ON FOOD: Area shop, website sell great ghee, oil, vinegar

Today I offer you some news about oils and vinegars: Olio nuovo, flavored ghees and flavored vinegars.

First up: Olio nuovo. You may remember that last year I told you about this oil, which is as prized in Italy as Beaujolais nouveau wine is in France. They are analagous products; each is are made from the first crushes after harvesting.

The olio nuovo is from the Lucero Olive Oil company in Corning, Calif., and will be flown in this weekend for distribution at The Olive Tap, 906 Manitou Ave.

“The olives are literally milled within hours of harvesting to ensure the highest level of freshness and quality,” said Dewey Lucero, owner of Lucero Olive Oil. “Bottling takes place that day, capturing the rich and fresh flavors of the olive oil.”

If you were lucky enough to get a bottle of the oil last year, you will remember it looked cloudy. That’s normal for fresh, unsettled olive oil. The flavor of the oil is strong, with a bit of a peppery flavor note.

“The peppery flavor is because of the polyphenols,” said Rick Petrocelly, owner of The Olive Tap. “As the oil ages, the polyphenols soften.”

Personally, I liked the flavor and am looking forward to getting one of the prized bottles again this year. Call 358-9329 to reserve yours.

Next up: Pure Indian Foods organic herbal and spiced ghee.

Ghee, a form of clarified butter, is a staple in Indian cuisine. Clarified butter is the golden liquid oil that is skimmed from melted butter, leaving the milk solids to sink to the bottom of the pan. Ghee takes the process one step further, allowing the milk solids to brown before the oil is skimmed from the top. The result is a nutty flavored oil with a longer shelf life and a higher smoke point. I love to use it for frying eggs or making omelets.

I’ve recently discovered Pure Indian Foods flavored ghees: Digestive (seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon and ginger), garlic, herbes de Provence, dessert (seasoned with fennel, cardamom and saffron), Italian (seasoned with oregano, rosemary and thyme) and Niter Kebbeh (ghee seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and nutmeg).

I ordered them online as a set, so I could try all the flavors. The digestive ghee has a flavor like Chai tea and was terrific on pancakes. The garlic made a wonderful spread for garlic toast. I tried the herbs de Provence on grilled salmon with great success. The dessert number sent my bowl of oatmeal on a magic carpet ride without the cost of an airline ticket. A dab of the Italian ghee was perfect on roasted tomatoes. And, the Niter Kebbeh, with a subtle curry flavor, was the flavor kick needed for grilled chicken.

Visit pureindianfoods.com to order.

Finally, Petrocelly, mentioned above, who also carries a line of flavored vinegars at his store, celebrated the Emma Crawford festival with special bottles of his famous (at least to me) Bordeaux Cherry Balsamic Vinegar.

I tried the vinegar with a duck breast recipe that Petrocelly had created and loved the results. I’ve made the dish several times since and thought you’d like to add it to your recipe box in anticipation of the holiday season.

DUCK BREAST WITH BORDEAUX CHERRY BALSAMIC SAUCE
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Yield: 4 servings

4 (6-ounce) boneless duck breasts, skin on and scored
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch dried thyme
2 tablespoons grape-seed oil
1/3 cup finely diced mushrooms
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup Bordeaux Cherry Balsamic Vinegar

Procedure:
1. Dry duck breasts with paper towels. Sprinkle each with salt, pepper and thyme.
2, In skillet, heat oil to medium. Place duck breasts skin-side down and cook about 5 minutes, until skin is crisp and golden brown. Turn and cook 2-3 minutes. Remove breasts from pan and place in low oven to keep warm.
3, Pour off most of the fat. Sauté mushrooms and shallot until soft, 1-2 minutes. Add stock and deglaze pan; cook until reduced to a few tablespoons. Add vinegar and reduce again until sauce is thick enough to coat back of spoon.
4. Slice duck breasts into 1/4-inch-thick slices and top with sauce.

Rick Petrocelly, owner of The Olive Tap in Manitou Springs