Basil Lime Tea Cookies

Another wonderfully delicious cookie.  These are so easy to make and so very difficult to resist.

Basil Lime Tea Cookies

• 3/4 cup Joe and Son’s Persian Lime Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp very finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 cookie sheets with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer (or hand-held mixer) cream together the oil, milk and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Mix in the egg, vanilla and basil. Mix together until fully combined.
4. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Then mix into the oil mixture until combined.  The dough will be crumbly, but moist.
5. Roll the dough to form 1” balls.  Place about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.
6. Bake about 8 minutes until they turn a pale golden color.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Lemon Rosemary Tea Cookies -- another no butter recipe

I made these this morning and they are really good.  I bet you can't eat just one!

Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Tea Cookies *

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon dried ground rosemary

1/2 cup Joe and Son’s Eureka Lemon Olive Oil

3-4  tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 340 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together the flour, sugar, salt, rosemary, and baking soda.  Mix in the Lemon Olive Oil and water.  The dough will be crumbly, but moist......if the dough is too dry add just enough water to moisten.

Hand roll the dough into 1” balls and place 2” apart on the baking sheet.

Bake 8 minutes until barely golden.  These cookies will be pale in color.

Do not over bake.

Yield: about 4 dozen

*You may substitute Persian Lime Olive Oil and Dried Basil for the above similar ingredients.

Who knew? Chocolate Cake Made with Olive Oil

Who knew a chocolate cake made with olive oil and no eggs or butter could taste so good?

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Joe and Son’s Olive Oils Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Joe and Son’s Olive Oils Coconut Balsamic Vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups cold water

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. With your mixer on low speed beat in the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the two 9″ prepared pans, coated with butter and dusted in flour or sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake. It should be firm to the touch, and a cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean.

Put the cake pans on cooling racks and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to cool completely.

Filling:
2 medium packages cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup of granulated sugar, or more to taste

Whip the cream cheese until it is soft and creamy and use it as a thick filling between the 2 cake layers.


Mocha Glaze:

2 tablespoons powdered instant espresso

1/4 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 2/3 cups finely chopped dark chocolate

Stir together the instant espresso and boiling water until smooth. Set aside.

Combine the cream and the corn syrup in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the espresso. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and let sit, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the sauce is very smooth.

Keep warm until ready to use, or let cool to room temperature and store in a container with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Reheat chilled sauce over very low heat on the stove top or in the microwave until warm enough to pour easily.

It's not just Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars anymore

Joe and Son's Olive Press is now carrying delicious tapenades, spreads, confits (jellies), pestos and pastas in addition to the marvelous oils and vinegars that they've always carried.

And they also have beautiful accessory serving pieces such as marble cheese trays, tureens, olive trays, cheese knives, olive spoons and cruets. Each of these would allow your food selections to be presented in an elegant manner.

For those of you who are unsure about how to combine  selections for a wonderful Valentine's Day gift, Joe and Son's has a wonderful Valentine's Day Gift basket sure to please the most discerning "foodie".

Valentines Day Is Right Around The Corner

Anybody can buy ordinary chocolates and strawberries for a Valentine's Day dessert.  Why not be adventurous and different this year?  Joe and Son's Olive Press can help you.

Decadent Chocolate Fettuccine is now gracing the shelves of the store.  It's a versatile pasta that can be prepared in a traditional manner, BUT it is also a dessert pasta.

This dessert is as delicious as it beautiful.  And it's easy to prepare.
It's a combination of Chocolate Pasta, freshly Whipped Cream and Strawberries in a Balsamic Sauce.

Interested?  Keep reading.

Getting started:

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Macerated Strawberries in Tahitian Vanilla Balsamic

1 pint ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced ..or frozen and thawed
2 Tablespoons Joe and Son's Tahitian Vanilla vinegar
4 Tablespoons sugar…or more, to taste

In a small, non-reactive bowl, toss the strawberries with the Tahitian Vanilla Balsamic Vinegar and sugar.  Set aside to macerate. 

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 Fresh whipped cream

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, cream will then become lumpy and butter-like.

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Chocolate Fettuccini.....sold at Joe and Son's Olive Press

Cook the pasta according to the package directions and strain.  Do not overcook.

Assemble the dessert by placing a portion of the pasta on a serving dish, top with a generous amount of whipped cream and spoon several tablespoons of the strawberries and their juices over the whipped cream.

Smoky taste

Joe and Son's just got in an amazing new olive oil.  It's been infused with natural Hickory Smoke without being subjected to heat.

This is a wonderful recipe that's perfect for this oil.

Smokin’ Good Tacos

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 medium)

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (about 1 medium)  

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice  

2 1/2 teaspoons Smoked Olive oil ( purchased at Joe and Son’s Olive Press)

1/2 teaspoon salt  

8 garlic cloves, minced  

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro  

6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream  

Preparation

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper to pan, and cook 4 minutes. Add onion to pan, and sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Place pepper mixture in a large bowl; cover and keep warm.

Add beef to pan; cook 7 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Add to pepper mixture. Add chili powder, lime juice, Smoked Olive Oil, salt, and garlic to bowl; toss to coat.

Heat tortillas according to package directions.

Spoon steak mixture evenly over 8 tortillas. Top each taco with about 1 teaspoon cilantro and 2 1/4 teaspoons sour cream.