I have been so well nurtured throughout my life that I'm sure to die completely cured.
--Fernand Point
Like the ascetic cults that attempted to censure sensuality in past times, dietitians, consumers and much of the food media seem hell-bent on carving all that is delicious from food in the name of good health, while making fat the supreme taboo.
Research linking a fat-laden diet to a host of ills from cancer to heart disease has given rise to a panicked view that fat in itself is dangerous, as though blame could be laid to a single sinister cause.
In truth, there are a broad range of factors--some culinary, many not--that have led to the present dilemma, including stress and lack of exercise, as well as over-consumption of fats and highly processed foods. The danger of fat lies not in its nature but in the quantity in which it's eaten.
One outcome of this nationwide fat phobia is that fat is being excised totally from recipes without regard for texture and flavor and the deeper needs that food satisfies. Food is a primal source of pleasure, comfort, joy and sharing with friends. It is a link to culture and roots. Fats have traditionally played a vital role in this more soulful side of eating.
As catalysts of many chemical interactions in cooking, fats are the medium by which flavors are harmonized. Fats are critical to the perception of satisfaction. They are simply too delicious to do without. Proust's madeleines-- the inspiration for probably the most-often quoted example of the transcendent power of food--could never have been made without butter.
The question, then, is how to make use of fats' special qualities to enhance the deeper experience of eating, while respecting the realities of health and diet.
The answer lies in a simple premise: Use delicious fats in small amounts to provide flavor and the unctuous texture that we crave. If the fats we choose are the most flavorful possible, we need to use very little to achieve a satisfying effect.
Extra-virgin olive oils and pungent nut oils, in particular, bear out the radical notion that there are "good fats."
The term "extra-virgin" describes an unrefined oil that has been extracted by pressure, rather than with solvents or heat, from premium-quality olives; by law it has less than 1% acidity. Such strict quality control yields oils with dazzling flavors ranging from buttery to fruity to nutty, with colors from golden yellow to deep green, depending on the climates in which the olives are grown and the method of production.
A drizzle of fine extra-virgin olive oil (no more than a teaspoon) seems to harmonize with practically any savory food, acting as the simplest imaginable embellishment for everything from raw fennel to mashed potatoes.
The oils can be further flavored by infusion with fresh herbs, such as basil, chives or cilantro, or even dried wild mushrooms, roasted peppers or truffles. This flavored olive oil can be used as a perfect instant sauce for anything from crudites to pastas or as droplets of flavor in soups and stews.
Excellent extra-virgin olive oils are produced in France, Spain, Greece, Italy and California. The best are not always the most expensive; as with wine, tasting and personal preference should be one's guide.
Fine cold-pressed nut oils taste like essences of nuts. They are invaluable in low-calorie and low-fat preparations because they are not nearly as calorie-dense as the nuts from which they are made. A little goes a long way, making them quite economical as well. A teaspoon or two of hazelnut oil can impart the flavor of a cup of roasted hazelnuts to a sponge cake or a pie crust, for example, with many fewer calories and much less fat. Walnut oil can be drizzled into chocolate pudding, apple cakes or cookies to lend an underlying aroma of nuts.
And these oils--in league with an excellent vinegar--make sublime salad dressings, particularly for bitter and peppery greens and for chilled cooked vegetables such as leeks, beets and artichoke hearts. A little walnut oil lends a lovely note to a buttermilk-based Roquefort or chevre salad dressing.
Not all nut oils are alike. Health food store varieties can be as flavorless as plain vegetable oil because of the refining processes to which they are often subjected.
Until recently, the best nut oils have come from France. Neal Rosenthal, an American wine merchant, is importing extraordinary hazelnut, walnut and almond oils made by J. LeBlanc in the Charlerais region of France. LeBlanc grills the nuts to bring out the flavor before pressing the oils. They are available at gourmet stores or may be ordered by mail (write Neal Rosenthal, P.O. Box 52, Golden's Bridge, N.Y. 10526).
An American firm called Loriva produces a variety of interesting oils, including a pungent California walnut oil, made from raw rather than roasted walnuts, and a fantastic roasted peanut oil.
