"Finishing" Oils

Almost every chef has, stashed away, a bottle of their favorite Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to be drizzled sparingly, sprinkled judiciously and occasionally luxuriously spooned over the perfectly grilled bass, fragrant heirloom tomato salad, or maybe crackling crisp pizza, hot from the oven. Some chefs might have some cold pressed walnut oil. Even luckier ones might have some bright green pistachio oil. We at DM Cuisine have all those plus a few House Made Infused Oils, but we can get greedy that way. All of these prized oils are known in the kitchen as finishing oils, meaning they are not used for cooking, not usually heated, and rather used to provide a drizzle of additional unctuousness that "finishes" a dish.

Mediterranean cooks have known about the luxury of fine Extra Virgin Olive Oil (sometimes referred to as EVOO) for years. Each country and region produces oils with distinct flavor profiles ranging from robust, fruity & peppery to full bodied and grassy. Flavor and quality is primarily attributed to variety and freshness of the olives processed. Italy has even established a D.O.C. (Denominazione d'origine protetta) appellation for olive oils in the same manner as they have for wine.

Finishing oils might also be a fresh or toasted nut oil. French cooks love both walnut and hazelnut oils. We often use one or the other when tossing salads, especially in the fall and winter. It's especially delicious to add a handful of the same toasted nuts to double the effect of the oil. A little bit rarer and dearer in price, is pistachio oil. A beautiful liquid jade that has an exotic sexiness that is as surprising as it is enticing. It's delicious over a salad of tender greens, grilled fennel and orange. Just add a squeeze of lemon, coarse sea salt and cracked pepper.

Since the explosion of world cuisines in the 1980's and the growth of California Cuisine, many contemporary kitchens also employ infused oils as part of their Batterie de Cuisine. The process is generally the same for any sturdy herb such as thyme, rosemary, lemongrass. Warm a mildly flavored oil such as pure olive oil, canola or grape seed oil and then add lightly bruised herbs, garlic, spices, citrus peels... whatever flavor agents you wish to infuse into the oil. Maintain at a low temperature (below 150*) for 5- 10 minutes, cool, strain and refrigerate. For tender herbs such as chive, parsley, basil, etc, it's best to blanch and shock the herb leaves in boiling water and then ice water. Gently dry the leaves and then puree in a blender with your oil. This will yield a vivid green oil. You may strain or not, depending on your style.

Here at DM Cuisine, one of out old favorites is a Thyme Garlic Oil.

Thyme Garlic Oil
4 cups Pure Olive Oil (NOT Extra Virgin)
4 ounces fresh thyme sprigs (cleaned, dried and bruised*)
3 large cloves of garlic (cracked)
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Warm oil in a large saucepan. Keep temperature below 150 degrees. Add remaining ingredients and keep on heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Transfer to a container and store, covered in the refrigerator for 5 days. Strain and return to refrigerator. Will keep for several months.


* - to bruise the herbs, run over them with the back of a heavy knife. Just enough to begin to release their oils