In February of this year, the world’s largest coffee shop chain, the popular Starbucks, announced that it was introducing an interesting new product to its range – coffee with olive oil, thus once again reminding the public how powerful olive oil is as a food with an extremely wide range of uses. Although always present in the traditional Mediterranean diet, olive oil has for some time now had its place in modern cookbooks around the world, where the most famous chefs skillfully combine it into new and interesting dishes (and drinks). It is important to remember that high-quality, extra virgin olive oil is rich in nutrients and will contribute to any dish in a nutritional sense, and when we talk about flavors and adding olive oil to desserts, we should take into account the specificities and different flavors of the oil, which depend on the olive variety, climate, harvesting time, and the like.
If it’s time to try something new and bring a touch of creativity and imagination to your kitchen, read on for some ideas on how to use olive oil in unusual and surprisingly delicious combinations.
Olive oil in desserts
One of the more interesting combinations is certainly the use of olive oil in sweet dishes. Olive oil gives desserts a special flavor, light texture, and airiness. In addition to being a source of fat in classic cakes and pies, olive oil is also great for making ice cream and various cookies, autumn fruit strudels, and sweet pumpkin pies. It pairs wonderfully with various citrus fruits in lemon or orange cakes, and it will perfectly highlight the sweetness of chocolate. One of the interesting combinations is preparing an ice cream topping based on olive oil with the addition of a little salt and honey.
Olive oil and fruit
In addition to classic vegetable salads, olive oil is an excellent addition to fresh fruit dishes. If you add a few drops of olive oil to a bowl of freshly prepared fruit salad, you will get a surprisingly refreshing, healthy and tasty side dish to various meat or fish dishes. Another interesting suggestion is to prepare a healthy snack – sprinkle apple slices with cinnamon and a drop of olive oil and you will have a nutritious and interesting dish.
Healthy snacks and smoothies
Olive oil can also be used to prepare healthy snacks such as roasted almonds or walnuts. With a drop of oil and some dried fruit (such as dried apricots and cranberries), you can make sweet, nutritious and healthy snacks. The combination of olive oil and fruit in smoothies is an extremely tasty and nutritious snack with a refreshing taste. The flavors of banana, strawberry and olive oil complement each other perfectly.
How to choose oil?
We remind you that when preparing such dishes, you should be aware of the organoleptic properties of olive oil (smell, taste, texture) and the flavors of the dish should be combined so that the ingredients blend optimally, and the taste of the olive oil does not become dominant. We recommend having at least two types of olive oil in the household – one with a more pronounced fruitiness, bitterness and spiciness, such as Orgula ZLATNO. The specific and more intense taste of this oil will ideally combine with complementary flavors, such as sweetness, so we recommend using it in delicacies that “have a strong character” such as chocolate cakes or cookies. The second oil can be somewhat milder, with a calmer taste and a smoother texture, such as Orgula Tradicija 1 extra virgin olive oil. This oil will be an excellent addition to fruit dishes, providing an additional rich and refined taste.
Orgula extra virgin olive oil has been the best-selling oil in retail in Croatia for four years in a row. To meet the growing needs of customers, the Orgula Group has a wide range of the best quality oils – from oils of different intensities to flavored oils, among which you can find the best drop of oil for every dish your imagination can imagine.
