Recipes

Keep whisking over the lowest heat and the yolks turn thick and glossy, ready for a steak. Reduced with shallot at the start, Laurent Agnès’s Tarragon Vinegar, aromatic and gently spiced, gives the béarnaise its herbaceous backbone.

Hot bacon fat, a splash of vinegar and a wooden spoon scraping the skillet: the warm dressing sizzles, then barely wilts the frisée. Laurent Agnès’s Shallot Vinegar, sweet and mild, brings its aromatic shallot character to this bistro salad.

The vinegar hisses as it hits the hot skillet, the kitchen fills with its sharp perfume, then cream softens everything. Laurent Agnès’s Red Wine Vinegar, made from Bordeaux Merlot and aged three years, gives this chicken its rounded depth.

Hold a glass up to the light and the color alone is a promise, deep and jewel-toned: Laurent Agnès’s Raspberry Vinegar, bright and tart, stirred with honey and sparkling water, makes a refreshing alcohol-free spritzer.

Figs soften in the oven until their juices run into the dish, a spoonful of cool mascarpone waiting beside them. Laurent Agnès’s Fig Vinegar, rich and warmly spiced, deepens those juices into a glossy, sweet-tart sauce.

Served well chilled on a hot afternoon, cubes of cantaloupe, cool cucumber and torn mint want only a light dressing. Laurent Agnès’s Elderflower Vinegar, floral and subtly sweet, brings that clean, bright acidity, set off by salty feta.

Within half an hour, red onion slices turn a vivid pink in their jar, tangy and crunchy. Pickled in Laurent Agnès’s Apple Cider Vinegar, made from apples of the Brie region, they brighten creamy avocado on toasted sourdough.

This is a salad for the cold months, crisp endive and juicy pear under crumbled blue, dressed with Estoublon’s Walnut Vinegar, a wine vinegar of strong character that smells of fresh walnuts and ends on woody, slightly tannic notes.

Each ladle of stock makes the rice a little creamier, and at the very end, a few drops of Estoublon’s Truffle Vinegar, dense and velvety, scatter intense notes of summer truffle over the golden mushrooms.

Once the chicken thighs come out golden, a splash of Estoublon’s Thyme Vinegar, fresh, aromatic and delicately herbaceous, loosens the caramelized juices in the hot dish into a quick sauce that smells like a Provençal hillside.

A bistro classic lives or dies by its vinaigrette, and for tender leeks scattered with chopped egg, Estoublon’s Shallots Vinegar, a red wine vinegar with fresh shallot softened by a gentle sweetness, strikes the right note.

Cold butter whisked in piece by piece until the sauce turns pale and satiny: made with La Compagnie de Bouteville’s Le Végétal Vinegar, herbal and floral from its acacia barrel, this beurre blanc stays light over flaky white fish.