Infused Oils

This most recent assignment from class was very enjoyable to do. I have never done any infused oils of any kind, and wanted to try and think outside of the ordinary. I ended up making six oils before I ran out of supplies at home. They oils are in order from left to right as follows; chocolate mint, vanilla orange, umami, Habanero chili, tarragon with star anise, and toasted pecan. I formulated all of these recipes myself with no references in hopes of discovering some new and unique flavors. My favorites are the vanilla orange, umami, and tarragon with star anise. The Chef preferred the tarragon over the others, but also saw promise in the umami oil. The most surprising thing that I discovered in this home experiment is the ability to infuse and separate the chocolate mint oil. This chocolate oil turned out surprisingly light in color with a punch of dark chocolate flavor. The process also created a vegetable oil that is a solid at refrigeration temperature due to the oils that it picked up from the chocolate. Not sure what to use this one for yet, but it's definitely got me thinking. Due to the small amounts of each oil that were created, all ingredients were meticulously weighed to insure repeatability. Recipes for each are as follows:

Chocolate Mint Oil:
1 cup vegetable oil
15 grams Godiva 85% cacao extra dark
6 grams fresh mint, rinsed

Place oil and chocolate in small sauce pan. Warm to 160 degree F. Cool quickly and allow to settle at room temp for 12 to 24 hours. Without disturbing the sediment on the bottom of the container, siphon or ladle the clear top layer of oil. Warm again to 140 degree F and add the mint. Muddle the mint in the oil with a wooden spatula and store at room temperature for additional 48 hours to infuse the mint flavor. Strain if desired. Oil will keep longer without the fresh herbs.

Vanilla Orange Oil:
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
1 orange peel, pith removed
½ vanilla bean

Place the oil and vanilla bean into a small sauce pan. Warm to 140 degree F. Add orange peel and store at room temperature for 72 hours.

Umami Oil:
1 cup vegetable oil
5 gram bonito flakes
4 gram dried shitake mushroom
1 cup water, for mushroom treatment (does not go in oil!)
1.75 gram garlic, sliced
0.5 gram fresh ginger, shaved thin
0.7 gram toasted white sesame seeds
0.2 gram katsuo-bushi

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. This will be used to quickly blanch and rinse the dried shitake mushrooms. Place the 1 to 2 dried mushrooms in a heat safe glass and cover with 1 cup of boiling water. Let mushrooms soak in the water for 10 minutes and remove. Chop mushroom into coarse pieces and discard the water. Rinse the bonito under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Place oil, bonito, shitake, garlic, ginger and white sesame seeds in a small sauce pan and warm to 180 degrees F. Maintain heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the katsuo-bushi. Rest the oil at room temperature for 24-48 hours for best flavor. However, due to the flavors extracted in the process, this is one of the oils that I would consider using immediately.

Mild Habanero Chili Oil: for those who want the flavor but not the heat.
1 cup vegetable oil
½ t coriander seed, toasted
½ t cumin seed, toasted
5 gram garlic, sautéed
6 gram shallot, sautéed
3 medium Habanero chili's, spicy heat remove!
4 oz vodka or tequila split into two wide mouth shallow glass containers

In a small sauce pan sauté the garlic and shallot, set aside. Toast the seeds until fragrant over dry heat, set aside with garlic and shallots. Use latex gloves for the next step if you have them. I had very little skin exposed during the next procedure and still experienced some uncomfortable burning sensations from the irritation of the pepper oil. Cut and quarter the habanero peppers removing as much of the seeds and inner membranes as possible. Using a spoon or small knife, lightly scrape the inner flesh of the pepper to rupture the cells where the capsaisin resides. After scraping each piece, rinse thoroughly with alcohol. Repeat this process a second time and dispose of the alcohol before removing the gloves. I would not recommend consuming the alcohol due to the high concentration of capsaisin (unless you're into that kind of personally inflicted pain). Place the oil in a small sauce pan and add the peppers, garlic, shallot, and toasted seeds. Warm the oil to 160 degrees F and hold for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let rest at room temperature for 48 hours.

Tarragon and Star Anise Infused Olive Oil:
¼ cup vegetable oil
1.2 gram star anise
4 gram fresh tarragon
1 gram fresh thyme
1.25 gram garlic
½ cup EV olive oil to finish

Place oil and star anise in small sauce pan and heat to 240 degrees F. Remove from heat. Add garlic immediately. When oil has reached 200 degrees F add fresh herbs. Let oil rest in pan for 10 minutes. Add warm extra virgin olive oil (about 150 degrees F) and rest at room temperature for 48 hours.

Toasted Pecan Oil:
1 ½ cup vegetable oil
3 oz pecan halves, toasted (oven, 350 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes)
½ oz peanuts, toasted (same as pecans)

The flavor is infused best when the nuts are used immediately after they are toasted and still warm. Place the nuts and oil into a sauce pan. Warm the oil to 180 to 200 degrees and hold for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.