Gift Guide 2018: Oil for Nuts

Thanksgiving was different this year, because of this wonderfully aromatic oil.  I used it to saute the onions in the stuffing: first it filled the kitchen with the haunting aroma of wild pecans and then it lent the stuffing itself a distinctly nutty flavor. I've tried other pecan oils, but this one, with its lovely golden color, is different. Art of Pecan oil is pressed from the nuts of wild native pecan trees that grow along the creeks of Texas, which have a more intense flavor than cultivated trees.  There are lots of reasons to love pecan oil.  According to the people at Art of Pecan it has more polyphenols than extra virgin olive oil and half the saturated fat. They claim it's also rich in selenium and ellagic acid. I don't really care about that.  But I do love the flavor, and the fact that it has a high smoke point (470 degrees), which means that if you want to deep fry with it, you can.  (For comparison, peanut and soybean oil have a 450 degree smoke point.) The beauty of pecan oil as a gift?  Even the most ardent cook is unlikely to have it in the larder - and anyone would be grateful to be introduced to this aromatic oil. It's not cheap, but right now if you order from No. 4 St. James and enter discount code AOP during checkout you'll get 20% off a first order: https://www.fourstjames.com/products/pure-pecan-oil?variant=42722054793