Blood Orange Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cup skim milk
• ½ cup SOOC Blood Orange Olive Oil
• ¼ cup orange juice (blood orange preferred)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 ¼ cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a 12 C Bundt pan with cooking spray or Olive Oil; dust with 2 tablespoons flour and set aside
2. Combine sugar, milk, Olive Oil, 3 tablespoons juice and eggs in a large bowl. Combine 2 ¼ c flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to Olive Oil mixture stirring until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes or until golden brown and cake pulls from the edge of the pan. Cool cake upside down on a wire rack and then invert onto a plate.
3. Combine powder sugar, remaining tablespoon juice and butter, stirring well. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake

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Walleye with Balsamic Vinaigrette and Leeks

Ingredients for Vinaigrette:

• ¼ cup SOOC Traditional 18 year balsamic
• ¾ cup SOOC Lemon EVOO
• ½ cup mustard (Dijon or Horseradish mustard if you like a bite)
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Ingredients for Fish:

• 1-2 lbs. walleye filet (cod or tilapia work as well)
• 4-5 leeks, greens only
• 5-6 cloves minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons SOOC Garlic EVOO

Directions:

1. In a blender mix the balsamic vinegar and mustard together. Slowly add in the lemon EVOO and blend until it thickens or emulsifies. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Then set aside.
2. Wash and dry the fish filets with a paper towel. Rub filets with the minced garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice the leeks and boil approx. 7-9 minutes until tender, drain and set aside. Brush the fish and leeks with the garlic EVOO. Add the remaining garlic EVOO to a sauté pan and fry the fish filet and leeks on medium to high heat and cook until lightly brown and the fish is opaque through.
3. To serve, place a filet and a few of the leek slices on top and drizzle the vinaigrette on top of the fish, leeks and plate. Add fresh pepper and red pepper flakes for added heat.

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Lemon Olive-Oil Cake

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup SOOC EVOO Olive Oil (can use SOOC Lemon Olive Oil), plus additional for greasing pan
• 1 large lemon
• 1 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 5 large eggs, separated, reserving 1 white for another use
• 3/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• Blueberries or Strawberries to garnish (optional)
• Special equipment: a 9-inch spring-form pan; parchment paper

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 º F. Grease springform pan with some oil, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Oil parchment.
2. Finely grate enough lemon zest to measure 1 1/2 teaspoon and whisk together with flour. Halve lemon, then squeeze and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.
3. Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil (3/4 cup) and reserved lemon juice, beating until just combined (mixture may appear separated). Using a wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture (do not beat) until just combined.
4. Beat egg whites (from 4 eggs) with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another large bowl with cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until foamy, then add 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes.
5. Gently fold one third of whites into yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly.
6. Transfer batter to springform pan and gently rap against work surface once or twice to release any air bubbles. Sprinkle top evenly with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until puffed and golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a thin knife around edge of pan and remove side of pan. Cool cake to room temperature, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove bottom of pan and peel off parchment, then transfer cake to a serving plate.
7. Garnish with Blueberries or Strawberries (optional)

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Olive Oil Cake with Stawberries

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 cup sugar

1 ½ cup flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

3 eggs

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

½ cup SOOC Lemon Olive Oil

Strawberry Topping:

2 pints fresh strawberries

Lemon juice to taste

Whip cream topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare an 8 ½” x 4 ½” loaf pan with oil and a piece of parchment paper large enough to form an overhang along the length of the pan.

Whisk together the eggs, sugar, yogurt and vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the egg mixture and stir.  Add the olive oil and stir until blended. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes.  Test with toothpick to make sure the cake is fully cooked in center.

Cool the cake for about 10 minutes and lift it gently out of the pan. Remove the parchment and let cool completely.

Slice the strawberries and add the lemon juice to taste.  Let them sit for about half an hour.

Add strawberries and whip cream topping to each slice of cake.

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Blood Orange Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds salmon filet with skin on (sockeye salmon is great if still in season)
1/4 C SOOC Blood Orange Olive Oil
1/4 C SOOC Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar
4 garlic cloves (minced)
2 Tablespoons fresh herbs chopped (chives, cilantro and parsley or whatever your herb garden is plentiful of)
Dash red pepper flakes (depending on the level of spice you want)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Marinate your salmon filet with the Blood orange olive oil and the tangerine balsamic for up to two hour or if time doesn’t allow then baste your filet before grilling…..marinating adds more flavor. Sprinkle filet with mixture of remaining ingredients.
Preheat your grill to approximately 400 to 450 degrees or on high.
Place salmon steaks skin side down on grill for 3-5 minutes or until skin gets dark and crispy. Then place the filet on a piece of aluminum foil for remainder of cooking time for 6-8 minutes (depending on thickness of the filet). Press on the thickest part of the filet with a fork and it should still feel somewhat soft and squishy with creamy fluids releasing. Do not overcook the filet…..salmon is a fatty fish and will still be very moist but fully cooked.
I always drizzle a little more tangerine balsamic over the filet on the plate as we’ll for added flavor. Enjoy!

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Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

For The Cake 
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 cup SOOC lemon olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 cups washed and dried blueberries (1/2 cup reserved)

For the Simple Syrup Lemon Glazed Blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon fresh lemon Juice or the juice of 1 large lemon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease an 8 cup bundt pan with lemon olive oil, or 8- 1 cup mini-bundt pans.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs together until light yellow and thickened.  Add the lemon olive oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and sour cream.

In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Add to the wet ingredients and whisk until no dry spots of flour remain.  Fold in the blueberries reserving 1/2 cup for decoration.

For the glaze, mix together the lemon juice and sugar in a microwave proof bowl.  Heat for 1 minute on high.  Whisk, and allow the glaze to sit until all the sugar is dissolved and the glaze has become transparent.

Bake the full size bundt pan for 45- 50 minutes, and the mini-bundt pans for 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to coll for at least 20 minutes before inverting.

Allow the cake to cool fully. Add the blueberries to the cooled clear syrup and toss to coat.  Decorate the top/center of the bundt with the blueberries allow the glaze to run down the sides and soak into the cake.  Serve immediately.

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Lemon Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup SOOC Lemon Olive Oil
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 4 tablespoon coarse sugar (or use granulated sugar)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix lemon olive oil and sugar until well blended. Beat in eggs. Beat in lemon peel and juice.
3. In another bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar; gradually beat into lemon mixture.
4. Shape dough into balls (approximately 1 1/2 inches)
5. Place 4 inches apart on greased baking sheets, flatten with the bottom of a measuring cup.
6. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Submitted by Mark Pospisil

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Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup SOOC lemon olive oil
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare an 8-inch pan by coating the sides and bottom with olive oil.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the grated zucchini, brown sugar, olive oil, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold in the walnuts and lemon zest if using.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 55 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the bread from the pan and cool on the rack completely before cutting and serving.

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Salad of Field Greens, Gorgonzola, Pear & Toasted Walnut

Serves 8-

5 ounces prewashed salad greens

1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup toasted walnut halves

4 ounces gorgonzola or other blue cheese, crumbled or shaved

Vinaigrette (makes 1/2 cup)
3 Tbsp SOOC Roasted Butternut Squash Seed Oil
3 Tbsp SOOC Lemon EVOO
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp SOOC Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

Make the vinaigrette: with fork or small whisk combine oils and mustard in small bowl. Gradually add balsamic vinegar until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine greens, walnuts, sliced pear. Immediately before serving, toss greens with vinaigrette until lightly coated. Toss in crumbled blue cheese.

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Roasted grape and goat cheese salad

This salad presents a new way to enjoy grapes. Roasting the grapes with balsamic vinegar creates a sweet and savoury vinaigrette to spoon over a simple salad.

2 cups grapes, halved

2 tbsp Blackberry Ginger Balsamic Vinegar

2 tbsp Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

8 cups mesclun mix or mixed baby greens

3 kiwifruit, peeled and cut into wedges

4 oz goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions

Heat oven to 400 F.

Toss grapes with the vinegar, olive oil, black pepper and salt in an eight-inch baking dish. Roast for 30 minutes or until shriveled and juices are released; cool slightly. (Grapes can be made ahead and reheated gently before serving.)

Meanwhile, divide greens and kiwifruit between four serving plates. Sprinkle evenly with goat cheese and walnuts. Spoon the warm grape mixture, along with juices, over the salads.

Tips
Add sliced grilled chicken, pork or salmon to serve as a main-course salad. Or spoon the warm grape mixture over Brie or Camembert cheese and serve with crackers as an appetizer or as part of a cheese coarse.

~ Recipe courtesy of California Grapes and News Canada

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