Orange Oil w/Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar Dressing & Salad

When I was in New Orleans this past weekend, Michael took me to that glorious Olive Oil & Fruit Vinegar import store Vom Fass (of which I've already written).  It was extraordinarily hard to decide what kinds of fruit vinegars and olive oils to buy--there were so many flavors and I wanted them all!--but with one suggestion, I knew I could make my decision.

"We had a date vinegar and orange oil salad dressing tasting this weekend" Nick, the store representative, said.  "It was like eating candy!" I was sold.

Below is my version of Nick's recipe based off of what he said.  The dressing supposedly had a 3:2 parts ratio (3 parts orange oil with 2 parts date vinegar).  But, after making a large salad, I felt it really should have been a 1:1 ratio (i.e., 3 parts orange oil with 3 parts vinegar) to get the taste I was going for.  Make with the same oil/vinegars I use here buy ordering from the Vom Fass website, or make your own through homemade infusions for a salad dressing that is clearly delicious.

Orange Oil w/Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar Dressing & Salad
The key to making this recipe taste "like candy" is to add the olive oil and vinegar separately to the salad.  A lot of people mix and shake their oil and vinegar salad dressings beforehand, but I'm a purist.  I believe in adding the orange olive oil first and then the waldborg star date balsamic vinegar second to the salad.


Ingredients: 
* 1 large salad (4 servings), prepared (see "Fall Salad" recipe for an example recipe)
* 3 tablespoons Orange Olive Oil
* 3 tablespoons Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar
* 1 orange, zested
* 1/2 cup dates

1.) Prepare salad, and add 1/2 cup dates.

2.) Drizzle 3 tablespoons of Orange Olive Oil over the salad.

3.) Drizzle 3 tablespoons of Waldborg Star Date Balsamic Vinegar over the salad.

4.) Zest an orange over the salad.

5.) Toss to combine.

6.) Dish out servings of salad (makes 4) and serve with more freshly zested orange on top.  Enjoy!

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Basil Infused Olive Oil

I must say that when you spend 20 minutes tasting exotic olive oils at Vom Fass (truffle oil, basil oil, orange oil, chili oil), you become inspired to make your own.  Flavored and infused olive oils take cooking to a whole other level--no longer does one need to add basil to a dish, or orange zest, they merely need to use an infusion that combines both ingredients and flavors.  Infused oils are an incredible asset to recipes because of their ability to transport flavors with intensity and quantity.

Feel free to buy the more expensive oils from Vom Fass (I'm a HUGE fan), and you'll get what you paid for--infused oils straight from casks that have been infused for months and by professionals are certainly the way to go if you can afford it.  But, when money, time, and Vom Fass is not at your disposal, try this recipe to make an easy and flavorful oil infusing one of my favorite ingredients: BASIL.  Use Basil Infused Olive Oil for pesto, pasta, roasted vegetables and asparagus, and other clearly delicious treats.

Basil Infused Olive Oil
This recipe comes from Epicurious.com and is a standard olive oil  infusion recipe.  Chop and pack olive oil with a fresh herb like Basil (or Rosemary, or Thyme), allow to sit for two weeks or more, and you'll have a cooking ingredient that's flavorful and extra tasty.


Ingredients:
* 4 cups extra virgin olive oil
* 2 cups packed and chopped basil

1.) Clean a glass jar that will hold 4 cups of infused olive oil.

2.) Add four cups olive oil to the jar.

3.) Chop basil.

4.) Add basil to olive oil.

5.) Stir to integrate and add lid to jar.  Allow to sit for infusion at room temperature for two weeks or more.  The longer the recipe sits, the better the taste and intensity of the infusion.  Enjoy!

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