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celebratedliving.com
fall 2009
OliveOils
letRachaelRaycall it“EVOO” ifshewants— it
justshowshow identifiableextravirginoliveoil
hasbecome—but the truedominanceofanes-
sential ingredientonceregardedas thesecond-
classalternative tobutter is tobemeasured in
howoliveoil isnow featured insomanystylesand
origins.True, thegeneral termoliveoilonceem-
braced inferiorstuffmade frompomaceormass-
producedoil simply labeledas“packed in Italy.”
Now, Italian,Greek,Spanish,Portuguese,french,
andamericanoliveoilsvie forattention, eachdis-
playingcharacteristicsadapted tocertaindishes,
preparations, andcookingstyles.Pickupany
frenchcookbooknoworwatchanyamerican
cookingshow, includingRachaelRay’s, andolive
oilwillbe therequisite fatmedium.Go toalain
Ducasse’s three-star
LeLouisXV
restaurant in
Monaco, andyou’llbeofferedanarrayofdishes
incorporatingoliveoil, like theProvençalvegeta-
bleswithblack trufflesandbalsamicvinegar.Or
toHélèneDarroze’snamesakerestaurant inlon-
don’sConnaughtHotelandmarvelatherScottish
scallopssautéed inoliveoilwitha freshcorian-
dercrustandonionreduction.
Pizza
Nowhere’sa statisticyouwill enjoy:Of the last
50new restaurants I’vedined in,more than
half havehadpizzaon theirmenu. Some call
themflatbreads,whichare really thin; others
focaccia,whichare really fat, or
pizzette
,
which are kind of small; but they are all de-
scendantsof theoriginalNeapolitan street food
that becameaneighborhoodfixtureand take-
out item inamerican citiesuntil becoming chic
whenWolfgangPuck createdvariationswith
sour creamand salmon, and served them toa
celebrity clientele inHollywood. Thesedays
chefsaredevotingasmuchenergyand time—
constructing special ovens, importingbuffalo
mozzarella— topizzasas toanythingelseon
theirmenus, and theydon’t have tobe Italian.
at
TheGrove
inHouston, executive chefRyan
Pera servesa “farmer’smarket
pizzette
,”
drawing on the day’s freshest ingredients.at
St.Alban
inlondon, pizza comes from the
wood-burningovenwithportobellomushrooms
and rosemaryoil.
➤
Pizzette at The Grove
Amuse-bouche served
at Le Louis XV
opposite page: (left 4)©cecilyupton/slow foodusa;courtesy luce. this page from left:©b. touillon&m.de l’ecotais;©deborasmail 1reality photography
