Olive oil gelee

[jmolinari]

Thinking of serving an heirloom tomato tasting with olive oil gelee. But i'm wondering how to make the olive oil gelee.

Is gelatin oil soluble? Would i just bloom it in the oil and then warm the oil? I don't immagine this would work. Don't feel like wasting time and oil trying it..but i guess i might have to.

Ideas?

jason

[Pontormo]

Why not do basil, cucumber, cilantro, chive or mint instead?

I like the consistency of olive oil poured onto tomatoes at room temperature, personally, and don't care for it all that much when it's solidified in the fridge.

I also think there's something about tomatoes that is gelee like. It's the viscosity of the guts as well as the flesh.

Personally, something herb-infused the consistency of whipped cream sounds more appealing. Even a Parmigiano-Reggiano or feta as ice cream. Maybe a cucumber granita or mint sorbet.

[jmolinari]

pontormo, you meanjust blend the oil with some herbs? How would you make the oil the consistancy of whipped cream?

jason

[Pontormo]

No, actually, I like the creativity of your proposal and was trying to offer alternatives in the spirit of your idea.

I think that olive oil is best left as it is and think you're far better off having one or more really good examples of different olive oils to pour on your range of tomatoes, room temperature. Down in the Italian regional forum, some of us were really happy, for example, when we went out of our way to find Ligurian olive oil to make pesto and other tradtional foods from that region; it tasted decidedly different from other oils we have used. Since distributors are taking advantage of the current craze for Italian food as it factors into the Local Food/Terroir obsession, you can find oils produced exclusively from the olives from one specific region in most major cities in the US.

The alternatives were pure brain-storming since I don't know nothin bout El Bulli/Keller/Lee Bros. stuff. Where's BryanZ these days? You need the microchemico crowd to show you how to foam, otherwise make whipped cream, then fold in an herb pureed in a little olive oil.

Avocado mousse, plate drizzled with basil-olive oil? Variations thereof?

Edited August 3, 2006 by Pontormo (log)

[jmolinari]

Potormo, i have a couple different olive oils..that is a good idea. A sort of olive oil tasting with teh heirloom 'maters..

.

[Sethro]

Gelatin is not fat soluable.

I think you'd need to disolve the gelatin in water and then use someting to emulsify it with the oil in a high sheer.

Maybe meth-cel can do that...I don't know.

[sbb1979]

pontormo, you meanjust blend the oil with some herbs? How would you make the oil the consistancy of whipped cream?

jason

←

When we made lovely green basil oil at my last restaurant, we used a little spinach and parsley and then loads of basil. Blanch them for no more than 10 seconds and refresh in ice cold water. Dry on paper towel.

Blend the herbs and spinach for a few minutes with just enough olive oil to get it moving nicely until you get a very nice green puree, and then pour in the rest of the oil at the end and blend for a few seconds.

Let it infuse overnight if you can and then strain it through muslin in a conical seive.

You should end up with a lovely dark green basil oil.

[s_sevilla]

uhhh......foaming/shearing and emulsifying, sounds a hell of a lot like a mayonnaise or ailoli. If you want something a little more "unique" you could always take some reduced tomatoe water, mix in some powdered or liquid lecithin, then proceed as you would with a mayonaise, just make sure you don't start out with too much of the liquid water phase.

[jmolinari]

thanks everyone