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1
The day before serving, candy the olives.
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2
Cut them into quarters and blanch them in a small pan of boiling water, repeating the process 2 or 3 times to de-salt them; drain.
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3
In the same pan, make a syrup of the powdered sugar and water.
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4
Add the olives, bring to a boil, and simmer 15 minutes.
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5
Remove from heat and let olives soak 24 hours.
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6
Several hours before serving, make the ice cream.
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7
Heat the milk with the cream and split vanilla pod.
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8
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together to obtain a frothy consistency.
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9
To yolks, gradually add the hot milk and cream, beating constantly with a wooden spoon.
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10
Cook over very low heat, continuing to stir until the mixture coats the spoon.
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11
Stir in the olive oil and let cool.
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12
Place in the freezer until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
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13
At least 1 hour before serving, prepare the strawberries and the syrup.
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14
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, red wine, orange zest, the halved vanilla pod, the cinnamon stick, and saffron.
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15
Bring to a boil, then pour the strawberries into the mixture.
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16
Bring mixture to a second boil and allow to boil briskly for 5 minutes, then let the mixture cool briefly.
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17
With a slotted spoon, remove the strawberries to a bowl.
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18
Continue boiling syrup over medium heat until it is thickened and reduced.
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19
Add the strawberries to this syrup and let cool 1 hour or more, to room temperature.
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20
Presentation: Into 4 well-chilled soup plates, serve the strawberry mixture in its syrup.
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21
On the side put 1 or 2 dollops of olive oil-flavored ice cream.
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22
Garnish by poking into each serving a fresh mint leaf (or a tiny sprig of olive leaves if available), a small section of vanilla bean pod, and a small piece of cinnamon stick.
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23
Sprinkle candied olives on top and serve.
