Bread dipping, minced herbs and spices with quality extra virgin olive oil is complimented with dipping dishes which in turn makes for fine gourmet gifts. Bread dipping dishes are now both adaptable and fashionable. When you drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a dipping dish, it makes for a tasty Italian appetizer, using freshly baked bread and crisp vegetables. When using white stoneware dipping dishes a visual display of color graduations in the dish is displayed when filled with olive oil. Olive green tones in various hues can be seen and the artwork displayed is unique.

When inviting friends over, offer them fresh baked bread. Let them dip the bread in extra virgin olive oil in which herbs and spices have been added. Make sure you use quality dipping dishes which are custom made exclusively for bread dipping. When buying white stoneware dipping dishes spiral lines are featured for an artful table appearance. When extra virgin olive oil is added, the spiral design in the dipping dishes feature a floral rose inside the dish. When balsamic vinegar is added, the oil and vinegar separates and the vinegar settles to the bottom of the dipping dish with the oil floating on top.

Dipping dishes have multiple uses including adding gourmet sauce. Your freshly baked bread can be dipped into the dishes or you could use spring rolls, steamed vegetables or even pot stickers. You can also use dipping dishes to serve flavored oils or even to add spices to the olive oil. By adding a teaspoon of Italian crushed herbs with freshly ground peppercorns to a ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, you will have a delightful appetizer that is sure to compliment the main meal. Try sprinkling freshly grated Parmesan cheese into the olive oil filled dipping dish. By dipping warmed sliced bread, your guests will be pleasantly surprised at the unique taste and the blended flavors of the herbs and peppercorns.

If you are stumped in determining the best gourmet gift to give a friend or relative, consider high quality bread dipping dishes. They easily fit into anyone’s kitchen décor. Dipping dishes are made of fine American chip resistant stoneware and you can use them in the microwave and they are dishwasher safe.

Everyone deserves a special gift as well as a unique gift. Not too many people are aware that there is such as a thing as dipping dishes made of white porcelain with a spiral design which creates a delicate floral rose inside the dish. Instead of having the usual appetizers of celery sticks or crackers with cheese, why not go that extra mile and serve warm sliced French bread dipped in olive oil in which herbs and spices have been added. Even extra virgin olive oil can be served alone or with a balsamic vinegar. The added vinegar will create the floral rose as the vinegar settles to the bottom and the oil continues to float on top. So…surprise your guests and show them how much you appreciate them by inviting them over and tantalizing their taste buds with unique bread dipping dishes. 

dipping dish, gourmet gift, olive oil

Technorati Tags: dipping dish, gourmet gift, olive oil

Olive oil used in bread dipping as a meal starter. The American Heart Association stated that using olive oil is good for the heart and a chef knows that using olive oil is good for bread dipping. Olive oil seems to contribute to lessening the risk for heart disease and heart attacks. Olive oil is used to fry food and as a salad dressing. Now you can use olive oil for bread dipping.

bread dipping, olive oil dipping

Technorati Tags: bread dipping, olive oil dipping

Bruschetta originated in Italy’s Tuscany region,  as it is known presently, is an Italian bread appetizer that is made with drizzled olive oil, rubbed with roasted garlic and topped with tomatoes. It became popular in American restaurants in the 1990’s and has sense retained its popularity.

bruschetta, bread dipping, olive oil

Technorati Tags: bruschetta, bread dipping, olive oil

Bread Dipping Simplicity

The Mediterranean region introduced bread dipping. It is very popular due to its simplicity and delightful taste. Bread dipping paves the way for the main course and of course lively conversations are prompted in a very relaxed atmosphere.

Usually, the typical appetizer served for a get-together are crackers and cheese or celery sticks and cream cheese. It has become a boring ritual and definitely does not invite a robust conversation. But…when you serve fresh sliced, toasted, freshly baked Italian bread with herbs and spices which are bathed in extra virgin olive oil, now that is a wake up call for a tasty before-the-main meal course. A good bread dipping seasoning has multiple uses. It can be used on salads as well as pasta dressings. Or steamed vegetables, roasts and chicken can also benefit from various herbs and spices which are also used for bread dipping.

By using flavored oils, added herbs and spices, extra quality oil, and vinegar, bread dipping can actually be made from scratch. Initially, you will have to re-hydrate, in water, the spices and herbs, that will be used, in a shallow dish for at least 15 minutes. The excess water is than drained and extra virgin olive oil is added. The various flavors of the mixed herbs and spices will have their aroma brought out as if the herbs were freshly picked from a garden. Depending on taste of your guests, you can add lemon juice, cracked pepper and grated parmesan cheese for an additional zestful dish.

A bread dipping entrée is only as good as the olive oil purchased and being dipped into. You should buy the best quality extra virgin olive oil that is on the market; it should be stored in a dark bottle to preserve the flavoring. As a variation, balsamic vinegar can be added. When using freshly baked foccacia, baguette, or sourdough bread, you can use the gourmet olive oil which will add extra flavoring.

When your guests arrive, on the table will be freshly sliced bread, bread dipping dishes and extra virgin olive oil and vinegar as an invitation to a delightful prelude to the main course. When balsamic vinegar is added, the vinegar will pool in the olive oil, adding an artistic design to the combined olive oil and vinegar. This is especially noted when bread dipping dishes are used as the shallow dish is conducive to the designs. The bread is sliced at an angle along the loaf and the slices can be halved, serving on an extra platter alongside bread dipping dishes.

For a quick and extra healthy mini-meal, bread dipping recipes are quick and can be prepared rather easily. For a planned party, the preparation can save time and energy for the hostess. Bread dipping is good for your health and the unique taste contributes to the finer aspects of old world cuisine. If you want to deviate from the run-of-the-mill appetizers, think about bread dipping and create an amazing entree that will be most welcomed by your guests.

bread dipping, oil and vinegar, olive oil

Technorati Tags: bread dipping, oil and vinegar, olive oil

Bread Dipping Dish the Unique Gift

Bread dipping using a bread dipping dish has been around for many years. At one time, you only saw it being done in Italian restaurants since the traditional meal includes bread dipping. Now private homes enjoy this wonderful entrée to a meal. Dipping freshly baked bread into extra virgin olive oil that has been mixed with herbs and spices is a perfect excuse to invite friends to a social gathering.

Bread dips have many uses. Your dipping sauce can be added to pastas, salads and different meats. Extra virgin olive is the base ingredient and with vinegar, the mixture will be reflected in taste and appearance. You will want to use bread that is suitable. Italian Foccacia, Ciabatta, French baguette or sourdough work very well, dipping into a bread dipping dish.

Before your guests arrive, arrange the sliced bread in an attractive manner. When everyone has seated themselves at the table, provide your guests with flavored dipping sauce. Adding oil dressed with swirls of balsamic vinegar is eye catching and will add to this unique evening.

Bread dipping dishes make unique gifts for any occasion. This gift easily blends into any kitchen décor. Because the bread dipping dish is made of chip resistant porcelain, it is dish washer safe as well as microwave safe. A visual display of color funnels into the dish when filled with extra virgin olive oil. Olive green tints appear, providing a work of art that captivates the eye, when the olive oil is added. A lovely floral rose appears within the dipping dish. When Italian balsamic vinegar is added, the oil and vinegar separate and the vinegar settles to the bottom of the olive oil in the dipping dish.

The next time you are at a loss as to what to prepare for your guests, think Italian. Fresh, warm bread is all you will need to begin a meal. As an entrée, it is quite easy to carry on delightful conversation as your guests enjoy something totally new to them. You can be the first on the block to start a new fad and it hardly costs you anything.

Bread dipping is very common in Italy and at one time, only restaurants offered this entree to their customers. It is a very healthy way to enjoy a meal and now many homes have savvy hostesses who display their prized extra virgin olive oil in bread dipping dishes with the aroma of freshly baked bread permeating throughout the house. Coupled with a pasta dish and tossed salad, this meal time definitely will be remembered for a very long time. There is no reason to stand over a stove for hours on end when all it takes is a dipping dish, extra virgin olive oil and different breads.

Extra virgin olive oil is a healthy fat and can be enjoyed without feeling any guilt. Even the American Heart Association states that fat is not the cause of serious illnesses, only saturated fat. Now you have no reason not to dip your favorite bread in warmed extra virgin olive oil served in an attractive bread dipping dish.

bread dipping dish, olive oil

Technorati Tags: bread dipping dish, olive oil

Bread Dipping the Italian Cuisine Appetizer

Is there such a thing as a perfect appetizer just by dipping bread? Yes, and it is the perfect addition to any Italian meal that has pasta as the main ingredient.

For oil dipping, using extra virgin olive oil, soft bread is most ideal. There are some dipping variations that allow for the toasting of bread before serving it. If tomatoes are in season, you can dry them and add to your oil dipping appetizer. Basil leaves chopped can also be added.

Try this oil dipping alternative and see if your guests won’t compliment your cooking abilities.

1 tablespoon garlic clove, peeled and pressed
1 teaspoon fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon oregano
1 ½ tablespoon dried parsley
A dash of fresh ground black and red pepper to taste.

Combine all ingredients, whisking together. Place a teaspoon on a dipping dish and drizzle with gourmet extra virgin olive oil. Dip soft Italian bread and of course, adjust the seasoning to suit your guests taste. Add additional oil until the herbs on the plate are gone.

Bread dipping is used as an appetizer and when preparing a party, your guests will enjoy dipping a variety of breads and fresh vegetables into the dipping sauce. If meat is served, you can prepare ahead of time a dipping sauce marinade exclusively for dipping meat. A number of dipping sauces can be set out for your guests to try. Why not have each of your guest prepare a dipping sauce which they can bring to your party. Then everyone has an opportunity to try a different sauce.

A good quality bottle of extra virgin olive oil on hand will allow you to create dipping sauces that you particularly like. It may cost a bit more but it is well worth the money spent when purchasing superior olive oil. Always have a bottle in your kitchen cupboard for those special occasions. A fast appetizer can be created when unexpected guests knock on your door. Bread dipping dishes can be recreated over and over and you will never tire of the various ways that herbs can be blended, coupled with herbal seasoning.

Superior extra virgin quality oil will need to be purchased in dark bottles. Light will destroy the fragile taste and your money is wasted. Do not store your precious oil in plastic containers as a plastic taste or flavor will permeate into the olive oil. You can store the olive oil in a glass drizzle cruet if it is placed in the cupboard when not in use. Olive oil will need to be stored in a cool dark place. Any olive oil that has been affected by heat or intensive light will have a copper hue; this is characteristic of oxidization. When stored properly, extra virgin olive oil can be kept for up to two years. Olive oil is most flavorable the first two months after pressing. Olive oil should not be stored in the refrigerator; this will block its full delicate flavor.

For a pleasant dinner among friends, bread dipping adds to any exquisite Italian entrée. bread dipping, oil dipping, olive oil, Italian bread appetizer

Technorati Tags: bread dipping, oil dipping, olive oil, Italian bread appetizer

You want to eat healthy but there are so many diets claiming they are number one and the Mediterranean diet is one of many allowing bread dipping. Who do you believe?

Technorati Tags: bread dipping, dipping dish, olive oil dipping

Panzanella: A Fabulous Italian Bread Dish

Tomatoes are one of the most versatile and flexible vegetables, and what you can do with them is only limited by your imagination. Below, you will find a recipe, which is one creative way of showing this delicious vegetable’s versatility.

In order to make Panzanella or Italian style bread appetizer, you will need the following ingredients:

6 cups day-old crusty peasant-style bread, cut or torn into bite size pieces
1/3 cup to ¼ cup olive oil
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced 
2 table spoons balsamic vinegar
4 medium tomatoes diced
¾ cup red onion, sliced
10 fresh basil leaves, shredded
½ cup pitted green olives, halved
1 cup mozzarella cheese (marinated, if desired), cut into bite size pieces

Before anything else, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the bread in 1/3 cup olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic. When everything is fully coated, lay the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bread has turned into a golden brown color.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil and vinegar. Stir the toasted bread with the rest of the ingredients. Finally, add the vinaigrette. Let stand for about 20 minutes before serving, in order for the flavors to be fully absorbed and blended.

panzanella, Italian bread, bread appetizer

Technorati Tags: panzanella, Italian bread, bread appetizer

Panzanella: A Fabulous Italian Bread Appetizer

In order to make Panzanella or Italian style bread, you will need the following ingredients:

6 cups day-old crusty peasant-style bread, cut or torn into bite size pieces
1/3 cup to ¼ cup olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced 
2 table spoons balsamic vinegar
4 medium tomatoes cut into small wedges
¾ cup red onion, sliced
10 fresh basil leaves, shredded
½ cup pitted green olives, halved
1 cup mozzarella cheese (marinated, if desired), cut into bite size pieces

Before anything else, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the bread in 1/3 cup olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic. When everything is full coated, lay the bread on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bread has turned into a golden brown color.

Remove the bread from the oven and cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together ¼ cup olive oil and vinegar. Stir the toasted bread with the rest of the ingredients. Finally, add the vinaigrette. Let the salad stand for about 20 minutes before serving, in order for the flavors to be fully absorbed and blended.

panzanella, Italian bread

Technorati Tags: panzanella, Italian bread

Oil and Vinegar Vessels have been adapted for the 21st century. Olive oil and vinegar are no longer buzz words; they are a huge part of our diet. The U.S. has been behind the curve with olive oil and vinegar but is making huge strides to get in step with the international diet trend that is thousands of years old. Cooking with olive oil to produce healthy unsaturated fat dishes for the U.S. tables in restaurants and homes has taken the nation by storm. Cooking with olive oil in the Mediterranean has caused a global spread of the use of olive oil to nations that do not even grow olives. The heart healthy olive oil is recommended for salads, pasta, meat rubs and marinades in addition to replacing other vegetable or animal oils for cooking. The oil and vinegar vessels need to be functionable.

Balsamic vinegar is the natural companion to olive oil that compliments the cooked or uncooked dish. Balsamic vinegar is a “wine like” product, produced with grapes, aged in oak casks, with no alcohol, and valued by the oldest age. Balsamic vinegar becomes thicker as it gets older and takes less to flavor your dish. The quality balsamic vinegar starts in an oak barrel and is stored for a minimum of 4 years, and then is distributed in glass bottles. The balsamic vinegar vessel for dispensing should always be glass to prevent a taste robbing acidic reaction with a metal container. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing for salads is the most popular use for this vinegar. Bread dipping with balsamic vinegar and olive oil is quickly over taking the popularity of dressing, but both uses are growing exponentially worldwide! Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for bread dipping are no longer “just Italian” cuisine. Fine restaurants and family tables serve this delicacy as an accoutrement to the main dish regardless of the dish’s national origin.

Vinaigrette has become very popular. The combining of oil and vinegar to make an emulsion for salads and desserts have recipe authors rushing to the printer to be published. The combining of oil and vinegar gives a different texture and taste than when used separately. Every imaginable type of oil and vinegar has been used to make vinaigrettes. The vinaigrette serving vessel or mixing bottle has perplexed servers for years; do you use two separate bottles for each function, a combo bottle or a bowl and a bottle?

Dipping dish vessels specifically for oil and vinegar are new to the U.S. But dipping dishes at the restaurant and home are becoming a must. Choosing a dipping dish that distributes both the oil and vinegar precisely as the consumer desires it can be a challenge. Some imported dipping dishes can only be used for decorative purposes due to lead paint. Bread dipping has become such a popular event at all tables that this appetizer crosses all national cuisines.

There are very few dispensers for oil and vinegar vessels that are functional, convenient and pleasing in the table presentation. Until recently, the same type of vessels that have been used for hundreds of years, held the oil and or vinegar at the stove or on the table. Incorporating eye appeal and functionality, Jincor introduces oil and vinegar vessels that have astounded restaurants and homes worldwide. The traditional oil and vinegar cruets are found in a pair. Jincor has designed a pair of conventional Drizzle Cruets that eliminate the “drips”, and drizzle the gourmet nectars precisely where you want it! A new oil and vinegar Grape Cruet combines both liquids in one vessel with European design and elegant see through glass. The Vinaigrette Dressing Bottle has been designed to mix the oil and vinegar emulsion and then serve the vinaigrette from the same bottle with a drizzle spout. Dipping dishes abound, some with lead paint from outside the U.S., some with quaint reservoirs and easily chipped. Jincor has a designed a revolutionary, restaurant grade bread Dipping Dish that has eye appeal as well as being highly functional. This dipping dish has the ability to keep oil separate or blend with the vinegar. The floral image produced while filling, gives the viewer a uniquely different design with each use. These are extremely unique one of a kind quality vessels ideal for any gift occasion.

oil and vinegar, oil and vinegar vessels, oil and vinegar cruets

Technorati Tags: oil and vinegar, oil and vinegar vessels, oil and vinegar cruets