Gifts from the Kitchen, Fresh Basil Oil
When I saw this Fresh Basil Oil over at the Café Sucré Farine, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some fresh basil~
Make up a batch and put it in a fancy bottle and you have the perfect gift from your kitchen,
A most welcome addition to anyone’s pantry….
I used a handpainted bottle, [see Juicy Details below] but all kinds of fun bottles are widely available-check Pier 1, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Sur La Table…
All you need is 1-2 cups fresh basil leaves, a little good quality olive oil another light oil
I used vegetable because that’s what I had but Chris recommends sunflower or canola oil
The technique is very simple
Poor boiling water over basil leaves in a strainer over a bowl [upper right]
Quickly rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process [ middle right]
Drain leaves well [lower right]
Pat dry on paper towels [bottom middle]
Pulse in food processor or blender with oil
Now put mixture into a saucepan
Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 1 minute, do not over cook
Remove from heat and cool, then pour into clean bottle
Fresh Basil Oil
recipe from the Café Sucré Farine
1-1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup vegetable oil
boiling water
Fill a quart sized measuring cup with water and microwave on high until it comes to a vigorous boil, about 8 minutes. Place leaves in a strainer over a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water over them. Immediately transfer strainer to sink and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Drain well and remove to paper towels and pat thoroughly dry. Place leaves in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add oil and puree for 1 minute. Transfer oil to a small sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil and cook 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat and cool. Pour into a clean bottle. Makes 1 cup
Thank you Chris for such a heavenly recipe. Please pop over to the Café Sucré Farine here to see all the delicious ways she uses this oil, and her gorgeous photos~
Juicy Details
If you want to paint your bottle, use Liquitex Glossies Acrylic Paint and a small liner brush for lettering. Use a fatter brush for the basil leaves and a combo of yellow and dark green to paint the leaves
Another way to jazz it up is with a cute label, like these chalk board labels
You can stick them on the bottle or use a piece of ribbon or twine and hang the tag around the neck
Not using words like these of course!!
There are lots of free printable labels available too, see a selection here and here
Check the craft store for Martha Stewart’s line of labels and paper crafting supplies, tons of super cute things to choose from~
Lots of possibilities here!
Pssst…just a little FYI, my first bottle of this divine basil oil is staying right here in my kitchen!
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Looks beautiful and timely Jenna! I was looking at a recipe this weekend that called for basil oil and I just planted some basil yesterday 🙂 Love your lettering and painted bottle too!
This is such a great idea! With summer just around the corner this would be a fabulous way to use summer garden basil. Thanks for sharing. I am pinning this right now!
Velva
Thanks for stopping by Velva~ >
Another wonderful idea from The Painted Apron, Jenna!!
Sounds tasty! And I’m lovin’ those cute canning labels:@)
That looks so amazing!!! I am obsessed with basil (I even made lemon basil ice cream once) so once my new little plant gets going, I am going to give this a try! Thanks so much for sharing! Found you at Coastal Charm blog party.
Lemon basil ice cream sounds amazing!
Hi Jenna, thanks so much for your kind words and the link. I love your bottles, so fun and pretty! I always appreciate a gift from the kitchen!
You are always inspiring me Chris with your wonderful recipes and photos~ >