaigrette leaped up and dispelled the zin heaviness. It was the missing link; the sauce was different: sweet and vinagery with low earthy tones.

The label had warned me to "shake thoroughly." I failed to comply.

I served myself some salad with feta cheese and cut up one of the chicken breasts and placed it on top. Then I added the BPZV (I can't keep typing that name out) and Voila! A very tasty salad: salty, sweet, earthy, berry. With wine.

So, please, if you love your condiments as much as you love your medications, read the label!

Condiment Grrl