For company
Homemade herb oils — basil, parsley, coriander, rosemary-lemon, cayenne
The five oils I make on repeat for summer entertaining — vivid green basil, parsley and coriander oils, a warm rosemary-and-lemon oil, and my favourite: a fiery cayenne pepper oil. Drizzle over labneh, focaccia, salads, anything grilled.
I decant them into small glass bottles with linen ribbon and a hand-written tag, and send the ladies home with an oil and a jar of speciality salt. The nicest thank-you for coming.
Method
- 01
For the green oils (basil, parsley, coriander): blanch the herbs for 10 seconds in boiling water, plunge into iced water, drain and squeeze bone-dry in a clean tea towel. Blitz with the oil and salt in a blender for 1 minute. Strain through muslin or a fine sieve into a jug. Bottle. It should be a shocking, luminous green.
- 02
For the rosemary-lemon oil: warm the oil gently with the rosemary and lemon zest to 80°C — small bubbles only, never a simmer. Hold for 5 minutes. Cool, then bottle with the rosemary and zest still in.
- 03
For the cayenne oil: warm the oil gently to 90°C. Off the heat, whisk in the cayenne, paprika, chilli and garlic. Let stand for 20 minutes to bloom. Strain into a clean bottle and discard the aromatics.
- 04
Label each bottle and store in a cool dark cupboard. Green oils keep for a week in the fridge; the warm oils keep for a month.
- 05
To serve at the lunch: pool them over a shallow bowl of labneh, put out warm focaccia, let everyone lap up.
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