CILANTRO OIL/L’HUILE DE CORIANDRE
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
Here, the lemony, grassiness of cilantro is softened by being blanched, then blended with top-quality olive oil. Its flavor emerges gently but its color is a blast of green that brightens every dish it touches. When a new ingredient comes to France, as cilantro did from North Africa, the French chef coopts it with their special artfulness, as is the case here. I predict you’ll make this oil often.
Astuce: This oil is the very best the day it is made, though you can stretch it a day or two if you keep it refrigerated.
Servings: 1 cup (250ml)
Ingredients
- 4 cups cilantro leaves gently packed
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 250ml
Instructions
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To make the cilantro oil, first prepare a medium-sized bowl of ice water. Cover a cooling rack with a thick, cotton or linen towel.
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Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the cilantro, stir gently, then the minute the water returns to the boil transfer the cilantro to the ice water, to cool. As soon as the cilantro leaves are chilled, transfer them to the prepared cooling rack to drain for about 5 minutes. Then, wrap them in the towel and twist it as tightly as you can, to remove any excess water from the cilantro. The cilantro will feel almost dry when you are finished.
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Place the leaves in the work bowl of a food processor fit with the steel blade. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) of the olive oil and process to make a thick paste. With the processor running, add the remaining oil. Transfer the oil to a container and reserve, covered, at room temperature. The oil keeps its intense flavor for a day or two, refrigerated.
