Like cruise ship musicians rocking out the hits of the ’80s, many chefs in the provinces tend to work skillfully, but in styles that have become outmoded. Restaurants are full of chefs who continue to use tricks that have become demode in New York, Chicago or L.A. — the sprig of mint on the dessert, the undifferentiated fried garnish on the protein, the plate painted with the pool of green oil and blobs of reduced balsamic vinegar.
I have a particular dislike for that slick of green oil — usually made by blanching parsley, mint, basil or chives, blending it with oil and straining it. It adds nothing to the dish that it decorates except an increasingly tiresome visual appeal.
That’s not to say that I don’t like — or don’t use — herb oils. By themselves herb oils are one-dimensional. But used to finish dishes or vinaigrettes, to garnish soups or pastas they can be extraordinarily effective.
There are several different ways to make herb oils. If you use a soft, leafy herb, you can blend the herb with the oil and strain out the solids. With harder herbs like sage, thyme or rosemary, you can simply add the herbs to the oil, seal the container and your oil is ready to use a week or so later. Or you can use a quicker heat infusion method, in which the herb is bruised then gently heated in the oil.
Since I’m an impatient cook, I prefer the heat infusion method, which yields a flavorful herb oil in under an hour. To give the oil a more rounded flavor, I add a pinch of salt and some crushed garlic, which is particularly good with the recipe below for rosemary oil.
Rosemary oil is delicious on anything with beans, like a white bean soup, on roasted vegetables, or on sauteed mushrooms. At Olivea, I use it to finish a rosemary mustard vinaigrette, which I serve with trout, potatoes, or beet salad.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
Rosemary Oil
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 sprigs rosemary, bruised with the back of a knife
5 cloves garlic , peeled and crushed
Pinch salt
Directions
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Over very low heat, bring the oil to a gentle simmer and cook 10 minutes. Do not allow the garlic to color. Cool the mixture completely, then strain it. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Rosemary Mustard Vinaigrette
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1/3 cup champagne vinegar
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup canola or other neutral oil
1/3 cup Rosemary Oil (above)
Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and freshly ground pepper. Slowly add the canola oil to emulsify. Whisk in the rosemary oil. Refrigerate until ready to use.
