Last week I started a series of posts about homemade gifts that are much better than ones you can get in the store. There are still quite a few people out there that make and personalize their own gifts. By making your own gifts, you make each gift unique and heartfelt.
Below, I have another homemade gift project for you–infused oil. Infusing oil with various flavor combinations is a magnificent way to experiment with various flavors. The fundamental idea is to fuse an assortment of flavors into an oil to produce a custom-flavored oil. The concept is basically the same as the infused alcohol.
Supplies:
- 2 Cups olive oil
- Glass bottles or jars
- Infusion ingredients (see below)
- Labels for your infused oil.
Ingredient Ideas:
- Berries
- Pineapple, Mango and similar fruit
- Strawberries and Citrus fruit/zests of citrus fruits
- Vanilla Beans
- Whole Herbs (basil, oregano, mint, rosemary, thyme, etc)
- Peppers
- Whole Garlic Cloves
Directions:
- Decide on flavors, bottles, and olive oil.
- Boil the olive oil for 2 minutes until warm (180 degrees F).
- Allow the oil cool for 5 minutes.
- Position the ingredients in bottle first and then pour over the oil.
- Let the flavors sit to infuse about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Sample Infusions:
- Tuscan: Basil, Garlic, Rosemary
- Citrus Dream: Lemon, orange, lime zests or whole
- Italiano: Basil, thyme, garlic, rosemary, onion, oregano, lemon zest
- Chili: Habanero and jalapeno peppers
- Strawberry swirl: Strawberries and vanilla bean
Note: Infused olive oil will normally remain fresh for up to one month refrigerated. If the infusion ingredients begin to show any indication of spoilage, dispose of the rest of the oil right away.
Related articles
- Homemade Infused Olive Oil (abeautifulmess.com)
- Herb Infused Olive Oil & Olive Oil Recipe | Pottery Barn (potterybarn.com)
- Flavored Infused Olive Oil for a healthy family (dialfredo.wordpress.com)