Artistic Oil

A New Year's Day hardly ever goes by without the traditional meal. Last year the peas got a little burned, but we managed because the collards were perfect (supposedly they are for coins and cash, which we sure did spend really well in 2011!).

This year, the peas were perfect and the collards were so-so. I had some organic ones, and planned to make sweet potato stuffed leaves, but I love my perfect GK collards so much that I couldn't resist the usual way!

The star of the 2012 show though, was a Christmas present from Art of Oil in Boone (the present was bought there, not actually FROM the store, as in to YJDKIY from AoO.) YJDKIY received a gift of 6 samples. These two were first up to go on my beet salad. Warm beets over salad greens, with pine nuts and feta and a dressing of walnut oil and maple balsamic.

These are the other four to figure out how to use:

The flavors are surprisingly potent (unlike Garlic Gold, which was all the rave, but which I can not for the life of me taste any garlic flavor in). Sesame is definitely for something Asian, Walnut will be tasty with chard and gnocchi. Blueberry will probably go on a fruity salad, but I'm a little stumped on what to do with the espresso balsamic. It smells and tastes divine, but I'm not sure what the flavor complement will be yet!