2 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans
1/2 cup Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
9 large, room-temperature eggs
2 tablespoons sanding sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine 3 1/4 cups flour and salt in a bowl.
Cream butter, sour cream, and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract.
Lightly beat eggs with the lemon extra virgin olive oil, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops.
Before baking, sprinkle sanding sugar over each cake. Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack.
For the Lemon Curd
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
4 Tbs. of Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup granulated sugar
Directions
Whisk together lemon zest, juice, sugar, cornstarch, eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, for 2 minutes while whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter extra virgin olive oil until smooth.
Chantilly Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons good quality vanilla extract
Directions 1. In the bowl of a mixer, whip cold cream to light peaks. Add sugar and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. Fresh Berries
2 pints of fresh berries such as strawberries (halved), black berries, raspberries and or blueberries
1/2 cup Peach White Balsamic
Directions: Macerate (soak) thefresh berries in the peach white balsamic for 15 minutes before assembling the trifle. To Assemble The Trifle 1. Cut one pound cake loaf in to one inch cubes. Add 1/3 of the pound cake cubes to the bottom of your trifle dish. Use a pastry brush to dab Peach White Balsamic on to the pound cake. Next, layer with 1/2 cup of lemon curd. Arrange 1/3 of the berries decoratively along the perimeter of the trifle dish, covering the layer of lemon curd. Add 1/2 cup of the chilled Chantilly cream over the berries. Repeat these layer two more times ending with a layer of Chantilly cream on top. Allow the trifle to rest, covered and chilled, for three hours before serving Garnish with fresh berries and a mint sprig.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix the water, sugar, butter olive oil, salt, and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread butter olive oil all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over "buttered" dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and or raisins, if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices.
Preheat the oven to 350
Coat the bottom of baking pan with 1/3 cup butter olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 brown sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.
12 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped) 3 cups Half & Half 6 large egg yolks 8 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/4 cup Oro Bailen Picual Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1/4 teaspoon salt Blood Orange Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon blood orange agrumato1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar Directions Place the chocolate and olive oil in a blender. Whisk the Half & Half egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan over medium heat. Sir the mixture constantly, making sure to scrape the bottom and edge of the pot with a heatproof spoon or spatula so that the mixture does not burn. Continue to stir until the the custard is coats the spoon and almost begins to simmer, about 5 minutes.
Immediately pour the custard over the olive oil and chocolate in the blender. Cover and hold the lid with a thick kitchen towel; blend until combined and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender as needed. Divide the chocolate mixture among 6 ramekins or cups and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Whip the cream and blood orange olive oil with the confectioners' sugar with a mixer or in the blender until soft peaks form. Top the chilled pots de creme with whipped cream before serving. Makes 6 servings
6 cups freshly popped, warm popcorn ( I air-pop it)
1/3 cup Wild Mushroom-Sage Olive Oil + 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese + 2 tablespoons
Fresh cracked pepper to taste sea salt to taste
In a bowl large enough to hold the popcorn, drizzle 1/3 cup of the mushroom sage olive oil over the sides and bottom of the bowl. Alternatively, you can use an oil mister to spray the oil on to the popcorn.
Add the still warm popcorn to the bowl and toss to coat evenly. Add 1/2 cup grated Asiago, and a few turns of fresh cracked pepper, and salt to taste. Toss to coat again. Finish by drizzling the remaining mushroom-sage olive oil over the top along with two tablespoons of Asiago, and more black pepper.
Optional: Finely minced, fresh chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish
Dice potatoes, making sure all are relatively the same size. Place in a large saucepan add the salt, and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until potatoes are tender throughout when poked with a fork. Heat the half-and-half, butter and the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and set aside. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain off the water. Mash and add the garlic-cream-butter mixture, grated Asiago and truffle oil. Stir to combine. Let stand for 5 minutes so that mixture thickens and then serve.
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 cup dried polenta
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Bring the stock to a simmer in a heavy 6+ quart pot. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Cook on low stirring frequently for approximately 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat an stir in the cheese and olive oil. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
Wild Mushroom Ragu
3 cups assorted fresh wild mushrooms such as oyster, shitake, cremini, etc. wiped clean, tough stems removed
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
While the polenta is cooking, heat the extra virgin over medium-high in a large 12" saute pan. Add clean, dry mushrooms to the pan. Cook until the mushrooms caramelize and become crusty golden-brown. Add the shallot, and saute for two minutes, add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the wine and cook scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and reduced by half. Add the stock and cook until reduced by half. Taste and adjust with salt and fresh pepper if desired.
Truffled Mascarpone
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 teaspoon white truffle oil
Stir the truffle oil in to the mascarpone.
Serve the wild mushroom ragu over the hot polenta. Add a dollop of the truffled mascarpone, a sprinkle of pecorino cheese, and a pinch of minced parsley.
Butter a 9x13" baking pan and line with parchment that overhangs the sides. In a metal bowl or double boiler, add all of the ingredients except the salt. Set over a pot of gently simmering water, stirring constantly until the chocolate has completely melted. The mixture will be very thick. Pour in to the prepared pan. Allow to cool to room temperature and cut in to squares. Sprinkle a few grains of sea salt on each square.
Whisk 1/3 cup of sugar with egg yolks for two minutes until light yellow and tripled in volume. Place the egg yolks in a large heat proof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Add the Marsala and continue whisking constantly for about five minutes or until the temperature of the mixture reaches 150 degrees on a digital thermometer. Set aside and allow to cool for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, whip the mascarpone and 1/3 cup of sugar with the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the zabaglione (egg yolk mixture) in to the mascarpone mixture. Blend the espresso or coffee with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar, rum and espresso balsamic until the sugar dissolves. Working with 1 cookie at a time, dipping a total of 8 cookies into the espresso per layer. Arrange the lady fingers in a single layer, side by side with a small amount of room between each, over the bottom of a two to three quart dish. Spoon 1/3 of the mascarpone mixture over the cookies and gently spread to cover. Sprinkle with ground chocolate. Repeat this process two more times finishing with a layer of mascarpone and ground chocolate on top. Cover the tiramisu with plastic and refrigerate at least 6 hours.
So, what do you do with the one and only Dark Chocolate Balsamic? I love it paired with a good EVOO, and used as a salad dressing on spinach. Mix it with the chipotle or chili EVOO, a tablespoon of dijob and marinade ribeys for 4-6 hours, then grill! Great on top of vanilla ice cream or drizzled on fresh berry's. Add some to your chili and really enhanse the texture and give it that 'special something' that no one will guess, but will love!
Using an stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg yolks and sugar until thick, about 5 minutes. Add room temperature mascarpone to the egg yolks and beat until smooth. Add 1 tablespoon of espresso and one tablespoon of balsamic and mix until thoroughly combined. In a shallow bowl, mix the remaining espresso and Dark Chocolate Balsamic. Briefly dip each ladyfinger into espresso mixture. Allowing the ladyfingers soak too long will cause them to fall apart. Place the ladyfingers on the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, breaking them in half if necessary in order to fit the bottom. Evenly spread 1/2 of the mascarpone mixture over the ladyfingers. Arrange another layer of soaked ladyfingers and top with remaining mascarpone mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to six. Before serving, sprinkle the top with chocolate shavings.
Turkey Mole Recipe
Ingredients
2 pound boneless skinless turkey breast cut into “turkey tenders”
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 sprig fresh oregano
¼ cup packed chopped cilantro
Mexican rice, accompaniment
Chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
corn tortillas on the side
Mole Sauce:
8 dried ancho chilies, stemmed and seeded
4 pasilla chilies
1 quart chicken stock
5 tablespoons Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
3 black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 corn tortilla, torn into small pieces
1/3 cup Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a large pot, place the turkey, quartered onion, garlic, oregano, and cilantro. Cover with water by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the turkey is just cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Reserve the poaching liquid. In a large heavy dry skillet, toast the chilies to a deep brown color over medium-high heat, turning, 1 to 2 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with hot stock, and soak for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and transfer to a blender. Puree the mixture, adding poaching liquid as necessary, to consistently blend.
In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of Chipotle Olive Oil over medium-high heat. Add the toasted pumpkin seeds. Stir until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and add to the blender with the chilies. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and starting to color, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the cinnamon and coriander seeds and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add to the blender. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the tortilla pieces, and cook until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the blender with enough of the chili soaking liquid (or chicken stock) to puree to a paste. To the skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the paste and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken stock, the Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar, salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and cook, stirring, to incorporate. Add the cooked Turkey and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, adding more stock, as needed, if the sauce becomes too thick, while basting the turkey occasionally as it cooks. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.
To serve, spoon the rice into the center of a large platter. Arrange the turkey and sauce over the top, garnish with chopped cilantro, and serve with hot corn tortillas.
Extra virgin olive oil decreases in flavor and health benefits over time. Fresh crushed olive oil is like fresh squeezed fruit juice in that it contains the most flavor and nutrients. Old, poorly made and improperly stored extra virgin olive oil yields fewer if any health benefits and undesirable flavor.Becoming intimately familiar with a particular extra virgin olive oil's flavor characteristics and chemistry i.e. antioxidant content, oleic acid, FFA, and crush date will help you make an educated decision about which olive oil is right for you.
Crucial Olive Oil Chemistry Definition Key
Oleic Acid: is a monounsaturatedomega-9fatty acidfound in olive oil. Olive oil is generally higher in oleic acid than other vegetable fats. The range found in extra virgin olive oil is between 55-85%. Extra virgin olive oil high in oleic acid has greater resistance to oxidation.
FFA: Based on IOOC standards the maximum limit for free fatty acid in extra virgin olive oil is 0.8g per 100g or (.8%). A low FFA is desirable. Free fatty acid speaks to the condition of the fruit at the time of crush. The higher the FFA the greater the indication of poor quality fruit such as damaged, overripe, insect infestation, overheating during production or too much of a delay between harvest and crush.
Peroxide Value: Based on IOOC Standards the maximum peroxide value for extra virgin olive oil is 20. A very low peroxide value is desirable. Unsaturated free fatty acids react with oxygen and form peroxides, which create a series of chain reactions thatgenerate volatile substances responsible for a typical musty/rancid oil smell. These reactions are accelerated by high temperature, light, and oxygen exposure.
Polyphenol Count: Polyphenols are a class of antioxidants found in a variety of foods. Polyphenols such as Oleuropein, Oleocanthal,and hydroxytyrosol impart intensity connected with pepper, bitterness and other desirable flavor characteristics. Recent studies indicate that these potent phenols are responsible for many of the health benefits associated with consuming fresh, high quality extra virgin olive oil. Phenols in olive oil decrease over time or when exposed to heat, oxygen and light. Consuming fresh, well made olive oil with high polyphenol content is crucial when looking to obtain the maximum healthbenefit commonly associated with consuming extra virgin olive oil.
New Testing Methods Based on Olive Oil Chemistry
DAGs Test/Score: Measures the proportion of two forms of diacylglycerol: 1,2 and 1,3. In oil freshly made from sound olives of good quality, the prevalent form of DAG is the 1,2 form where the fatty acids are bonded to a glycerol molecule in the 1 and 2 positions. The bond on the 2 position is weak and easily broken, leading to the migration of that 2 position fatty acid to the 3 position. This results in the much more stable 1,3 DAG. This makes the ration of 1,2 DAGs to the total DAG’s a good indicator of the quality of the olive fruit and the processing. It is also an indicator of the age of an oil, since the migration from 1,2 to 1,3 DAGs takes place naturally as the oil ages. Warmer storage temperatures, and higher free fatty acid levels will both accelerate this process, but DAGs are not affected by the short exposure to high heat that is characteristic of deodorizing (refining).
PPP Test/Score: This test was developed to measure the degradation of chlorophyll in olive oil. This degradation of chlorophylls to pyropheophytin was found to take place at a predictable pace, making it possible to gain information about the age of an olive oil. The rate at which the degradation occurs can be accelerated by even short periods of high temperatures – such as that which is utilized during the deodorizing or soft column refining process – making it a useful indicator of the presence of deodorized olive oil as well as the age of the oil.
Why is our Extra Virgin Olive Oil so good and different? The answer is simple and proven. The olives are grown right - in the correct conditions, organically. They are...
