The marriage of the warm, tangy, sweet Blueberry Balsamic Sauce (made with White Balsamic Vinegar) with the smooth, cold vanilla ice cream is a match made in heaven. The tender, soft crêpes bring another level of comfort, and tie it all together. This is quite decadent looking, yet fruity, bright and refreshing dessert.

For the Crêpes, refer to my fool-proof French crêpe recipe. This is the recipe I swear by for making homemade crêpes. For the ice-cream, rely on any of your favorite store-bought ice creams. For the Blueberry Balsamic Sauce, here’s the step-by-step for you…

How to make this Blueberry Balsamic Sauce

The recipe begins with fresh blueberries – although frozen blueberries can work too (see cooking notes below). The blueberries are placed in a pan on low-medium heat, with sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

For extra tang, I added Oliv White Balsamic vinegar. This Balsamic is so rich and smooth, with a gorgeous white grape color – which didn’t offset the color of the sauce at all – something I really appreciate. Using White Balsamic to build this sauce provides the perfect amount of sweet and zing to the mix, while creating a luscious, rich texture. It’s a great secret ingredient so you can skip out on cornstarch or having to use a heavy amount of sugar.

Then, all the ingredients are brought to a low simmer, until the blueberries break apart. You can use the back of a spoon or fork to press on the blueberries. Stir occasionally until the sauce slightly thickens – and it’s as simple as that!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! This Blueberry Balsamic Sauce is both sweet and tangy, with a luscious texture and hides chunks of blueberry for extra bite. The use of White Balsamic adds an “adult” feel to this sauce, that is still very approachable – don’t worry, your kids will love it too! This is a quick and easy recipe to showcase seasonal blueberries, and I bet you’ll want to use this sauce in so many different ways. It really is that good!

My Cooking notes:

• Fresh, seasonal blueberries are best. But when not in season, you can substitute with frozen blueberries. Thaw the blueberries overnight (in a strainer), and weigh the blueberries once thawed and well-drained, so you have 250g (about 1 + 3/4 cup). 
• For serving, you can pick any ice cream of your choice. Vanilla works get here – the smoothness of vanilla ice cream is great for balancing the tang and sweetness of the sauce. Chocolate ice cream would be a great choice as well.

Crêpes with ice cream are my favorite, especially when topped with this Blueberry Balsamic Sauce – which is also perfect  for topping:

• Breton Pound Cake
• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Cottage Cheese
• Greek yogurt
• Oatmeal
• Rice pudding
• French toast
• Cheesecake

And so much more! Share your ideas in the comment section below.

I hope you’ll this Balsamic Blueberry Sauce – it’s sweet, luscious and colorful. It is a simple sauce that comes together in minutes. You can prepare it ahead of time (up to 3 days ahead) and keep it in your fridge. Right before serving, re-heat it on low heat in a sauce pan until warm, and pour it on top of the ice cream.

You may also like:

• Spiced Berry Jalousie Tart
• Blueberry Pie from Alsace
• Blueberry Financiers
• Giant Strawberry Almond Financiers
• Classic-French Cherry Clafoutis

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @pardonyourfrench on Instagram and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench

Crêpes with Blueberry Balsamic Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream

Print Recipe

Serves: 6-8 Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 40 Minutes 40 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 6 voted )

Ingredients

For the homemade Crêpes:

Use this recipe.

For the Blueberry Balsamic Sauce: 

250g fresh blueberries (about 1 + 3/4 cup) (or frozen, thawed – see cooking notes above)
¼ cup (50g) sugar
2 tbsp (30ml) White Balsamic Vinegar (ie. Oliv White Balsamic)
¼ of a lemon, juiced
½ tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla  Ice Cream, for serving 

Instructions

Prepare the crêpes first, see recipe here.

For the Blueberry Balsamic Sauce:

Step 1 – Wash and drain the blueberries. Place them in a large non-stick pan (or large sauce pan) over low heat. Add the sugar, White Balsamic, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Turn the heat to medium-low. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir so the blueberries are evenly coated. They will start to render some juice. Bring to a gentle simmer (this takes about 8-10 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Step 2 – Using the back of the wooden spoon, the back of a fork or a potato masher, gently press the blueberries so they break apart. Continue to simmer on low, stirring occasionally (for about 5 minutes), until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a metal spoon. The sauce should be pourable, with chunks of blueberries still visible. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Step 3 -  For serving, place one or two crêpes on each plate, top with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons (40-60g) of the Balsamic Blueberry sauce on top. Enjoy immediately.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit! 

I have partnered up with OLiV to bring you this Balsamic Blueberry Sauce recipe, but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Pardon your French. 

The post Crêpes with Blueberry Balsamic Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream appeared first on Pardon Your French.

Summer desserts often call for simplicity, don’t you think? A simple cake, fresh seasonal fruits bursting with natural flavours, and maybe, one more component to add some originality. Well, today’s dessert is simply one of them – featuring juicy peaches, the simplest olive oil cake, and the use of fig-infused balsamic vinegar to create some magic. That’s all you’ll need to build this lush dessert that’ll be the perfect ending to any Summer dinner. 

This recipe is part of my work with Oliv, to which I am partnering with this Summer to bring you sun-kissed recipes boasting with Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars. (If you’re unfamiliar with Oliv, check out this post or check their site for a look at their essential oil-infused line of products.). And so far, I’ve had so much fun developing new recipes (this one and this one) and exploring a side of French cuisine with more Mediterranean-flare than what I usually share here (as Northern French cuisine relies more on butter).

Now that we’re reaching the peak of peach season here in Niagara, it was difficult not to think of a recipe idea without these beauties in mind. And as any for any Summer fruit, I like to think simplicity is often the best call, in allowing them to shine on their own. I chose to use Oliv’s fig-infused balsamic vinegar to lightly poach the peaches in a pan. This balsamic is rich, smooth and full of fruit-flavours. I knew it would be the perfect ingredient to elevate the peaches while remaining just subtle enough (you don’t want it to overpower the natural flavor of the peaches).

And to complete this dessert, I made a simple, yet elegant almond cake using Oliv’s Leccino EVOO (that I had already used in this lush Chocolate Olive Oil Cake). It truly is the simplest cake to make and turns out so light and fluffy in texture with subtle fruity and nutty notes. I usually like to put fruits inside my cake, so it was a nice change to enjoy them on the side. I though it made for a more “grown-up” dessert for some reason.

Overall, this dessert can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes (baking time included), which makes it ideal for hot Summer days where you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. It is modest yet elegant, light yet satisfying. As I said, one of those simple Summer desserts. We enjoyed this dessert as is, but I could definitely see a scoop or two of vanilla ice-cream on top, as well. 

Balsamic Poached Peaches and Olive Oil Cake

Print Recipe

Serves: 6-8 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

For the cake:

4 eggs
3/4cup + 2 tbsp (180g) sugar
200g almond meal
½ cup (112g) EVOO 

For the peaches:

4 peaches (washed and cut in wedges).
4 tbsp Fig-infused Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp agave nectar (or light-colored honey)
4-6 tbsp water

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375°F (200°C)

Whisk the eggs and sugar together, until foamy and lighter in color. Whisk in the almond meal and the EVOO until fully combined.

Pour the batter into a previously greased 9” circular cake pan and bake for 20 minutes.

For the Peaches:

Meanwhile, in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, combine the peach wedges with the balsamic vinegar and agave nectar. When the liquid start bubbling, stir the peaches gently ensuring sure they’re fully coated and cooking evenly. When the liquid thickens a bit, add splashes of water, little by little, so the peaches never stick to the bottom. Poach until tender (about 10 minutes).

Serve each slice of cake with 2 or 3 scoops of warm poached peaches. 

If you try this Balsamic Poached Peaches and Olive Oil Cake recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram.

Bon Appétit!

The post Balsamic Poached Peaches and Olive Oil Cake appeared first on Pardon Your French.

This Summer, I am partnering with Oliv to bring you delicious recipes that are bursting with Balsamics and Extra Virgin Olive Oils. These two ingredients are utterly prevalent in French cuisine, especially in Southern France. And like most French cooks, I always have a bottle of EVOO and a bottle of balsamic laying on my counter – which find their way into my vinaigrettes, grillades, vegetable tians and stews, on a daily basis.

So when Oliv reached out to ask me to develop recipes with their infused EVOOs and Balsamics, I was very excited. This first recipe features their fig-infused Balsamic vinegar in little Balsamic Pearl Onion Tartes Tatin. (A tarte tatin being the French way to say upside-down tart). 

If you’re unfamiliar with them, Oliv is a Canadian-based company offering premium quality Extra Virgin Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars, in a “branch to table” philosophy. They import their oils from South Africa and Balsamic vinegars from Italy, controlling their product from start to finish. Oliv’s trademark is also to flavour their oils and vinegars with natural essential oils, which makes their line of products so versatile and easy to sneak into any of your recipes – be it savoury or sweet.

Being a fig-lover, I was immediately enticed to try their fig-infused Balsamic vinegar. It is rich, smooth and full of fig-flavours. I knew it would be the perfect ingredient to add a burst of fruitiness into these salty, crusty little pearl onion tartes tatins.  

I used the balsamic to create a sweet and tangy glaze for the pearl onions, which then produced the most perfect caramelization when baking in the oven (which, when making a tarte tatin, is exactly what you are looking for, both taste-wise and look-wise!).        

And because this balsamic vinegar also pairs great with cheese, I snuck in a little slice of brie on top of the pearl onions before adding the crust on top. It brought an extra layer of richness, and a nice smoothness to balance with the fruitiness of the balsamic.

All around, these little Balsamic pearl onion tartes tatins are so delighltful; and it’s really the balsamic vinegar that puts them over the top!

This recipe works for 4 individuals tarts or 1 large one. Enjoy it warm, as a shareable appetizer (with a glass of dry Chardonnay) or alongside a fresh salad for a summer-perfect weekday dinner.

Balsamic Pearl Onion Tartes Tatin

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 25 minutes 25 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 4 voted )

Ingredients

Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp rosemary, finely diced
8 tbsp cold butter, cut into pieces
3 tbsp ice water

Topping

1 1/2 lbs pearl onions, whole and peeled.
3 tbsp butter
½ tsp kosher salt
3 tablespoons Oliv fig-infused balsamic vinegar
Optional: 4 slices of brie cheese

Instructions

For the dough:

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Mix in the rosemary and cubed cold butter with your fingers until you get a rough, crumbly consistency with pea-sized lumps of butter still visible. Add 3 tablespoons of ice water and stir with your hands until the dough just comes together. If the dough is still too dry, add in 1 more tablespoon of water. Gather the dough into a rough ball, cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the onions. Heat the butter in a pan (ideally a skillet) on medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, lay the onions in the pan (they should be pretty snug) and cook for 6-7 minutes without stirring. Shake the pan to roll the onions and cook for another 6-7 minutes, giving the onions a light gold colour all around. The onions won’t be fully tender just yet.

Pour the Balsamic Vinegar over the onions and stir to make sure the onions are evenly coated. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400F.

Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it out to an 11” circle. For individual tarts, cut out 4”x4” circles. Spread the onions at the bottom of a greased 11” baking pan (or skillet) or into 4”x4” individual tart shells or rings. Optional: apply slices of brie on top of the onions (or 1 per individual tart). Lay the pastry round(s) over the onions and cheese, folding the edges on the sides.

Bake until the pastry is golden, about 35 minutes for a large tart and 20-25 for individual ones. Remove from the oven, let cool 3 minutes (no more) and carefully invert the pan(s) onto a plate to unmold (don’t wait any longer or the caramelized onions will stick to the bottom). If any pearl onions fall in the transfer, simply put them back in place.

If you try this Balsamic Pearl Onion Tartes Tatin recipe let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram.

Bon Appétit!

The post Balsamic Pearl Onion Tartes Tatin appeared first on Pardon Your French.