NAKANO Sweet Seasoned Rice Vinegars

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When you are married to a chef, it becoming a "foodie" is a no-brainer!  Chefy has introduced me to so many different foods and cooking techniques over the years, I now try anything.  Rarely can I surprise him with something I discovered, but I actually accomplished that when I received Nakano Sweet Seasoned Rice Vinegar to review.   I was sent the Mango Seasoned Rice Vinegar and the Citrus Seasoned Rice Vinegar and was so excited to give them a try!  Along with my vinegars, I was sent a recipe to try and I jumped right on it!

Light and Tangy Mini Baked Apple Pies  (SERVINGS: 6)

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
3 cups (1-2 large apples) honey crisp or granny smith, 1/4” dice
1/4 cup NAKANO Citrus Seasoned Rice Vinegar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 cup granola, no fruit
6 mini Mason jars, 4 oz., cleaned

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. In saucepot, add butter and brown sugar and heat until it bubbles, 4-5 minutes. Add diced apples, NAKANO Citrus Seasoned Rice Vinegar, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water and add to the apple mixture.
3. Cook apple mixture until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon into jars. Fill jars up to the bottom lip, reserving room for the granola. Add 2-3 tablespoons of granola to the top of the jars.
4. Place jars on sheet tray and bake for 4-6 minutes, until granola is golden brown.  Serve warm or room temperature.

Knowing that Chefy and Kat would be home for an early dinner, this was the perfect dessert because it didn't take hours to make!  I followed the recipe above, using Granny Smith apples.  The only change I made was I used Raisin Bran Crunch instead of granola.  I had all of the other ingredients on hand!  The recipe was very easy to put together and before I knew it, my kitchen was smelling heavenly!  

All I can say is that all 6 mason jars were eaten that evening!  DELICIOUS!  When we had Charly, our French exchange student visiting, Kat made these for snacks one afternoon and Charly loved it! 

We have used these vinegars for several different things from salsa to salads and from fish to chicken!  Everything was wonderful.  The flavor is very fresh and refreshing.  I'm thrilled that I was able to introduce Chefy to a new product and recipe.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!