The Incredible Undescribable Wonders of an Excellent Olive Oil

Two years ago, my friend Eva got married in southern France, in a small town called Maussane (where her husband is from). Her reception was in the moulin of a local olive oil producer -- Jean Marie Cornille -- a beautiful stone building surrounded by the small hills that mark the beginning of the French Alps (les Alpilles).

The day was incredible for a number of reasons; excellent weather, beautiful scenery, wonderful food, hilarious and friendly company, to name a few.

I bought a small bottle of the Cornille olive oil as a souvenir, which turned out to be a precious joy that I hadn't anticipated. The oil (http://www.moulin-cornille.com/us/huil-oliv.html), like most provencale olive oils, is light and incredibly herbacious. There are some with more peppery or grassy notes, but this one is smooth and buttery without being at all flat. The fruit is a blend of olives from la valee des baux de provence, an area that is also home to the "most beautiful village" in all of France, or something like that.


The village is cute. They have good candy and also good nearby vineyards w/ tasting rooms. Don't rely on the bus, or you might have to walk back to Maussane like we did -- through the olive groves. I didn't know then that I was to become so obsessed with this oil.

After running dry long ago, I decided it was time for more of the Maussane oil (http://www.zingermans.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=O-MAU, but the price has gone up). Yes, it is worth sending away to Ann Arbor for. Yes, it was worth $65 for a liter, and yes I would have paid $80 for it. Well, maybe...

If you use this oil in a dish with strong flavors, the result will probably be delicious but you'll lose all the subtlety of the oil. Because of this, and to get the most flavor out of my $65, I've been inspired to cook simple food that acts as the perfect vessel for my favorite oil. This morning I toasted a hearty, multigrain bread and drizzled it with olive oil and a pinch of fleur de sel - incredible. It's amazing what a couple of quality ingredients can do to a kitchen!

My dinner tonight was so exquisite I have to share it here, for whoever has the patience (or the love of olive oil) to read this far.

My new favorite meal:
-Farro pasta tossed in Maussane olive oil and crumbled parmigiano reggiano, with a pinch of salt. *
-Butter lettuce salad with the same olive oil, a splash of white cava vinegar, a pinch of salt and a few dry black olives.
-Dessert of dried dates.

I also opened a Neyer's Thieriot vineyard chardonnay -- a bright, minerally, full-bodied chard -- that came with my wine club a few months ago. Delightful with this light meal.

*Did I say light meal? I also fried two strips of bacon, on the side. What can I say, there was open bacon in the fridge and it would have gone bad... sometimes you have to take one for the team.

Cheers!