Ingredients: Basil Primer

Common Basil
This variety of basil is the most commonly used in cooking, and comes in a number of varieties. The most widely available in the markets is Sweet Basil or Lettuce Leaf Basil. Characterized by their large, sometimes thick leaves and underlying sweetness on the palate, these varieties are ideal for salad, and the Genovese is particularly lovely when used in pesto or a seasoning and garnish. The characteristic fullness of aroma and flavor is reminiscent of mint, spice, citrus, and even anise.

Bush Basil
Shorter varieties, commonly referred to as “Bush Basils,” include the popular Spicy Globe, and are characterized by small, narrow leaves and a less pungent aroma. Because the flavor is delicate, these varieties do not stand up well to long cooking processes. We recommend they be used in their raw form, or incorporated into a final product as a finishing component. (read more)

Gastronomic Meditations: Basilicum Tormentum

There is no way for me to say this without sounding like a complete maniac, so I’ll just come out with it: Nothing gets my blood flowing like basil. I don’t mean that it is pleasing to my palate (it is); or that it is my favorite ingredient (it is); but that I am utterly obsessed with its arresting fragrance.

As soon as the basil in my garden is ready for picking, I am out there like a wanton lover, inhaling its scent so hard that I become deprived of oxygen, and feel myself swaying in a dreamlike haze. After tearing up the leaves to sprinkle over a bowl of tomatoes, my fingers are perfumed for the rest of the day, and I can return to my basil daydreams with the mere wave of a hand.

I’m not sure I’ve experienced a lust quite like it — I simply cannot get enough. This year I’ve experimented with adding the torn leaves to my bath so I can smell its ethereal aroma in my hair; I even keep a few leaves on my desk so I can rejuvenate my senses during the workday, allowing the captivating scent of anise to coat my palate as I muddle through the tasks at hand. Perhaps some sort of twelve-step program is in order, because my greed is out of control. (read more)

Recipe: Basil Orange Ice Cream

It seems that any time we work with a vibrant, fresh, and seasonal flavor, we can’t seem to resist turning it into an ice cream or a sorbet. Basil is one of those ethereal flavors that is magical when transported along the palate with the icy coolness of iced cream and just a tang of perfumed citrus on the after palate. The cinnamon tuile is a classic recipe that makes this simple recipe utterly elegant, not to mention a perfect palate complement to the flavors of the ice cream. To keep the ice cream light, we omitted the eggs and the traditional custard-style ice cream here, opting for a simple light cream infusion: Summer flavors frozen in time!

gilded fork, recipe, basil, orange, ice cream