The story of an old family tradition, La Tourangelle offers French-style nut oils based out of a walnut orchard in Woodland California.
The story goes that Founder Matthieu Kohlmeyer was sent from France to expand his family business Les Huileries de la Croix Verte et la Tourangelle into the United States. Operating out of a 150-year-old mill in the Loire Valley of France, where they make toasted nut oils using time-honoured methods; Kohlmeyer was able to take french production methods combined with an American crop to produce products that are equal or superior to domestic offerings.
Learn About The Traditional Artisan Nut Oil Process
Since the Middle Ages, local artisan “Maître Moulinier” (Master Roaster) have mastered the art of roasting and pressing nut kernels into delicious oils. La Tourangelle is one of these few remaining oil mills keeping this heritage alive in Saumur, France and since 2002, in Woodland, California.
La Tourangelle has been built on values of authenticity, heritage and innovation. The 150-year old mill is keeping alive the traditional production method because they believe it is still the best way to retain all the flavours, nutrients and health benefits that nature provides.
The oil mill in Woodland, California, produces oil from nuts grown in orchards near the mill, in the fertile Central Valley of California or in Cooperative farms from Oregon.
After harvesting, the nuts are washed, sorted, dried and shelled. The walnut kernels are then ground and poured into cast iron kettles for roasting.
The cast-iron pots used to roast the nuts came from the mill in France, and they are as critical to the process as the artisanal know-how. If you simply press a fresh walnut, the oil you get lacks character. But when the nuts are roasted just perfectly, the rich flavour of the nuts is brought out in the oil.
La Tourangelle uses a century-old hydraulic French press to slowly and mechanically extract the best of the nuts. It is basically just a big old steel stamp that pressed the nuts. No need for chemicals. Making outstanding oil is an expertise that is part art, part science; every detail counts from the timing of the harvest, the careful selection of the fruit, to the technique for pressing.
Once the Old French press is done its job, there is a beautiful and delicious oil that needs to be filtered in order to remove any impurities. Cotton filters to keep the process natural from start to finish.
Oils are the basis for many recipes and they have the potential to play a major part in your cooking, whether you are frying, sautéing, roasting or baking.
Things to consider when choosing an oil:
- Health Benefits
- Smoke Point
- Flavour Notes
- Best Uses
Check out the packaging as it will give you all the details on how you can incorporate these different oils into your everyday OR check out suggested recipes fromLa Tourangelle here.
Source: Cooking Light | La Tourangelle
