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Press Picks
Anchovies
Baking
- Baking Chocolate
- Baking Decorations
- Baking Nuts
- Cinnamon
- Cocoa & Cocoa Butter
- Extracts & Flavorings
- Flour
Fruit for Baking
- cranberries
- Gluten-Free Baking
- Pastry Shells & Miscellaneous
- Sugar
- Vanilla
Balsamic Vinegar
Beans
Binchotan
Bitters
Candy & Confections
Capers
Chai from India
Chilis
Chocolate
- Agostoni
- Madm de Margaux
- Pralus Chocolate
- Slitti Chocolate
- Cocoa and More...
Chutneys
Coffee
Condiments
- Ketchups
- Mustards
- Other Condiments
Condiments for Cheese
Cookies
Couscous
Crackers
Desserts
Desserts & Dessert Sauces
Drinks and Cocktail Mixers
Duck & Goose
Escargot
Everything Else
Fish Sauce
Fish & Seafood
Foie Gras
Fruitcake
Furikake
Gluten Free
Grains
Grilling Pantry
Herbs & Spices
Honey from the World's Flowers
Hot & Spicy
Hot Chocolate
Jams & Jellies & More
- Conserves
- Jelly
- Marmalades
- Jams
Ketchup
Lard
Lentils
Molecular Cuisine
Mustard
Nuts and Almonds
Nut and Seeds Oils
Oatmeal
Nuts & Seed Butters
Oils
Olive Oils
Olive Oil - Olio Nuovo
Olive Oil - Infused
Olives
Panettone from Italy
Panforte from Italy
Pasta
Pate
Pates de Fruit - Fruit Jellies
Piementon Paprika Pepper
Pesto
Pet Food
Pickled
Pomegranate
Preserved Fruit
Preserved Vegetables
Pruneaux d'Agen - Prunes
Pulses
Quinoa
Rice
Salt
- Sea Salt
- Smoked Salt
- Exotic & Flavored Salts
Sardines
Soy Sauce Shoyu
Stocks
Syrups & Sweeteners
Tea
Tomatoes
Torrone and Nougat
Truffles & Mushrooms
Tuna
Verjus
Vinegar
cranberry
RECIPES
All Recipes
Breakfast & Brunch
Appetizers & Snacks
Salads & Dressings
Soups, Stews & Chili
Vegetables & Side Dishes
Main Course
Desserts
Breads
Drinks
Pizzas & Pastas
Sauces & Condiments
REGIONS
Asian Ingredients
French Pantry
Italian Gourmet Food Pantry
Moroccan Pantry
Spanish Pantry
FRESH
A few of our Favorite things
Avocados
B&E Meats
Beaufort Cheese
BINCHO-TAN Japanese Charcoal
Bottarga
CHERRIES
Colomba Easter Cakes
Copper River Salmon
Fra'Mani Salami
Fresh Fish
Garlic
Heritage Ham Smoked-to-order
Holiday Gourmet Gifts
Mangalitsa Pig
Maui Ribs
Nonnettes from France
Panettone
Panforte
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Sardinian Cheese
Smoked & Specialty Meats
Stocking Stuffers
Tomme Brulee Cheese
Torrone and Nougat
Truffles & Mushrooms
Turkey
Wild Alaskan Salmon
CHEF'S PANTRIES
Marcella and Victor Hazan
Yotam Ottolenghi (Simple, Jerusalem, Plenty More ...)
Chef Brady William (Canlis)
Tim's Pantry Picks (ChefShop.com)
Chef Roberto Cortez
Eliza's Essential Pantry
Tina Ujlaki - Amazing Food Person
Orangette.com (Molly Wizenberg)
Chef Bill Morris (Gourmondo, Seattle)
ChocolateAndZucchini.com (Clotilde Dusoulier)
Chef Brandon (Delancy, Seattle)
Chef Lesa Sullivan (LesaCooks.com)
GlutenFreeGirl.com (Shauna Ahern)
Chef Bridget Charters
herbivoracious.com (Michael Natkin)
Chef John Howie (Passion and Palate)
Chef Karen Binkhorst (Home Meals with Karen)
Chef Erin Coopey (The GlorifiedHomeChef)
STORE EVENTS
PRIVATE CHEF NETWORK
COOKING CLASSES
COOKING CLASSES @HOME
Essential Pantry
ARTICLES
PRODUCERS
Moonshine Trading Company
Acetum Manufaktur (Acetoria)
Albertengo
Almazara As Pontis
Andrea Slitti Chocolatier
Antica Torroneria Piemontese
Apiculture Dr Pescia
Asin Tibuok - Philippine Coconut Roasted Sea Salt Egg
Breramilano Cova and Co
Big Island Bees
Etruria Gourmet
Fallot Mustard Mill
Firefly Kitchens
Flamigni
Garden Treasures Organic Farm of Arlington
Hawkshead Relish Company
Heilala Vanilla
Island Bakery
Jaipur Avenue Masala Chai
June Taylor
KATZ Farm
KL KELLER FOODWAYS
Kozliks Mustard Company
La Vecchia Dispansa Balsamico
Lakrids by John Bulow
Le Bon Magot
Leone
Les Ruchers de Bourgogne
Mademoiselle de Margaux Chocolate
Makabi & Sons
Mama Lils
Marshall's Haute Sauce Company
Oregon Growers Farm Direct
Ortiz Seafood Company
Pierre Biscuiterie
San Giacomo
SOM - Portland
Summerdown Mint
Tasmanian Honey Company
Villa Jerada
Willowood Farm on Whidbey
WOMAN owned Businesses
June Taylor
India Tree
Effies Homemade
Heritage Shortbread
Raincoast Crisps
Jaipur Avenue
Hey Boo
Soom Foods
Le Bon Magot
Kitchen Imp
Landsea
Newsletter Archive
Fruite Noir – The Art and Science of a Traditional Provencal Olive Oil
By
Eliza Ward
Coufi
is the word that growers in the Provence region of France use to talk about the tradition of preserving or aging olives before they are pressed into olive oil. Unlike modern Extra virgin olive oils, where the olives are pressed within hours of picking,
coufi
olives are stored in a warm place for 1-5 days before pressing, allowing them to “ferment” first.
This
coufi
method was the tradition in many parts of France, mostly before the advent of the continuous olive oil press. But what used to be the standard is now very hard to find – and for good reason. Originally, this method of aging the olives before pressing was just as likely born out of necessity, than out of preference. It often took families many days to harvest enough olives to warrant a trip to the communal press, so olives would accumulate in big piles. While the outside olives would oxidize and go rancid, the olives at the center of the pile, because of the absence of oxygen, would go through anaerobic fermentation, almost like an olive wine. Although the reasons to
coufi
the olives before pressing are unclear, the resulting olive oil, called
Fruite Noir
, became tradition in Provence, and many of the classic local dishes were developed with this
fruite noir
olive oil in mind.
Fruite vert
, or "green fruit", olive oil production methods are in deep contrast to the traditional
fruite noir
methods. Today, with the advent of new pressing and storing technologies, the production of
fruite vert
olive oil is now almost ubiquitous the world over. In fact, as with all Extra Virgin olive oils, although still pressed slowly and mechanically, the olives are often picked earlier in the season while they still contain some greenness and peppery compounds, and then are pressed the same day. The oil is separated using centrifuge technology, and then stored in oxygen-free stainless steel containers in a temperature controlled environment. All this modern equipment helps ensure the integrity of the olive juice through all stages of the picking and pressing and storing process, and helps to maintain the oil at its optimum “freshness” and flavor until bottling.
In the past, the quality of
fruite noir
oils was often highly variable. In fact,
fruite noir
olive oil often contained off flavors, such as rancid or musty flavors, which were not highly desirable, especially outside of Provence. In fact, many people did not care for those old-school noir flavors, as the
fruite noir
of old was sometimes down-right putrid. However, sometimes the flavor was absolutely exquisite. It was those exquisite flavors that Jean-Benoit Hugues of
Domaine du Castelas
was determined to re-produce with his
Castelas Red Label Fruite Noir Olive Oil
.
Jean-Benoit spent some time thinking about how to extract those exquisite flavors out of his olives, while minimizing those less desirable, off flavors that many did not care for. Jean-Benoit and his wife, Catherine, own 45 hectores of olive trees in the Appellation, all of which are cultivated organically. About half of the trees are young, planted within the last 15 years, but the rest are from the late 1700’s. All his trees are of classic Provencal varietals – which is why his olive oil has garnered the A.O.P designation. Now, every year starting a few years ago, Jean-Benoit sets aside a portion of his harvest to make into Fruite Noir olive oil. The result is a highly fruity, almost black olive tapenade flavored olive oil, with none of the pepperiness or bitterness you would find in the high quality
fruite vert
olive oils of today.
Although low in the healthy polyphenols that you find in Extra Virgin olive oils of today, the Fuite Noir’s earthly flavor definitely has its place in the kitchen. Because of the fermentation process, it does not qualify for the “extra virgin” designation; it does conform in every other way, except taste, to the Extra Virgin standards. Best used as a raw condiment and flavoring, Castelas' Fruite Noir Olive Oil is perfect drizzled over an anchovy pizza, as a base for vinaigrette, or over baked potatoes or mashed root vegetables instead of butter. For a region that traditionally cooks with butter and not olive oil, Jean and Catherine just might be headed back to the future with
Castelas Red Label Fruite Noir Olive Oil
.
Keywords:
Castelas, Domaine, Fruite Noir, Extra Virgin, Extra Virginity, Tom Muller, Olive Oil, Fruite Vert, The Art of Eating, Magazine