Infused Oils, Sauces & Cocktails A How to Use Guide From DeMedici Imports
Infused Oils & the Cheese Course Infused oils capture the fragrances and flavors of the fields, forest and terraces of the Mediterranean. These aromatic oils provide inspiration for the food lover’s imagination. Offer these pairings at your next gathering.
A L'Olivier Basil Oil drizzled over burrata,
A L'Olivier Walnut Oil to anoint Roquefort.
A L'Olivier Lemon Thyme Oil and a triple crème Brie
A L'Olivier Lavender Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil with a fresh chèvre,
A L’ Olivier and 776 Deluxe Foods
GOAT CHEESE with FIGS, FIG FRUIT PULP VINEGAR and THYME HONEY SERVINGS: 4 INGREDIENTS 8 ounces fresh log-shape goat cheese 16 round whole wheat or whole meal crackers A L’ Olivier Fig Fruit Pulp Vinegar to taste 776 Greek Thyme Honey to taste 8 fresh figs, halved or quartered or chopped dried figs
PREPARATION Divide the 8 ounce log into 16 equal portions. For each serving, place 4 crackers on small plate and 2 figs halved or quartered. Top with a round of goat cheese. Drizzle goat cheese and figs the with fig fruit vinegar and honey to taste.
Edmond Fallot Dijon Basil Mustard
ESPUMA OF BASIL MUSTARD for CRUDITÉ Include a variety of vegetables in your crudité. Create a feeling of seasonal abundance with a selection of baby carrots, radishes and tiny Hakurei turnips, all with a bit of the stem left on, to pick them up. Use cherry tomatoes, celery hearts, baby fennel, green beans, blanched or raw cauliflower and broccoli florets and little potatoes steamed in their jackets. SERVINGS: 4 INGREDIENTS 16 oz. crème fraîche 3 tablespoons of Edmond Fallot basil Dijon mustard 1/2 lemon Salt
PREPARATION Clean and trim your vegetables and arrange them on a platter or in a basket. EQUIPMENT 1 soda siphon plus 2 CO2 cartridges
MAKE the ESPUMA. In a bowl blend the basil mustard and crème fraîche. Stir in the lemon juice and salt. Just before service, fill the siphon jar with the sauce. and gas with two cartridges while shaking briskly. Serve the espuma in a small bowl to accompany the vegetables.
A L’ Olivier and Esprit du Sel
DEVILED EGGS with ESPELETTE PEPPER DRESSING and FLEUR DU SEL 4 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS
6 eggs 1/4 cup mayonnaise Sea salt 1/2 teaspoon Fallot Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon fresh chives, finely chopped 1 teaspoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 6 teaspoons A L' Olivier Basque Pepper Vinegar Espirt du Sel Fleur du Sel to taste
MAKE the DEVILED EGGS. Place the eggs in a saucepan that will hold them in a single layer. Cover them with cold water, about 1 inch over the eggs. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water reaches a boil, remove the pot from the heat and cover it. Keep the eggs in the hot water for 15 minutes.
While the eggs rest, prepare an ice bath by filling a mixing bowl with ice and cold water. After 15 minutes remove the eggs from the hot water and plunge them into the ice water. Cool completely. Roll them on your work surface to crack them. Peel. Halve the eggs lengthwise. Gently scoop out the yolks. Set the whites on a serving dish. Put the yolks into a small mixing bowl. Mash the yolks with the back of a fork until smooth. Stir in the mayonnaise and the mustard until well blended then mix in the chives and the parsley. Fill the whites with the yolk mixture. You could pipe the filling with a bag fitted with a French or open star tube. Drizzle each egg with a teaspoon of Basque Pepper Vinegar. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.
A WORD ON MAYONNAISE Mayonnaise is a cold emulsion of egg yolk and oil, typically flavored with vinegar and mustard. It is traditionally used to enrich boiled meats or vegetables. You can incorporate a variety of ingredients to produce a wide range of derivative sauces. Adding capers and chopped gherkins will yield Sauce Tartare. You could blend in any flavored mustard or mount it with Marina Colonna’s citrus scented oils. This is a special version in that the mayonnaise is prepared using balsamic rather than vinegar or lemon. The recipe from Cavalli uses a hand–mixer. Massimo Bottura’s is formulated for a blender or immersion blender. Cavalli Balsamic
Safinter and A L'Olivier
BALSAMIC MAYONNAISE
ROUILLE
INGREDIENTS 3 egg yolks 1 tablespoon Cavalli Balsamico Riserva Nando or or aceto balsamico tradizionale di Reggio Emilia PDO Silver seal 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 yolk of a hard-boiled egg sieved or mashed 1 pinch of fine sea salt
PREPARATION Place three fresh egg yolks in a bowl with the balsamic. Whip them slowly with the electric mixer. Add the olive oil one drop at a time until all 7 tablespoons are blended. When half the oil has been added, blend in the hard-cooked yolk. Continue drizzling in the oil. The sauce must have the appearance of a thick cream. It must be worked for at least 20 minutes. Salt to taste.
Villa Manodori
BLENDER BALSAMIC MAYONNAISE INGREDIENTS 1 whole egg 2 ½ ounces Villa Manodori Aged Balsamic Vinegar 2 cups grapeseed oil Flaky sea salt
PREPARATION Combine the egg and balsamic vinegar in a blender jar. Process on low speed until smooth. While blending, slowly drizzle in a few drops of grapeseed oil until the mayonnaise
begins to emulsify, then continue slowly pouring the oil in a thin stream until it is all blended. The sauce should be smooth and shiny. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and add more vinegar if you like.
This is a sauce to accompany Mediterranean fish soups. You can stir it into the broth or dab it on the fish. Some sources compound it of breadcrumbs and oil. Others replace the crumbs with a potato fished out of the stew pot. Other versions call for an egg yolk and mount it in a mortar and pestle like a mayonnaise. Some call for saffron and sweet red pepper, some not. All call for chili or Cayenne pepper. That said, try using harissa. This recipe is an unorthodox amalgam of others that produces a well flavored emulsion. INGREDIENTS 2 cloves of garlic Pinch of fine sea salt 1 tablespoon of roasted red pepper that has been chopped or pounded into a paste 1 1/4 teaspoon of harissa, or pinch of Cayenne, or a dash or two of hot sauce 1 small pinch of saffron toasted ever so briefly in a hot skillet and crumbled (Optional) ½ cup of fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in water and then squeezed to expel it 1 egg yolk at room temperature 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
MAKE the BASE Pound the garlic into a paste with a pinch of sea salt. Blend in the roasted pepper puree and the harissa. Add the saffron if you opted to use it.
Stir this paste into the breadcrumbs until well blended. EMULSIFY Make a mayonnaise using the hand mixer to whip the oil into the egg yolk one drop at a time until the sauce begins to emulsify, then you can increase to a trickle. AMALGAMATE Fold the mayonnaise into the breadcrumb mixture.
FRENCH VINAIGRETTE The proportions for French Vinaigrette are 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. It is permissible in the French canon to use lemon juice or a blend of lemon and vinegar, a neutral vegetable oil or olive oil. We prefer to use excellent vinegar and extra virgin olive or an olive and nut oil blend. Here is the classic formulation:
MAKES 1/2 CUP INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons A L’ Olivier Red Wine Vinegar from Bordeaux 1/8 teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard 6 tablespoons of A L’ Olivier Extra Virgin Olive Oil Freshly milled black pepper
PREPARATION Whisk together in a small bowl red wine vinegar and sea salt until the salt dissolves. Whisk in Dijon mustard. Whisk in extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is completely emulsified. Season with freshly milled black pepper. You have mastered the classic recipe. Break with tradition and experiment with new flavors. The master recipe can be infinitely varied depending on the oil, vinegar, and mustard you choose. Here are some ideas.
COOK'S NOTES Picual or Arbequina extra virgin olive oil combined with Reserva Shery Vinegar or A L’ Olivier Basque Pepper Vinegar. Marina Colonna Mandarin infused extra virgin olive oil with A L’ Olivier Fig Fruit Vinegar. A L’ Olivier Basil infused extra virgin olive oil with A L’ Olivier Lemon Grapefruit Vinegar. A L’ Olivier Lemon Thyme infused extra virgin olive oil and Shallot Infused Red Wine Vinegar. A L’ Olivier Walnut Oil blended with extra virgin olive oil, Fallot Walnut Dijon Mustard and A L’ Olivier Apple Cider Vinegar from Normandy. L’ Intenditore D. O.P. Umbria extra virgin olive oil whisked with Villa Manodori Barolo Wine Vinegar D. O. C. G.
A L’Olivier
Villa Manodori
RED PEPPER DIP
SALSA VERDE
This simple delicious dip for crudités, to bind a salad, as an
INGREDIENTS
accompaniment to cold roast chicken, INGREDIENTS 1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream ¼ cup A L’ Olivier Basque Pepper Fruit Vinegar Esprit Du Sel Fleur de Sel Freshly ground black pepper to taste
PREPARATION Whisk the crème fraîche with the vinegar until the color evens out. Put it in a pretty bowl or a red bell pepper and finish with a sprinkle of salt and a pinch of black pepper
2 cups flat leaf parsley leaves 1 ¾ oz dried breadcrumbs, preferably homemade ¼ ounce capers, rinsed 1/8 ounce olive oil packed anchovies, drained 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar 1 ¼ cups (extra virgin olive oil ¼ oz of ice-cold water
Badia a Coltibuono
776 Deluxe Foods
BASIL PESTO
TZATZIKI
It takes patience plus a marble mortar and pestle large enough to accommodate the ingredients to make the pesto. The result is so much better than the one done with an electric appliance. If you resort to the blender or food processor, use short pulses, to achieve a fairly rough texture. YIELDS 6 INGREDIENTS ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 bunch of fresh basil 3 cloves garlic, sliced ½ cup pine nuts ½ cup Badia a Coltibuono extra virgin olive oil ½ cup Parmiggano Reggiano cheese, grated 1/3 cup aged Pecorino Toscano cheese, grated
PREPARATION Start with salt, basil, the garlic cloves, the pine nuts and a little bit of olive oil. With round, slow and regular motions, press and mash the basil until the pesto reaches a quite homogeneous consistency, but be careful, it still must be quite roughly done. It should be coarse. Keep adding the olive oil, when it’s nice and mixed add the cheeses for last.
INGREDIENTS 1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt 1 medium cucumber Pinch of salt ½ a lemon 1 cloves of garlic 1 teaspoon each finely chopped, dill, mint and tarragon
PREPARATION Line a fine mesh strainer or a colander with two layers of cheese cloth. Put in the yogurt and set it over a bowl in the refrigerator. Let the yogurt drain for an hour or two. While the yogurt drains, peel and seed the cucumber. Grate it on the coarse side of a four-sided grater. Put it in a strainer set over a bowl or saucepan and toss with a
PREPARATION Combine the parsley, breadcrumbs, capers, anchovies, vinegar and olive oil in a blender. Add ¼ oz (10g) of ice-cold water. Process until smooth and thickened to the same consistency as the mayo. Transfer the salsa verde to a storage container and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep for up to one day.
pinch of salt. Zest and juice ½ a lemon. Mash or chop to a paste 1 clove of garlic. Remove the yogurt from the refrigerator and put it in a mixing bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can. Fold the grated cucumber, lemon juice, garlic paste and herbs and 1/8 teaspoon cracked pepper into the yogurt. Spoon into a serving bowl and drizzle the top with a swirl of 776 PGI Olympia extra virgin olive oil. Dust with 1/8 teaspoon sumac and the reserved lemon zest.
A L’ Olivier
BLOODY MARY with BASQUE PEPPER FRUIT VINEGAR 4 SERVINGS INGREDIENTS 4 cups tomato juice Juice of 1 lemon 4 tablespoons A L’ Olivier Basque Pepper Fruit Vinegar 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce 1 tablespoon horseradish, grated 2 teaspoons coarsely ground Black pepper ½ teaspoon hot sauce ½ teaspoon celery salt 12 olives for garnish 4 thin lemon wedges for garnish 4 stalks of celery from the heart 1 cup of vodka
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PREPARATION Combine all the ingredients in a pitcher and refrigerate until well chilled. Fill 4 high ball or pint glasses with ice. Pour 2 oz. vodka into each glass. Skewer 3 olives on a pick for each glass. Add a lemon wedge and a stalk of celery to each drink. .