Ingredients

1/3 cup of Sherry or red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. Water

1 cup Arette 100% Organic Tea Seed Oil

Directions:

Combine the vinegar, mustard and water in a bowl, blender or food processor

Slowly add the oil while whipping, blending or processing

You should have a fairly opaque and thicker liquid

Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste

Perfect accompaniment to mixed greens or other salads

Ingredients

12 vine ripened tomatoes (the riper the better. This is a great way to preserve tomatoes at peak of season for later use)

2 Tbsp. Arette 100% Organic Tea Seed Oil

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

5 cloves of garlic

Salt, black pepper and sugar

Directions:

Remove the core from each tomato and cut the tomatoes in half through the equator

With the back of a small spoon remove the seeds from each half tomato

Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan cut side up

Season the cut side liberally with salt, black pepper and sugar

Flip the tomatoes over and season the other side

Intersperse the fresh thyme and whole garlic cloves on the tomatoes

Drizzle the Tea Seed Oil over the surface of the tomatoes

Create a paper towel fence around the tomatoes by folding paper towels in half lengthwise 3 times (this helps to absorb any moisture that comes out of the tomatoes while cooking)

Place in 250˚F oven for at least 3 hours or until the tomatoes have sufficiently evaporated their water and concentrated their flavor.

Peel off the skins from each tomato and store in container with some additional Tea Seed Oil between the layers of tomatoes. These tomatoes can be used in all kinds of applications: On top of pasta, in a salad, in sauces, on a sandwich, with fresh mozzarella, on pizza etc. The concentrated flavor of the tomatoes explodes in your mouth. One of my all time favorite ingredients.

Yield 4 portions

24 oz of Fresh salmon skin off, cut into 6 oz portions

1 oz of fresh basil leaves

2 oz of green Tea Seed Oil for purée and enough to lightly coat the salmon ½ lemon

Salt and pepper

Method:

Lightly oil the salmon filets and season with salt and pepper

Prepare the basil purée by bringing a small pot of water to a boil

Plunge the basil leaves in the water for approximately 30 seconds

Then remove the leaves from the water and plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking

Wring out the water from the leaves and place in a blender with one ice cube

Pour the oil into the blender and purée until it is a fine puree. If the blade is not catching add more oil

In a hot pan place the salmon filet skin side facing up, and refrain from moving until a nice golden crust has formed

Flip over and finish. Do not overcook. If you see beads of white form on the surface it means it is overcooked.

Remove from pan and put on plate, squeeze a little lemon juice over the surface and spoonful of basil tea purée over the salmon.

Enjoy!

Chef Andy has been in love with cooking since age 7 when he prepared his first French dish, steak au poivre, while living in Morocco. He graduated from l’Academie de Cuisine’s 2 year professional program in Bethesda Maryland in 1988. His formative professional work was at the Occidental Grill and McPhearson’s Grill in Washington D.C. In pursuit of his childhood dream he then interned in France with two of the world’s top restaurateurs, Georges Blanc and Michel Guerard. Deeply inspired by these French chefs, he returned to a cooking position at the Four Seasons Hotel in Georgetown. Lured by the natural beauty of Colorado, he moved to Crested Butte to work as Sous Chef at le Bosquet, a small fine dining French restaurant. His next challenge came when he accepted a position in Boulder as a culinary instructor for Culinary School of the Rockies. He co-developed a world class 6 month professional program which included a one month externship in Provence. Thanks to his fluency in French, he set up an intimate network of French chefs, artisan producers, sommeliers and vintners. He created a mandatory internship in a French restaurant as part of the month-long externship, and moved the School to a fabulous cooking facility in a 12th century chateau, overlooking the Côtes du Rhône vineyards. As Director of Professional Programs he helped the culinary school achieve accreditation, which provided national credibility to the School’s professional programs. His cooking style is simple yet elegant with an emphasis on using local, sustainable ingredients of the highest quality and allowing those products to shine.