Homemade Infused Olive Oil

Infused Olive Oils make really great and beautiful gifts for the food lovers in your life! They are also great to have on hand in your own kitchen for your own cooking adventures. The flavor possibilities are endless and it is truly a fun and unique gift.

Rosemary Infused Olive Oil

2 cups high quality extra virgin olive oil 5 springs dried rosemary

Garlic Infused Olive Oil

2 cups high quality extra virgin olive oil 1 head garlic (peeled, rinsed and well dried)

Peperoncino Infused Olive Oil

2 cups high quality extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup dried peperoncino

Basil  Infused Olive Oil

2 cups high quality extra virgin olive oil 5 springs dried basil  leaves

Ginger Infused Olive Oil

2 cups high quality extra virgin olive oil 3 dried ginger slices    

A handmade gift, made with love, packaged up sweetly with beautiful custom labels and a thoughtful note, to me, is what the season is all about. Sharing something you created with your own two hands, especially for the person receiving it.

METHOD:

Wash all the ingredients going into your oil and let them dry as much as possible – preferably overnight. You can also use a dehydrator on a low temperature, if you have one. Remember bacteria can’t grow in the olive oil itself, but it can grow in the water left on the ingredients going into the oil.

Tips: Most importantly, always choose a high quality extra virgin olive oil and whether fresh or dried, always opt for the highest-quality, organic (when possible) ingredients for infusing. Be sure whatever bottles and containers you are using are well cleaned and thoroughly dried.

For a cold-infusion method:

Add a couple of tablespoons of dried herbs/spices (according to the flavors desired) into the bottle using the funnel so they don’t scatter everywhere. Pour in oil to fill the bottle, cap it, and place it in a dark cupboard to infuse for 3-4 weeks to let the flavors develop. Then strain the contents into that spouted measuring cup, and funnel it back into the bottle.

For warm-infusion:

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat, add the flavoring agents, and then remove from the heat to let it all steep. Once cooled, strain the oil and use your funnel to transfer it to your bottles, then refrigerate them. Tell the recipients to keep them in the fridge, and use them within 10 days. For fresh oils like this, it’s best to make smaller gift bottles so they’ll be used up quickly and nothing goes to waste. If you do decide to use fresh herbs and spices, you can place sprigs of them into the bottles as decoration: since they’ll be used in a timely fashion, they’re not likely to go rancid or moldy, and the effect of branches of rosemary or tarragon along with whole peppercorns can really be quite beautiful. Be creative, be safe, have fun with this, and enjoy sharing the deliciousness of the holiday season with awesome people and fabulous food!