On Saturday 20 February, the DOP Riviera Ligure olive oil with the Riviera dei Fiori geographical indication produced by Roi Cru Golf made its first gourmet appearance. We have already discussed the replanting of the olive groves on the Sanremo golf course and single vintage production. Now it was time to taste the oil in its many different forms. The scenario was the prestigious Buca Cena restaurant in the club house at the golf club in Sanremo. The promising, young chef, Davide Bisato, and his team were in charge of the cooking.
The aim of the tasting session/dinner was to exalt the characteristics of the DOP Riviera Ligure-Riviera dei Fiori extra-virgin olive oil in a truly local guise: the olive oil from the trees scattered around the golf course just outside the club house.
The olives were harvested in November when they were not fully ripened. The typical sweetness of the DOP Riviera Ligure olive oil dominated but there were also well-balanced bitter and spicy notes, hints of olive leaf, artichoke and a good balance, due to the polyphenols that ensure that the product is preserved well.
The steak tartare was an ouverture in which toasted pine nuts, Taggiasca olives, sun dried tomatoes and queen scallops guaranteed a storm of strong flavours complemented by the Roi Cru Golf DOP Riviera Ligure olive oil.
The borage-filled ravioli, with their pleasantly bitter final note, cooked in potato water with drops of olive oil reserved a surprise: solid oil, prepared cold with soya lecithin, and rapidly put in ice. Dipping the raviolo with its perfect, thin pasta into the solid oil which melted as it came into contact with the hot raviolo, creating a balance that only the sweetness of DOP Riviera Ligure olive oil can guarantee, was a sheer delight.
Sweetness dominated the grand finale. If the olive oil is sweet, then the dessert is exquisite. The ice cream made from Roi Cru Golf DOP Riviera Ligure-Riviera dei Fiori olive oil was a great success and the olive oil chocolates, presented as jewels, were a shower of kisses – a convincing creation by the master chocolate maker, Andrea Setti. A winning team of chefs prepared this première, as confirmed by Davide Bisato who paid tribute to his mentor Davide Zunino, with the blessing of another chef, Roberto Verta, who represented the Regional Association of Ligurian Chefs.
A wonderful evening for a great oil. Here’s to the next appointment at the Buca Cena restaurant with DOP Riviera olive oil and the international scene in Sanremo.
