Nuts, Meet Olive Oil

Il Colle del Gusto's Granellona Brut is as unadulterated as it gets, with crunchy crushed hazelnuts punctuating a silken chocolate cream. Extra virgin olive oil lends both smoothness and luster while allowing notes of rich chocolate and roasted hazelnuts to shine through. We love it slathered over a piece of toast finished with a simple sprinkling of sea salt. You could also drizzle it over ice cream or waffles, spread it on the bottom crust of a banana cream pie before filling or mix it with whipped cream and freeze overnight for an easy semifreddo.

If you're a pistachio lover, Il Colle del Gusto's Pistacchiosa will have you swooning upon first taste. 

The high percentage of Sicilian pistachio paste in this dreamy jarful makes for an intensely nutty flavor and aroma that you'll smell the second you pop open the lid. The addition of extra virgin olive oil creates a velvety smooth spread with the consistency of chocolate sauce, ideal for drizzling as well as baking. Mixed with pastry cream or whipped cream, it becomes a sensuous filling for cakes and cream puffs. Or fold into sweetened cream cheese for an unforgettable danish. Of course, you might just find yourself eating it straight out of the jar.

Il Colle del Gusto: A Nutty Discovery
If it weren't for their yellow umbrella, we may have never discovered Il Colle del Gusto tucked in the corner of the farmers' market in Rome. We were about to leave when the bright yellow umbrella drew us over to a little stand, where we encountered these wonderful dessert spreads and learned the company's sweet story.

In 2012, Antonio della Corte was creating sweet mixes for gelaterie and pastry shops and Anna Maria Conti was running a farm, bed and breakfast a few miles north of Rome. In a blend as natural as chocolate and hazelnut, the two combined their talents to produce a line of spreads made with Anna Maria's own extra virgin olive oil and nuts grown on friends' farms. We met the couple (partners in business and in life) just three months after the launch of their delicious creations, and we loved the spreads so much that we decided right there and then to bring them back for you.