Striking oil - What's New? Winter Gear & Food Fest - flavored oils - Brief Article

As people get more and more into healthful cooking, flavored oils are replacing old-fashioned shortening. The result is dishes that are lighter in fat content without the taste suffering.

Sun Olive Oil, Templeton, Calif., uses cold-pressed, 100% virgin olive oil to create a myriad assortment of flavors to complement a wide variety of menus. Ascalano provides a tangy, peppery taste; Mission Variety, a rich, nutty flavor; and Sevillano is smooth and fruity. There are garlic and citrus blends as well. Each is nongreasy and will not overpower ether ingredients.

The California Grape Seed Company, for some reason, is headquartered in New York City and the product is called California Grapeseed Oil, rather than spelling it Grape Seed as the company name reads. Quibbling aside, the oil, which comes in two flavors--Italian Blend and Herbs de Provence--is cholesterol-and sodium-free, has about half the saturated fat of common olive oil, and has an extremely high smoke point (485 [degrees] F), permitting virtually smokeless cooking. The oil's lightness makes it a perfect complement for more heavily flavored oils and is ideal for salad dressings and sauces. It may be hard to find--available only through Williams Sonoma retail stores--but this oil is definitely well worm searching for.

Cuisine Perel, San Rafael, Calif., specializes in dipping olive oils, designed to troll a crisp hunk of bread through, drizzle over pasta, toss with salads, or roast potatoes in. The flavors are richly distinctive--basil sundried tomato, garlic balsamic, and Provencal, for instance --without being overpowering. Add in a pair of wine-based vinaigrettes--pinot noir with roasted garlic grapeseed oil or chardonnay with orange grapeseed oil--and the company's artichoke or garlic pasta (each of which comes with a pack of sauce enclosed), and you've got the makings for a veritable feast.

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