Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Q226

The “Melvin” with a Twist

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

The classic summer drink in Chile is Melón con Vino, commonly called a Melvin. It’s traditionally made by scooping out the flesh of a honeydew melon and filling the shell with a mix of white wine and confectioner’s sugar. My twist is to purée the honeydew and blend it with the wine, rather than sweetening with sugar. While it’s fun to sip it through straws from the melon, a Melvin tastes just as refreshing served in glasses, with or without ice. Experiment with other sweet melon varieties such as Galia, Canary, and Hami.

Ingredients

  • 1 large ripe honeydew melon
  • One 750 ml bottle white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, chilled

Directions

If you want to serve the Melvin in the melon shell, cut off a piece of rind from the bottom so it will stand up, then slice off the top third; if not, simply cut the melon in half. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then scoop out the flesh. Purée the flesh
in a high-powered blender. Pour the wine into a pitcher and stir in the purée. Refrigerate until very cold (an hour or more), then pour into the melon shell or tall glasses.

Serves 4

Lime Mousse

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Lime is the perfect counterpoint to the richness of heavy cream. This dessert comes together in minutes.

Ingredients

  • Zest and juice of 2 limes
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar or sweetener of choice
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Step 1

Reserve 1 teaspoon of the lime zest. Place the heavy cream in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer. Beat on low speed, then gradually increase to high. Whip until the cream reaches the soft peak stage, then add in the rest of the ingredients and whip just to combine. Refrigerate the bowl for 1 hour — it will firm up more as it chills.

Step 2

To serve, spoon the mousse into 4 glasses and garnish with the reserved zest.

Serves 4

Alfajores

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Recipes for these sandwich cookies vary from country to country: They’re thin and crisp in Chile, thick and soft in Argentina. Mine is a happy compromise that will practically melt in your mouth! Serve them plain, rolled in coconut as suggested below, dusted with confectioner’s sugar, or go all out and dip the assembled cookies in melted chocolate! Note: Dulce de leche is available at most fine food stores and online. Choose “repostero” or pastry-quality dulce de leche because it’s a thicker variety that holds its shape.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, well softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 14 ounces dulce de leche repostero
  • 1 cup unsweetened grated coconut

Directions

Step 1

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Step 2

In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the olive oil, egg yolks, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed to fully combine. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. It will be crumbly.

Step 3

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper and, using your fingers, press the dough crumbs together as needed to form the dough into a rectangle about the size of your hand. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 4

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Step 5

On a lightly floured countertop with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to about
a 1/4-inch thickness and cut out 24 rounds with
a 2-inch cookie cutter. Transfer them to one of the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. The cookies should be firm, but don’t let them brown. Use a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack.

Step 6

While the first sheet is baking, press the remaining dough into a ball and roll it out. Cut out another 24 cookies and transfer them to the second cookie sheet. Bake once the first batch is done.

Step 7

To fill, mound a generous tablespoon of the dulce de leche in the center of one cookie (a 1-inch mini ice cream scoop works great). Top it with another cookie to make a sandwich, pressing down gently to spread the filling out to the edges. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

Step 8

Place the coconut in a small bowl and roll the edges of each cookie to coat.

Makes 24 sandwich cookies

Lamb-Stuffed Eggplant

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This Mediterranean lamb dish is delicious as is, but for another dimension of flavor, serve with tzatziki sauce.

Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large eggplants, about 1 pound each
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 2 medium tomatoes, about 12 ounces, coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons fresh or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • Optional: 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or sweetener of choice, 1/4 cup raisins (Sultanas if possible)

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly brush a rimmed sheet pan with olive oil. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise and score the flesh in a small diamond pattern with a sharp knife without cutting through the skin. Place them cut side up on the sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes.

Step 2

While the eggplants are roasting, make the stuffing. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the onions, and bell peppers and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground lamb and sauté for 5 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula. Add the chopped tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the cumin, oregano, cinnamon, pine nuts, and if using, pomegranate molasses and raisins. Continue cooking until the lamb is no longer pink.

Step 3

Take the eggplants out of the oven and, still wearing oven mitts, use a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the center of each half and add to the skillet, using the spatula to break up the chunks if needed. Lower the oven to 350°F.

Step 4

Divide the stuffing between the 4 eggplant halves, mounding it in the center. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Serves 4