Product Description

Walk along the aisles of almost any grocery store in America and you'll be overwhelmed by the shelves of olive oil: bottles from France, Greece, Italy, and Spain; cold-pressed oil; hand-pressed oil. How do you know which oil is best? Which one should you choose for salads? For sautéing? For dipping?

In The Flavors of Olive Oil, Deborah Krasner demystifies the world of olive oil. Olives-just like wine grapes-respond directly to variations in climate, soil, cultivation, and harvest, so each oil is unique. By classifying olive oil in four distinct groups (delicate and mild, fruity and fragrant, olivey and peppery, and leafy-green and grassy), Krasner guides readers through the different characteristics of more than 150 different olive oils, providing a step-by-step tasting guide to the flavors and aromas of each one. With notes on oils from Italy to Morocco to California, Krasner transports the reader to olive-oil-producing regions around the world.

As all good cooks know, olive oil is an essential ingredient in preparing great food. In this comprehensive volume, Krasner incorporates olive oil into more than 100 delicious, mouthwatering recipes. With everything from appetizers and small dishes to breads and desserts, Krasner showcases each type of oil and combines complementary flavors. Leafy-green and grassy oils stand out when combined with shellfish in Seared Scallops on Chickpea Crêpes. The fruity oils sing when combined with pasta in Penne with Pesto from Naples. The peppery oils retain their boldness in the recipe for Seared Sirloin Steak on a Bed of Watercress, and they add complexity to mashed potatoes in Olive Oil and Rosemary Mashed Potatoes.

Demonstrating that olive oil isn't just for use in savory dishes, Krasner offers recipes like Gingered Carrot Cake with Figs, "Hot" Chocolate Cake, Orange Chocolate Chip Biscotti, and Apple-Cherry Cardamom Strudel. These recipes, and many more, will showcase the delicate olive oils in your pantry and leave your guests clamoring for the recipes.

Hints on technique, pantry basics, and equipment are also included. No book on olive oil would be complete without noting the important health benefits offered by olive oil, and Krasner points to significant evidence that using olive oil is essential to a healthful diet.

The Flavors of Olive Oil is an indispensable guide to the joys of olive oil and a font of information you'll turn to again and again.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79699 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Amazon.com Review
Acknowledging the increasing popularity of olive oil, Deborah Krasner's The Flavors of Olive Oil offers a comprehensive guide to tasting, understanding, and cooking with superior extra-virgin olive oil, the cold first pressing of the olive crop's best. Most valuably, the book offers profiles of the best oils from countries including Italy, France, Spain, and the U.S. (as well as international blends). Useful, too, are sections on olive oil grades; label reading (you can tell olive oil from its package); and usage and storage pointers. Though it's hard to derive a unique recipe selection from as basic an ingredient as olive oil, the book also offers over 90 easy, attractive recipes for dishes that include it--from appetizers, sandwiches, and small dishes to salads, pizzas, entrées, and even desserts. Among these, readers will discover delicious versions of familiar friends like tapenade and focaccia with caramelized onions as well as "finds" including White Peach, Corn, and Toasted Almond Salad; Turbot with Fennel, Potatoes, Olives, and Lemon; and Slow-Cooked Boneless Pork Spareribs in Tomato, Rosemary, and Juniper Sauce. As a Jewish cook, Krasner also supplies formulas for enticing Eastern European Jewish classics such as challah and noodle kugel. Also useful is a section that explores the oils through detailed analysis of flavor characteristics--delicate and mild through leafy green and grassy. It's hard to imagine a better introduction to olive oil and its enjoyment. --Arthur Boehm

From Publishers Weekly
This thorough investigation and appreciation of olive oil from food writer Krasner (Kitchens for Cooks), encourages cooks to delve deeper into the pleasures of this versatile staple. The author first gives an in-depth summary of olive oil: like wine, olive oil can be classified by type and grade-and, like grapes, the flavor of olives is affected by soil and climate as well as methods of production. Krasner then discusses kitchen basics, equipment and ingredients and tips for variations, substitutions and labor-saving measures, as well as a section of alphabetically arranged resources, mostly Web sites, some with phone or address. While an entire cookbook on recipes for olive oil may seem excessive, Krasner does offer such dishes as Tapenade, and Chickpea, Tuna, Olive, and Goat Cheese Salad. For main courses, she includes recipes for Charcoal Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Turkish Style, and Seared Scallops on Chickpea Crepes. Illustrations by Krasner and photographs by Ann Stratton enhance this presentation.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Peter Rinehart author of The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread Deborah Krasner has done for olive oil in all its layered and complex glory what others have done with wine. She teaches us why and how the various types (and there are many) are all oh so different, and how to enhance our enjoyment through her detailed tasting notes and wonderfully inventive recipes. -- Review