When I decided to do my homemade Christmas gifts, I knew that infused olive oil would be a definite on the list.
I toyed with the idea of doing rosemary and garlic but I decided against that seeing as how I wanted this to be oh so easy and not cause any stress. Burning/overcooking garlic can cause stress especially when you ruin a liter of extra virgin olive oil.
Rosemary Peppercorn Infused Olive Oil from Living Well Kitchen
Rosemary and Peppercorn Olive Oil is fan-freakin-tabulous and worth every second it takes to make {between 5-10 minutes to produce something so incredible}.
It’s great for making salad dressing, a delicious marinade, and a flavorful dipping sauce.
You want to make sure that you get a good quality olive oil. If you are making a lot of gifts, you can buy in bulk and save a good bit. I bought mine from World Market and thought their olive oil was pretty tasty. I also bought my bottles from World Market. Side note: I love World Market.
Another thing to do is be sure that you dry the rosemary really well. Like another recipe suggested, I washed it then put it in the oven to dry; that was a total mistake. The second go-round, I just let it dry on the counter overnight and that was much better.
Rosemary Peppercorn Infused Olive Oil from Living Well Kitchen
To make two 550mL bottles of Rosemary Peppercorn Infused Olive Oil, here’s what you do: wash the bottles & wash the rosemary. Let dry overnight. Put a few sprigs of rosemary and one teaspoon of peppercorns in the bottles and set aside {if you want to write on the bottles, do that now. I just used a permanent marker. It can easily rub off so if you make a mistake, you can start over. But be careful not to touch the writing so it doesn’t come off}. Put the remaining sprigs of rosemary in a saucepan and add one tablespoon of peppercorns. Pour in 1 liter or about 32 ounces. Heat over medium low for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour over a strainer and strain oil. Pour the cooled & strained olive oil into the bottles. Put the top on and let sit for at least 4 days before using.
I prefer to keep mine in the refrigerator so it doesn’t spoil. If used within a few weeks, you should be fine to keep it at room temperature. Keeping it in the fridge will make it look a little cloudy but just bring it to room temp before using and it’ll go back to normal.
Rosemary Peppercorn Infused Olive Oil from Living Well Kitchen
The olive oil will taste best if given at least 1 to 2 weeks to infuse. Just let your recipient know that. But I thought it was delicious after two days of infusion so don’t feel like you don’t have enough time to make this.
Honestly, this is one of the easiest but nicest looking gifts to give someone, I think {and won’t cost you a pretty penny}. It’s healthful, delicious, useful, and doesn’t need to be consumed by the end of the holidays. All wins in my book, so I am keeping one for myself :)
Rosemary Peppercorn Olive Oil
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 10 mins
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Ingredients
#ingredient#
Ingredients (Makes 1 liter)
8-10 sprigs rosemary, washed & dried
1 TBSP + 2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 Liter (about 32 ounces) extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
In each bottle, put a few sprigs of rosemary and one teaspoon of peppercorns in the bottle and set aside {if you want to write on the bottles, do that now. I just used a permanent marker. It can easily rub off so if you make a mistake, you can start over. But be careful not to touch the writing so it doesn’t come off}.
Put the remaining sprigs of rosemary in a saucepan and add one tablespoon of peppercorns. Pour in olive oil. Heat over medium low for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool. Pour over a strainer and strain oil.
Pour the cooled & strained olive oil into the bottles. Put the top on and let sit for at least 4 days before using.