Asparagus and Pistachio

Asparagus and Spring...synonymous.  

Asparagus and pistachio...sensational.

I had been searching for pistachio oil near my home in Michigan and to no avail.  While doing some research for my Paris trip, I read about a family owned,  artisan oil producing company.  

The Huilerie J Leblanc et Fils is a tiny shop lined with shelves that are filled with rows of bottled oils.  Each bottle is filled with intensely fragrant oil, most of which are nut flavors.  These small-batch oils are cold pressed at the company’s original mill in Burgundy. Each batch of oil requires more than 50 pounds of nuts, which are ground into a paste, roasted, then    cold pressed. The oils are unfiltered and unrefined.

Can I say it was well worth a trip to Paris to find this exceptional oil?  (like a trip to Paris needs a reason other than "it's Paris") The pistachio oil is so good I could pour it on ice cream.  The flavor is so intense that just a tiny bit is all that is needed.  I made an asparagus salad tonight with a light dressing of just fresh orange juice and a drizzle of pistachio oil.  Salt and pepper, chopped pistachios and orange zest finished the salad.  Divine.  

This is the salad that began my quest for pistachio oil.  

Sam Hoffer of My Carolina Kitchen featured her adaptation of a Giada De Laurentiis recipe combining grilled asparagus with melon, prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella.  Giada uses olive oil and pine nuts while Sam suggests pistachios and pistachio oil.  For my Easter dinner I compromised with olive oil and pistachios.  

If you love pistachios, try some with asparagus.  Be on the look out for pistachio oil and if you are a true fan of the flavor, you can purchase the J. Leblanc oil here and here.