I received two small bottles of Artisanal Kitchen’s Mellow & Fruity Three Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the mail to do some product testing. What intrigued me was that the three olives used to make this olive oil were all grown in California, which some purists may find shocking.
As a result of being grown in California, apparently it is more mellow and lighter than imports, “…which tend to have a more peppery taste profile,” says olive oil creator, Anna Zoitas. Let’s see if she is right!
Because I had so little of this elixir I did only two recipe tests. The first was using it in Wayne’s Ranch Dressing recipe. Normally fancy olive oils are too strong and bold in flavour to put in a dressing that requires a more neutral oil but I wanted to test this oil’s “mellowness.”
As soon as I poured the oil into the dressing, the colour immediately blew me away! It was beautiful. So rich and warm at the same time. Also, the dressing was perfect. The oil was not too strong or overpowering at all. I enjoyed it so much I used it in a white pizza I made with my homemade marinated olives.
Looks can be deceiving but not in this case at all. I was shocked that such a deeply coloured olive oil could be so neutral in flavour. But would it be too boring? Onto the next bottle!
The press release says this oil is perfect for cooking, dipping and dressing. Personally, I would never cook this oil. It would ruin all those fabulous healing omegas in this first cold pressed oil. No, I would use it to make a raw sauce. One of my favourites: basil pesto!
I had just enough oil for one serving of the basil pesto sauce and it was a beautiful lunch. Fresh, bold and not boring at all.
This olive oil really is light and mellow but you can feel the goodness with every bite. Its low acidity (below 0.5%) makes this a beautiful smooth olive oil to work with, no matter the application.
I thoroughly enjoyed product testing Artisanal Kitchen’s Mellow & Fruity Three Olive Extra Virgin Olive Oil. What a luxurious treat! I give this product five out of five wooden spoons. The company contacted me and said you can buy their product here and if you are in Canada, here.
Is that basil pesto recipe on your blog? That made me drool! LOL
Hey Connie! Wow, no, I don’t think I do have it on my blog. I kind of change it every time I make it. This time I made it with crunchy almonds, garlic, basil, parmesan and the olive oil. Tyler Florence has a great basic recipe here which is where I started experimenting from. You will love it! Excellent point, I will have to do a post on making your own pesto soon. 🙂
Sounds intriguing, I love the lighter versions of olive oil for dressings so this sounds perfect. Any idea if they are or will be available at any retail chains?
Your salad, pizza and pasta are totally divine, I’m so hungry now!
One more thought..have you been to Liquid Gold in the Hydrostone with all the wonderful olive oils and balsamic vinegars…a foodies fantasy place as you can sample too!!
I have an email in to them about availability Ava, will let you know! I hope it’s available in Canada, I definitely will buy some. I make myself hungry all the time, LOL, terrible isn’t it?
Conny, I have read about Liquid Gold a lot but no, I’ve actually never been to the Hydrostone ever, believe it or not. I don’t live in the city but one day I will definitely get there. Would be a great foodie trip and make a great blog post. Thanks for the suggestion! BTW, I called them and they only carry their own brand and creations.
Yum! And what teeny tiny sample bottles! They look like those mini booze bottles you get on airplanes.
Still no word on availability! Will update when I hear.
Debra, they were tiny! It was challenging figuring out how to test them but yes, just like those mini booze bottles, LOL.
I added links to the post where you can buy the product but if you are in the States, you can buy them via Facebook. If you are in the U.S. and Canada, you can buy the olive oil via their site here.