As much as I love the flavor of extra virgin olive oil, there are times when you want a little more flavor. Infusing the oil can add a variety of tastes. When you infuse an oil you add herb and/or spices to the oil, heat it lightly and then chill. The flavors you added will meld with the oil.

Infused oils are great for when you want to top ingredients with a kick of flavor. Although you can cook with infused oils, they are primarily used as dressings.

One of my favorite infused oils is extra virgin olive oil infused with garlic and rosemary. I generally make small batches designed to last me a couple weeks. The ingredients added to the oils can sometimes go bad after sitting for a while, but refrigerated, you should get at least two weeks safely.

• 4 cloves of garlic, smashed, and minced.
• 1 sprig of rosemary, stem removed, lightly chopped.
• 3/4 – 1 cup of olive oil.

In a very small sauce pan, add all of the ingredients.

Here is the tricky part. You want to heat the oil slowly to a medium low heat. Just when bubbles start to appear in the oil and it looks like it may start frying the garlic any minute, remove from the heat. Do NOT cook the garlic or rosemary.

Cover the pan and let cool until room temperature for about an hour. It is ready to use but will be more potent as time goes by. Store in the fridge and take out 15 minutes before use. This lets the oil return to it’s liquid state.

Brush on breads, salads, etc..