Put Balsamic Vinegar in Your Butterscotch, Then Put it On Appetizers, Dessert, and More

The words "hassle-free holiday trick" are music to our ears. We partnered with Delta® Faucet to announce their newest addition to the kitchen, ShieldSpray™ Technology. It makes holiday cleanup easy by keeping the splashing contained, so we're free to entertain more. And we're celebrating by sharing our favorite make-ahead sauces that'll add that something extra to all your holiday dinner parties.

Balsamic and butterscotch are two ingredients you wouldn't expect to see in the same condiment, but cozy them up to one another and you'll understand why you should: They make an intoxicating pair, with the vinegar adding savory and bright notes to an otherwise rich, sweet sauce.

Longtime Food52 contributor mrslarkin likes to literally pour it on anything sweet: "...bananas, apple cake, vanilla ice cream, strawberries, bread pudding, ricotta, yogurt, gingerbread, a spoon...you get the picture." We couldn't agree more.

I'd take it one step further and start and end the meal with it. Balsamic butterscotch will drizzle well on many things; you can use it on savory-sweet appetizers or hors d'oeuvres, and obviously desserts of many kinds. It would take well to a tangy goat cheese, or drizzled on endive with pecorino. Top off toast slathered with bacon jam or pretty rounds of polenta, or even add it to a cheese board in the place of jam or honey. Whisk it into a salad dressing if you're adventurous. There's really no limit—that's the fun in it!

If you want a little extra guidance, here are 3 menus that'll make good use of balsamic butterscotch.

How to use Balsamic Butterscotch:

• Cut toast points or prepare crostini and slather the slices with bacon jam. Drizzle the butterscotch balsamic on top and add some cheese or other savory addition.
• Try a bit in the salad dressing for Brussels sprouts and then keep it around for the bread pudding at the end of the meal. A little pool under each serving or a ladle over top would do well.

How to use Balsamic Butterscotch:

• Drizzle it on bacon-wrapped dates for before-dinner snacks, and then maybe stir a little into the radicchio salad dressing for an extra bit of bite.
• For dessert, it's time to spoon big dollops of balsamic butterscotch over scoops of easy frozen yogurt. (You might want to set a bowl of it out at dessert, too, for those guests who'll want an extra spoonful.)

How to use Balsamic Butterscotch:

• Ditch the honey on these ricotta toast appetizers and bring on the balsamic butterscotch.
• When dessert calls, slice up the apple cake and then give it a dose of the sweet-savory sauce, whether that's atop its hasselback apples or as a spoonful on the plate.

We partnered with Delta® Faucet to celebrate their newest addition to the kitchen, ShieldSpray™ Technology. It allows hosts seamless cleanup (be gone, stubborn food specks) without making an even bigger mess (thanks to an innovative shield of water that surrounds the water jet). And all that means more time with guests—plus less time soaking, scrubbing, and shirt swapping.