The secret to well-balanced sweet and savoury recipes

Chutney: the ultimate condiment!

This condiment combines fruit, vinegar and spices to make a sweet and sour jam which is bursting with contrast. To give your chutneys a bit of variety, you can use different vinegars: the nutty taste of sherry vinegar is delicious with pineapple, figs and apples, while balsamic vinegar is perfect in a rhubarb, strawberry, raspberry or other red fruit chutneys. Traditionally served with cold meats, fig chutney with balsamic vinegar also pairs well with foie gras and blue cheese. Mango chutney will add a sweet and salty touch to salmon and shrimp.

Add a sweet touch to a savoury dish

There are many ways to add a touch of sweetness to a savoury dish, so you can play around with the seasonal fruits and condiments, such as vinegar, that you have to hand.

Fruit

Duck and orange is a classic sweet and savoury combination that always goes down well! Perhaps the only combination that can claim to be more popular is ham and melon, where the juicy fruit perfectly balances out the saltiness of the meat. A drizzle of sherry vinegar or balsamic vinegar will take this combination to a whole new level. Another sweet and savoury dish that uses fruit is apple and black pudding. Black pudding and sausages taste even better with a compote or apples fried in butter. There's no need to add sugar to the apples, their natural sugar is enough to bring a touch of sweetness to this comforting dish. In the summer, in addition to tomatoes, why not add peaches and nectarines to your rocket salads? Give it a go, it's delicious!

Honey

Is there anything tastier than a roast chicken cooked to golden brown perfection? Honey is often the secret to deliciously juicy roasted dishes. It helps food brown faster in the oven and develop a richer flavour. For a different kind of barbecue, try marinating chicken or pork brochettes with a little lemon juice, honey and a drizzle of an infused olive oil of your choice (lemon thyme, garlic or Espelette chilli, for example). If you don’t have any honey, try using maple syrup. Its notes of oak pair particularly well with pork.

Spices

Spices are rarely used alone, but they bring balance and harmony to sweet and savoury recipes. A bit of star anise, a pinch of cumin or a hint of paprika adds complexity to a dish, giving it that little something that’ll have you coming back for seconds. You can also add spices to your dishes by using infused oils, such as our Szechuan pepper or Espelette chilli oil, which taste great drizzled over stir-fried vegetables or meat marinades.

Aromatic vinegars

Combining both an acidic element (vinegar) and a sweet, fragrant element (fruit pulp), fruit vinegars are particularly well suited to sweet and savoury recipes. They’re best used for deglazing: after grilling meat, pour the vinegar into the pan and stir to get all the cooking juices. Heat briefly, and you’ll get a fragrant sauce, perfect if you’re wanting to make duck breast with raspberry vinegar or veal liver with mango vinegar.

Sweet and savoury dishes made from just fruit and vegetables

While most sweet and savoury recipes are meat-based, there’s also vegetarian alternatives using just fruit and vegetables. In Italy, all’agrodolce (sweet and sour) recipes combine honey, vinegar and spices to create deliciously tangy marinades. This marinade infuses cherry tomatoes, courgette slices, artichoke hearts or grilled peppers full of flavour, making a delicious appetiser.

Be bold and try a sweet and savoury dessert

While there’s no shortage of sweet and savoury meals, we rarely think to add a touch of savoury to our cakes, but it really gives your desserts a new lease of life! The most delicious example is caramel with salted butter; the pinch of salt makes all the difference. It also tastes great on biscuits and chocolate cake.

Dessert oils

A pinch of spice or a few herbs don’t just enhance your savoury dishes, it can completely transform your desserts too. Make your desserts original with our specially developed aromatic oils. Lavender & tonka bean olive oil makes a delicious substitute for butter in French financiers, madeleines or even pound cake. Verbena & red chilli pepper olive oil is delicious drizzled over chocolate mousse, especially with a sprinkle of extra fine sea salt. Last but not least, our vanilla & combava olive oil tastes great over a cheesecake or tropical fruit salad. You don’t have to keep sweet and savoury separate; there’s some delicious combinations to discover!

Traditional vinegar

Vinegars make a great accompaniment to fruit-based desserts. For example, strawberries and melon taste delicious with a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Sherry vinegar, with its subtle nutty taste, is delicious with watermelon and roasted figs or apricots. Just a few drops will change everything…