Fun in the kitchen - Page 2

lakelady · July 26, 2012

great, thank you. I have an order I'm going to put together for some seeds from Remy, so I'll just add that to my list!

TightenUp · July 26, 2012

it didnt turn into that super round globe shape like boxwood did for me but the taste is divine and the plants got pretty big and were kinda round

RobinB · July 26, 2012

If you VERY quickly blanch your basil (2 seconds or so and then directly into ice water), your resulting pesto will stay bright green! It won't turn brown and oxidize and the taste is not affected. It really works. I got this tip from a chef at one of the big hotels on the Central Coast in California.

beatpoet · July 26, 2012

I love pesto, I grew some thai basil this year as well as the regular kind, so I'm thinking about making a pesto with that since I've got so much extra. I'll have to do a test batch and tweak the normal recipe a little

Rockporter · July 26, 2012

To make Pesto, do you have to pick the basil before it seeds to have a good flavor?

TightenUp · July 26, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobinB

If you VERY quickly blanch your basil (2 seconds or so and then directly into ice water), your resulting pesto will stay bright green! It won't turn brown and oxidize and the taste is not affected. It really works. I got this tip from a chef at one of the big hotels on the Central Coast in California.

i will give it a try. this technique works well with all sorts of other foods so it should work with basil. i usually put finished pesto into fridge to harden up a bit then coat with a little extra olive oil. the fat acts as a barrier and the basil turns brown a lot slower

RobinB · July 27, 2012

I went to an heirloom tomato tasting and cooking demonstration quite a few years ago. The chef had a boiling pot of water, a bowl of ice water, and a blender all in a row. He took a bunch of basil and just went down the row dunking into each bowl and then into the blender. I guess restaurants need vast quantities of pesto and they want it to stay green!

July 26, 2012	#16
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	great, thank you. I have an order I'm going to put together for some seeds from Remy, so I'll just add that to my list! __________________ Antoniette

July 26, 2012	#17
TightenUp Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Jersey Posts: 1,183	it didnt turn into that super round globe shape like boxwood did for me but the taste is divine and the plants got pretty big and were kinda round __________________

July 26, 2012	#19
beatpoet Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 214	I love pesto, I grew some thai basil this year as well as the regular kind, so I'm thinking about making a pesto with that since I've got so much extra. I'll have to do a test batch and tweak the normal recipe a little __________________ "After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley

July 26, 2012	#20
Rockporter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Texas Coastal Bend Posts: 3,205	To make Pesto, do you have to pick the basil before it seeds to have a good flavor? __________________ In the spring at the end of the day you should smell like dirt ~Margaret Atwood~

July 26, 2012	#18
RobinB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Near Reno, NV Posts: 1,621	If you VERY quickly blanch your basil (2 seconds or so and then directly into ice water), your resulting pesto will stay bright green! It won't turn brown and oxidize and the taste is not affected. It really works. I got this tip from a chef at one of the big hotels on the Central Coast in California.

July 27, 2012	#22
RobinB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Near Reno, NV Posts: 1,621	I went to an heirloom tomato tasting and cooking demonstration quite a few years ago. The chef had a boiling pot of water, a bowl of ice water, and a blender all in a row. He took a bunch of basil and just went down the row dunking into each bowl and then into the blender. I guess restaurants need vast quantities of pesto and they want it to stay green!